474 cxxxv. EUPHORBIACE^!. (J. D. Hooker.) [Excoecarift-. 



wards, ascending to 7000 ft. CEYLON, common in the Central Province, alt. 

 4-6000 ft. 



A small evergreen tree or shrub, branchlets slender, sometimes 4-gonons. Leavs 

 2-6 in., rather coriaceous, rarely somewhat obovate, base very acute, nerves 10-16 

 pairs, faint, spreading or subhorizontal ; petiole ^\ in. Spikes usually terminal, 

 males 1-2 in.; fern, very short, always axillary, sometimes 1-fld. ; bracts erose; 

 bracteoles subulate, erose, conspicuous beyond the bracts. Sepals 3, of male quite 

 free, inserted by a narrow base ; of fern. ti. ovate, acute, with a large pland at the 

 base within. Styles very short, and stigmas persistent. Capsule ^-f in. diam., 

 deeply 3-lobed, especially at the top ; cocci thinly crustaceous, twisted after dehis- 

 ceuce. Seeds broadly ovoid, mottled. In the absence of authentic specimens of 

 E. eochinchinensis, Lour., to which this is referred by Mueller, I hesitate to follow 

 him, for the subulate bracteoles distinguish it from all the more eastern species that I 

 have examined. Some specimens with shorter more coriaceous highly reticulated 

 leaves with fewer very prominent nerves look different, but I find no floral characters 

 whereby to distinguish them. Mueller describes this under the name of E. oppositi- 

 folia, Jack in Calc. Journ. Nat.. Hist., by error for Griffith, I. c. (Jack has no species 

 of that name), and he omits Griffith's Silhet habitat. In fact Griffith's plant is very 

 different from the Deccan one (see No. 8). 



6. E. robusta, HooTc.f.\ branches very stout, leaves opposite linear- 

 oblong acuminate coriaceous entire or sinuate- subserrate, spikes axillary 

 unisexual very robust, bracts 1-fld., bracteoles broadly ovate erose, sepals of 

 male orbicular irregularly toothed. E. oppositifolia, Muell. Arg. in DC. 

 Prodr. xv. ii. 1219 (not of Lour:). Wall. Cat. 7968. 



The CONCAN, Stocks-, Mts. of Kurg, Herb. O. Thomson, Wight (in Herb. 

 Wall.}. 



Branches as thick as a goose-quill. Leaves 5-8 by 1^-2| in., base acute; nerves 

 15-20 pair, very spreading, slender ; petiole -J-f in., very stout, eglandular. Male 

 spikes solitary, sessile, 4-5 in. ; rachis very stout; bracts small, broad, fleshy; brac- 

 teoles large, embracing the unexpanded flower. Male sepals 3, membranous, base 

 broad cordate, point of insertion small. Fern. fl. not seen. Fruit immature, ^ in. 

 diam., on a very short axillary raceme, shortly stoutly pedicelled, 3-lobed, top trun- 

 cate, stvle short persistent. The robust habit, stout long male spikes and form of the 

 bracteoles and sepals distinguish this at once from E. crenulata. 



7. E. quadrangularis, Muell. Arg. in DC. Prodr. xv. ii. 1219; 

 branchlets slender 4-gonous, leaves opposite elliptic-lanceolate or oblanceo- 

 late acuminate, spikes axillary slender bisexual, bracts 1-fld. serrulate, brac- 

 teoles lanceolate erose, sepals of male oblong irregularly spinulose-toothed, 

 of fern, ovate acute spinulose-serrate with many subulate processes at the 

 base within. Microstachys, Wall. Cat. 7977 B. 



PENANG- and SINGAPORE, Wallich. 



A shrub or tree with the habit and lanceolate leaves of IE. crenulata, but the 

 branchlets are more distinctly 4- angled, the leaves more membranous, with only 8-10 

 pair of more arched nerves, the bracteoles and male sepals are spinously toothed, and 

 the fern, sepals have a row of fleshy setse at the base within, as in some species of 

 Sapium. 



8. E. oppositifolia, Griffith in Calcutt. Journ. Nat. Hist. iv. 386 ; 

 branchlets terete, leaves opposite linear-oblong acuminate entire or sub- 

 serrate, spikes unisexual ? males terminal very slender 1-fld., bracts entire 

 1-fld., bracteoles 0, sepals broadly oblong toothed. ? E. oppositifolia, Kurz 

 For. Fl. ii. 414 (excl. sun. Bedd.}. Wall. Cat. 8028, Gnetum. 



SILHET, Wallich, and Hort. Bot. Calc. (Keio Distrib. 4707). ? UPPER 

 TENASSEEIM, Kurz. DISTRIB. ? 



