308 The Flowering Plants of Western India. 



F. mysorensis (Urostigma dasyacarpum, D.), a fine spreading tree, 

 most parts densely downy, leaves broad ovate or elliptic, thick, 

 veins very prominent beneath, fruit ellipsoid obtuse at both ends, 

 generally twin. Bhurwad. Bhandup. Bombay (D.). Konkan (Lis- 

 boa). F. Benjamina (Urostigma B., D.), a smooth tree with drooping 

 branches, leaves broad ovate, leathery, male flowers very few, scat- 

 tered ; sepals 2, large, flat, females with shortly spathulate sepals, 

 fruit like peas, smooth yellowish-green dashed with purple, sessile. 

 S. M. country (!>.). Dr. Cooke mentions F. caricoides as the only 

 species besides F. glomerata growing at Mabableshwar. This is pre- 

 sumably H.'s F. palmata, ascribed to Abu by H., a bush or small tree, 

 leaves roundish-ovate, or obtusely 3 5 lobed, fruit roundish or pear- 

 shaped, yellow. 



F. carica, anjir, is the cultivated fig, which seems always to 

 have "been one of the most valued of fruits. It is mentioned 

 in the " Odyssey." " There (in the garden of Alcinous) grow tall 

 trees blossoming, pear trees, and pomegranates, and apple trees 

 with bright fruit, and sweet figs, and olives in their bloom." 

 (Bk. 8.) And in Judges ix. 8 it is mentioned with the olive 

 and the vine, as if these three were the choicest of all trees. 



The figs grown in India must be placed far below those of England, 

 and these again are in flavour nowhere near the Italian figs ; but 

 the scientific cultivation of fruit in India must come in time. 



F. elastica is the india-rubber tree, found in Bombay gardens, wild 

 " in damp forests at the base of the Sikkim Himalayas," and further 

 east (-H".). "The close parallel straight nervation of the leaves and 

 the enormous stipules " are its distinguishing marks. The true 

 sycamore is F. sycamorus. 



6. ANTIARIS. 



* A toxicaria (A. saccidora, D.). A tree, leaves oblong 

 elliptic acute toothed or serrated, flowers 4-androus on a convex 

 fleshy receptacle, fruit like a small fig, purple or red, with one 

 seed. Jdsund, chdndul, chdnd kuda. 



Konkan hills and Khandalla (D. and #.). Deccan peninsula, &c. 



"A stately forest tree, truly majestic (H. says it attains 250 feet) ; 

 the flowers are in very curious reflected aments something like a 

 common mulberry" ($.) Its viscid juice, obtained by incisions in 

 the bark, hardens into a gum resin, with which the Malays prepare 

 the upas to poison their arrows. But a good many fables have grown 

 up around the name upas, which is in fact only the Malay word for 

 poison. 



" The upas tree had reared its head, 

 And sent its baneful scions all around, 

 Blasting, where'er its effluent force was shed 



