3OO The Flowering Plants of Western India. 



Agrostistacliys, smooth shrubs, male flowers several within each 

 bract, -female solitary, male calyx round, splitting into lobes, female 

 5 or 6 parted, petals 5 to 8, stamens 8 to 13. * A. Indica, leaves 

 oblong, sharply serrated, very long, male flowers in grass-like spike - 

 lets, petals white, disk glands very large, capsule 3-celled. S. Ghauts 

 (P.). 



Trewia, trees, leaves opposite, flowers rather large, develop- 

 ing before the leaves, dioecious, males each with a bract, stamens 

 numerous, styles very long. * T. nudiflora, more or less hairy 

 or woolly, leaves heart-shaped, male flowers in drooping racemes, 

 females generally solitary, long-stalked, fruit a berry, round, 3 or 4- 

 celled. Konkan (H.). Pet&ri. * T. polycarpa, female flowers in 

 short racemes, the fruit smaller and ovoid. Konkan (H.). 



Cleidion, male flowers in long racemes, females one or two on a 

 long peduncle, stamens over 20, styles very long, bifid. *C.javani- 

 cum (Rottlera uranda, D.). Shrub or tree, leaves narrow, oblong, 

 narrowed into the petiole, capsule of 3 round cocci. S. Ghauts 



Sapium, flowers monoecious, males several in each bract, females 

 solitary in the bracts, stamens 2 or 3. * S. Indicum, a small smooth 

 tree, sometimes thorny, leaves elliptic, serrate, bract broad, obtuse, 

 ciliated, female flowers larger, with long style and stigma, fruit 

 round, hard, size of a nutmeg, 3-celled. S. Konkan, Nimmo (If.). 

 * S. sepiferum, vilayati pipal, in Bombay gardens, &c., the China 

 tallow tree ; the fatty substance surrounding the seeds is used to 

 make candles, but in India is produced in quantities too small to be 

 of any practical use. 



Exceecaria, smooth trees or shrubs, flowers dioecious or monoecious, 

 males 1 to 3 in each bract, sepals 3, females at the base of the ra- 

 cemes, or in separate racemes, rachis with large glands near the 

 bracts, stamens 3, capsule of 3 cocci. * E. agallocha, leaves about the 

 end of the branchlets ovate or roundish, long-petioled, flowers fra- 

 grant, filaments lengthened after flowering. In salt marshes, 

 with the mangroves, but not common apparently. The milky juice is 

 said to be very dangerous. *E. robusta, leaves opposite, linear, 

 oblong, spikes stout, sepals of the male flowers round, irregularly 

 toothed, bracts broad, fleshy, bracteoles large. Konkan (H.), on Stock 's 

 authority, but apparently very imperfectly known. 



The following are cultivated : 



Ricinus communis, the castor oil plant, formerly called Palma 

 Christi, rand, erandi, probably indigenous! in Africa (H.). Fie Ids of 

 it are very striking from the large, handsome leaves, and their pecu- 

 liar bluish tint. The scarlet flowered species is a very orname ntal 

 shrub. 



Pedilanthus tithymaloides, the slipper plant, with scarlet flowers 

 (involucres) slipper-shaped, is commonly used as an edging in gardens. 

 Thor, vilayati thor, sliend. 



Povnsettia pulcherrima, with scarlet or crimson bracts and yellow 



