400 cxxxv. EUPHORBIACE^. (J. D. Hooker.) [Codiceum. 



An evergreen shrub. Leaves 2-10 iu. long, often waved and infinitely variable in 

 form and colouring. 



38. OSTODES, Blume. 



Trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, broad, toothed or entire, penninerved, 

 rarely triple-nerved at the base, which is 2-glandular or not. JFlotvers in 

 lax terminal and lateral pauicled racemes, rarely in axillary fascicles, mono- 

 or di-oecious ; males fascicled or cymose, fern, in separate racemes or solitary 

 in the male cymes. MALE PL. Sepals 5, broad, unequal, imbricate. Petals 

 5-6," longer. Disk of 5 glands or 0. Stamens 8-30, inserted on a convex or 

 columnar receptacle ; anthers dorsifixed, of the inner series often horizontal, 

 cells introrsely adnate to the broad connective, rarely extrorse, parallel or 

 divergent. Pistillode 0. FEM. PL. Perianth of the male. Ovary 3-celled ; 

 styles short, 2-cleft, ovules 1 in each cell. Capsule subglobose, 6-ribbed, 

 endocarp almost bony, at length breaking up into 3 2-valved cocci. Seeds 

 ovoid, testa crustaceous (? pulpy when fresh), albumen fleshy ; cotyledons 

 broad, flat. Species 6-8, Indian and Malayan. 



As above defined, Ostodes is a heterogeneous assemblage of trees and shrubs with 

 simple leaves, unisexual flowers, a double perianth of 5-6 imbricate sepals, as many 

 petals, and 8 or more free stamens on a central receptacle. 



1. O. zeylanica, Muell. Arg. in Linnaa xxxiv. 214, and in DC. 

 Prodr. xv. ii. 1114; leaves elliptic-oblong or -lanceolate obtuse acute or 

 acuminate crenate-serrate all penninerved longer than the petiole, flowers 

 in large branched finely scurfily tomentose panicles, petals elliptic. Bed- 

 dome Fl. Sylvat. t. 274. Desmostemon zeylanicus, Thicaites JBnum. 278 ; 

 Beddome in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxv. 225, t. 27. 



TRAVANCORE ; on the Anamallay Hills, alt. 2-3000 ft., Beddome. CEYLON ; 

 common in the drier parts of the island ; ascending to 4000 ft. 



A tree, young parts scurfily pubescent ; branchlets robust. Leaves 6-12 by 

 2-4 in., coriaceous, brown when dry, serratures glandular; petiole stout, 1-5 in., 

 terete. Panicles 6-12 in., pendulous; branches spiciform, strict; bracts short; 

 flowers fascicled, sessile or' very shortly peclicelled, g- in. diam. Male fi.; sepals 

 rounded ; petals longer, erect and recurved ; stamens about 15, 5 free, 10 with 

 filaments united below. Fern. fl.- } disk annular, strigose within ; ovary subglobose, 

 strigose; styles cuneate, 2-fid. Capsule 1% in. diam. or less, hoary. Thwnites 

 describes this as a very variable plant. Some branches bear, instead of flowers, short 

 j3--l in. long spikelets clothed with subconfluent bracts. 



VAE. minor, Thwaites I. c. ; subarboreus or shrubby, smaller in all its parts, leaves 

 sometimes narrowly lanceolate, branches of panicles very slender, flowers \ in diam., 

 capsule \\ in. diam. O. minor, Muell. Arg. in Linnoeaimd DC. II. c. Trigonostemou 

 zeylanicus, Muell. Arg. in Linncca 1. c. 213, and in DC. I. c. 1106 ; Beddome Forester's 

 Man. 212. Tritaxis zeylanica, Muell. Arg. in Mora 47 (1864) 482. 



2. O. paniculata. Illume Bijd. 620 ; leaves ovate acuminate or cau- 

 date serrate equalling or longer than the petiole, base triple-nerved, flowers 

 in short or long branched glabrous panicles, petals broad glabrous within. 

 Miquel Fl. Ind. Bat.i.ii. 384; Muell. Arg. in DC. Prodr. xv. ii. 1115; 

 Kurz For. FL ii. 404. 



SIKKIM HIMALAYA, in tropical valleys, and ascending to 5000 ft., J.D.H. $ T. T., 

 &c. BHOTAX, Griffith. SILHET, at Terry a Ghat, J. D. H. $ T. T. MA RTABAN, Kurz. 

 DISTRIB. Java. 



A tree, shoots pubescent ; branches very stout, bark white. Leaves 8-12 by 

 4-7 in., thickly coriaceous, 2-glandular at the base ; petiole 2-10 in. Panicles 



