94 



FLORA OF JAMAICA 



Oryctanthus 



Cat. 168 & Hist. u. 92, t. 200,/. 2. Scurrula parasitica foliis 

 majoribus &c. Browne Hist. Jam. 197. Lorantbus occidentalis 

 L. Syst. ed. 10, 988 (1759) (excl. syn. Loefl.) & Amoen. v. 396; 

 Macf. Jam. ii. 198; Griseb. Fl. Br. W. Ind. 313 (excl. syn. 

 Bentb.). (Fig. 28.) 



Sloane Herb. vi. 108 ! Shakspear ! Wright ! Broughton I Bertero I 

 Distin 1 Gosse ; Macfadyen ; Wullschlacgel ; Prior ! March ; Oersted ; Wareka 

 Road, Campbell ; Whitfield Hall Works ; Road to Brandon Hill, 100 ft. ; 

 Mavis Bank, 2500 ft. ; Chester Vale, 3000 ft. ; Mona Woodland, 1000 ft. ; 

 Charlemont, near Ewarton, 1000 ft. ; Road to Constitution Hill, 1000 ft. ; 

 banks of Black River, Lacovia ; Harris I Fl. Jam. 6012, 6342, 6354, 6382, 

 6894, 6396, 6542, 6572, 6710, 6812, 9757. Growing on Punica, Persea 

 gratissima, PJicebe montana, TJieobroma Cacao, Serjania, Nectandra, 

 Dipholis, Rondeletia and Vitis. 



Branches when young scurfy. Leaves variable in form, roundish or 

 broadly to narrowly ovate or oval, 3-8 cm. 1., 2 '6-5 -5 cm. br. Spikes 

 axiUary, solitary, rhachis smooth, peduncle •5-1*2 cm. 1., scurfy. Berries 

 black, ovate, 4-5 mm. 1. 



4. PHORADENDRON Nutt. 



Sbrubs ; brancbes articulated at the nodes. Spikes axillary or 

 terminal, articulated, witb two small flesby bracts at eacb joint. 

 Flowers superposed in 2, 4, or 6 rows in eacb joint, dicecious or 



Fig. 29.—Phoradendron Wattii 

 Kr. & Urb, 



A, Portion of male shoot with axil> 



lary spikes. 



B, Male spike. 



C, Petal with stamen. 



D, Female spikes in fruit. 



E, Female spike in flower. 



F, Fruit cut lengthwise ; v, viscid 



layer ; e, endosperm ; c, em- 

 bryo. 



monoecious, more or less immersed in the rhachis. Male flower : 

 petals 3, united at base. Anthers at the base of the petals, 

 almost sessile, 2-celled above, cells longitudinally dehiscing. 

 Female flower: petals 3. Berry crowned by the petals and 

 including a thick viscid layer. Seed with a small embryo 

 enclosed in copious endosperm. 



Species about 100, natives of West Indies, tropical America, 

 and a few in North America. 



