PLATE 383. 



PROTOBHUS LONGIFOLJA, Engl. (Fl. Cap. Vol. I., p. 522, sub Rhus longifolia.) 



Natural Order, ANACABDIACE.S:. 



A large dioecious tree reaching to 30 or 50 feet in height, -with trunk up to 

 3 feet in diameter. Bark reddish-grey, thin, even or cracked. Leaves alternate, 

 simple, petiolate, exstipulate, linear-oblong to oblanceolate, quite entire and often 

 undulate, tapering to the petiole, recurved and thickened at apex, sometimes 

 emarginate, margins thickened and horny, mid-vein conspicuous on both surfaces, 

 lateral ones numerous, up to 25 or more on each side ; 3 to 6 inches long, f to 1^ 

 inch wide, quite glabrous, dark green and glossy above, paler beneath ; petiole 

 channelled above f to 1^ inch long. Inflorescence puberulous, paniculate, the 

 panicles many flowered, flowers yellow. Calyx garnosepalous, 5-6-lobed, f line long, 

 tube short, lobes deltoid or oblong-deltoid, obtuse, erect. Bracts minute. Petals 

 5-6, inserted outside the disk, greenish-white, sometimes with brownish tinge, 

 ovate-oblong, obtuse, puberulous on outer surface; 1-J line long. Stamens in 

 male flower 5-6, inserted at base of disk, shorter than petals, filaments erect ; 

 anthers 2-celled, introrse, in female flowers smaller, and without, or with very 

 little pollen. Ovary seated on a yellow, fleshy, annular, disk, 1-celled, 1-seeded, 

 abortive in the male flowers. Styles 3, very short, truncate, recurved. Drupe 

 oblique-reniform, compressed, glabrous, sub-fleshy, purple, 3 lines long, 4 lines 

 broad, the seed pendent from the wall of the cell near the apex, the seed-cord 

 being adherent to the cell wall for more than half of its length. 



Habitat : NATAL : Woods near Durban, common. 



This tree was figured and described in Vol. I. of this work, p. 69, as Rhus 

 lonyifolin, the fact of the genus Protorhus having been established by Dr. Engler, 

 being then unknown to us, and the drawing and description of Plate 383 was finished 

 before the mistake was discovered. In the previous drawing the protuberances 

 at the base of the petiole are figured rather too prominently, they vary much in 

 size, and are often scarcely noticeable ; also fig. 5 in plate 69 is a perpendicular, 

 not a cross section of the Iruit as stated in the text. Mr. Bazley says of the wood 

 of this tree : " A very fair wood, stands well for beams and rafters, &c., if cut in 

 winter, if cut in summer it soon decays. Stands best under cover." 



Fig. 1, male flower; 2, calyx; 3, portion of corolla of male flower, showing 

 stamens ; 4, stamen, front view ; 5, same, back view ; 6, portion of corolla of 

 female flower, showing abortive stamens ; 7, pistil , 8, style and stigma ; all 

 enlarged. 



