I 19 ) 



Ambalawa, Passara, Bibile, Viriniya, Bintenna, Vavuniya, 

 Trincomalee, Anuradhapura. Also in South India and 

 Malaya. 



Diospyros pruriens, Dal/, in Kew Journ. Bot., Vol. 

 IV., p. 110, n. 2 (1852). 



Bu-Kaluwara, S. (see below, p. 153.) 



Thw. Enum. 423. C. P. 2,836. Hiern, Mon. Eben. 185. 

 Fl. B. Ind. III., 553. Bedd. Ic. PL Ind. Or. t. 129. 



A small drooping or erecfc tree with trunk rarely exceed- 

 ing 1 foot circumference, evergreen, dioecious ; branches 

 and young twigs densely coated with long stiff brown hairs, 

 3-5 mm. in length ; bark black, rather smooth, with narrow 

 short ridges running longitudinally, reddish-brown when 

 cut. Leaves not abundant, alternate, 50-100 mm. long, 

 15-45 mm. wide ; obtusely acuminate apex, rounded or 

 subcordate base, densely covered under surface with long 

 yellowish-brown stiff hairs, especially on the veins, midrib, 

 and margin, upper surface glabrous except along midrib, 

 thin, not coriaceous, pale green below, venation widely 

 reticulate and faintly pellucid, lateral veins not strong ; 

 petiole 2-5 mm. long, reddish-brown, covered with long 

 stiff hairs. (See pi. XIII., fig 9.) 



The male inflorescence arises in the axil of a foliage leaf, 

 and consists of a raceme of 3-4 pedicellate flowers, the 

 oldest being at the base and youngest at the top ; primary 

 peduncle is reddish-brown, covered with long stiff hairs, 

 10 mm. long, 1 mm. diameter, widening towards flowers ; 

 bracts subtending pedicel of each flower reddish-brown, 

 rounded, very hairy on lower surface, caducous, 3 mm. 

 long. 



Flowers yellow, measuring 13-25 mm. in length. (See 

 pi. XIII., fig. 9,) 



Calyx green, 8 mm. long, 5 mm. diameter at base ; seg- 

 ments 4, thin and papery, accrescent, linear-oblong, narrow 

 at base, tapering acuminate apex, neutral surface covered 

 with long yellowish- white hairs 5 mm. in length. 



