( 15 ) 



The polygamous condition is much more common, and in 

 some districts I have often experienced difficulty in finding 

 a true male tree. When at Vavuniya with Mr. H. P. C. 

 Arinitage in April, 1902, every tree examined in the neigh- 

 bouring village compounds possessed male and hermaphro- 

 dite flowers, and the extent to which polygamy existed 

 reminded one of D. Gardneri, D. sylvatica, and D. affinis. 

 (See pi. XII., fig. 4.) 



The flower systems on the polygamous trees are dichasial 

 cymes, and more often than not the median flower is herma- 

 phrodite; sometimes the whole inflorescence consists of 

 male flowers only. Hermaphrodite flowers are particularly 

 abundant where there has been excessive production .of 

 flowers in a local area : perhaps this can be correlated, 

 physiologically, with causes similar to those which determine 

 the frequency as median or top flower of other cymes ; certain 

 it is that female flowers occur in areas where vegetative or 

 floral construction is at the maximum. 



Male inflorescence consists of a dichasial cyme of 3-lf> 

 flowers (cf. D. Toposia), sessile or subsessile on lower part 

 of young shoots in axil of caducous bract of foliage leaf ; 

 bracts small, caducous, tapering apex, green, 2 mm. long. 

 (See pi. XIII., fig. 1.) 



Flowers. The buds are linear, tapering, 10 mm. long and 

 2 mm. diameter.. 



Calyx funnel-shaped, green, 4 mm. long ; segments 4, 

 accrescent, green, speckled with white, rounded apex, short, 

 nearly glabrous ventrally, hairy on dorsal surface, margins 

 ciliate. 



Corolla tubular, yellow, throat constricted, total length 

 11 mm.; segments 4 (rarely 3), glabrous, narrow, thick, 

 rounded apex, rotate, 6 mm. long. 



Stamens numerous, 20-30, usually 16, arranged in 8 

 epipetalous connate groups of 2's or 3's disposed opposite and 

 alternate to corolla segments ; one group of 4 consisted 

 of a yellow pedicel 1 mm. long bearing 2 lateral sessile 

 fertile anthers each 2 mm. long, immediately above this 



