132 Lxx. RUBiACEiE (hiern). [Canthium. 



49. CANTHIUM, Lam. Encycl. Meth. i. p. 602 (17SS).—(Plectronia, 

 DC. ; Bentli. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. ii. p. 110 ; non Linn ! nee Lonr.) 



Calyx-tabe short, turbinate campannlato or hemispherical ; limb 

 short, 4-5-toothed or -cleft or subtruncate, deciduous. Corolla cori- 

 aceous ; tube rather short, exceeding the calyx, glabrous outside, 

 hairy with a ring of deflexed pilose hairs or rarely glabrous inside ; 

 throat rather constricted or dilated, often bearded ; lobes 4-5 rarely 6, 

 ovate or lanceolate, reflexed, usually glabrous, valvate in aestivation 

 (towards the apex sometimes induplicate- valvate). Stamens 4-5 

 rarely 6, exserted, inserted at the mouth of the corolla; filaments 

 short ; anthers ovate or oval or lanceolate, acute or obtuse, usually 

 subsagittate at the base, usually glabrous, fixed at the back. Ovary 

 2-celled, fleshy ; style flexuous, filiform or robust, exserted or equalling 

 the corolla, usually glabrous ; stigma capitate, calyptriform or mitre- 

 shaped, sometimes bifid at the tip, often sulcate ; ovules solitary, pen- 

 dulous, anatropous. Fruit drupaceous, didymous or subdimidiate or 

 globose, 2-celled or by abortion 1-celled ; pyrenes 2-1, sometimes sub- 

 rugose. Seeds pendulous, solitary, nearly straight or curved, sometimes 

 bent into the form of a horse-shoe round the placenta ; testa mem- 

 branous ; albumen fleshy, sometimes ruminated ; embryo terete, nearly 

 straight or curved, axile ; cotyledons short ; radicle superior. — Shrubs 

 or trees, sometimes scandent, occasionally spinous, with opposite leaves 

 and branches, acuminate stipules from a broad base, and axillary 

 flowers crowded in short panicles or fascicles. 



A rather large genus widely spread over the tropical regions of the Old World, 

 the Cape of Good Hope and Australia. 



Corolla glabrous or sparingly setose outside. Flowers 

 5-4-merous. 

 Peduncles fasciculate or pedicels in simple umbels or 

 two or more racemes on a common peduncle. Spinous 

 or unarmed. Flowers 5-merous. Disk glabrous. 

 Spinous. 



Spines i-^ in. long. Leaves about 1 in. long. 



Flowers ^ in. long 1. C.glaucum. 



Spines 1 in. long. Leaves 2-3 in. long. Flowers 



|_| in. long 2. C. Thonningii. 



Unarmed. 



Corolla-lobes setose outside. Leaves more or less 



hispid 3. C setiflorum. 



Corolla-lobes glabrous. Leaves glabrous or pu- 

 berulous. 

 Common peduncles very short or obsolete. 

 Branches erect-patent. 



Leaves quite glabrous, more or less lucid. 

 Fruit obovoid, somewhat narrowed to 

 wards the base. 



Leaves coriaceous A.. C.nitens. 



Leaves chartaceous 5. C. neglectum. 



Fruit globose or didymous, rounded or 



hollowed at the base 6. C Schimperianum. 



Leaves pubemlous, not or scarcely shining 7. Vatkeanum. 

 Branches patent 



