G. King.~\ cxxxvi. URTICACE.E. (J. D. Hooker.) 497 



long bracteate at the base. King Fie. 4, t. 2 ; Miq. PI. Jungh. 62 ; Flor. i. 

 ii. 398, and var. unigibba, 1. c. Suppl. 430. F. rigida & cuneata, Blume I. c. 

 465,468. F. paradoxa, Blume I.e. 467; Miq. I.e. 308.. F. Altimeraloo, 

 Roxb. mss. ; Wight Ic. t. 650 ; Miq. in L. J.B. vii. 435, and Flor. I. c. 311. 

 F. excelsa, Vahl? in Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 552 (excl. syn. Rheede), Xurz 

 For. Fl. ii. 451 ; Wall Cat. 4477 A to D. F. subobliqua, Miq. Ann. iii. 

 225, 293. 



Bases of the hill ranges throughout INDIA from Kumaon eastwards to Burma, 

 and southwards to the Malay Peninsula, Andaman Islands, and Ceylon. DISTEIB. 

 Malay Islands, Hong Kong. 



A tree. Leaves 2-8 iu., always with prominent and usually (except in var. para- 

 sitica) more or less lucid nerves and veins; nerves 3-7 pairs (rarely more), pale- 

 coloured and shining to (in vars. cuspidata and parasitica) dull and neither shining 

 nor coloured, above glabrous, shining to dull, and (in var. parasitica) minutely 

 hispid especially on the midrib and nerves, beneath firm, often more or less harsh 

 from the prominent venation ; petiole i 3- in. ; stipules -i-^ in., ovate-lanceolate, 

 convolute. Male sepals 4-6, linear, fleshy, hairy ; stamen 1, filament short, united 

 by its base to an abortive (insect -attacked) pistil. Gallfl.; perianth of the male; 

 ovary globose, smooth ; style short, lateral. Fern, sepals 4, hyaline, linear, slightly 

 hairy ; achene slightly papillose, obliquely ovoid ; style elongate, lateral. The forms 

 of this protean plant fall under four groups. 



F. GIBBOSA, Illume ; leaves variable glabrous shining purplish brown beneath 

 when dry, midrib nerves and reticulations pale. Malay Peninsula and Islands. 



E. CUSPIDIFERA, Miq. in L. J. B. vii. 434; leaves elongate gradually narrowed 

 above more or less acuminate minutely tubercled beneath opaque little coloured. 

 F. excelsa, Wall. Cat. '4477 F. F. reticulosa, Miq. 1. c. 435. F. pervia, Miq. I.e. 

 433 ; Wall. Cat. 4777 D.Rumpli. iii. 58. Throughout India, Timor. 



F. PARASITICA, Keen, in Willd. Act. Berol. 1798, 25, t. 3 ; leaves broad subrhom- 

 boid scabrid and hispid above and beneath. JBedd. For. Man. 224; Miq. I. c. 433 ; 

 Wall. Cat. 4476 A to D ; Brand. For. Fl. 420. F. Ampelos, Keen, in Roxb. Fl. 

 Ind. iii. 553 ; Wight Ic. t. 652. F. sclerophylla, Roxb. I. c. 546. Urostigma Ampelos, 

 Dalz. $ Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 315. U. volubile, Dalz. 1. c. 242. Central India, 

 Behar and the Deccan. Under Urostigma Ampelos, Dalz. <$ Gibs. 315, these 

 authors suggest their volubile being the same species. 



F. TUBERCULATA, Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 554; like parasitica, but leaves narrower, 

 sometimes irregularly serrate. Wight Ic. t. 651 ; Bedd. Forester's Man. 224. F.^tngi*- 

 lata, Miq. I. c. 434. Western Ghats and Ceylon. \ 



3. F. subulata, Blume Bijd. 461 ; young parts puberulous, leaves 

 short-petioled membranous elliptic elliptic-lanceolate or -subovate some- 

 times slightly inequilateral cuspidate margins entire waved, base acute 

 3- or more-nerved, receptacles axillary short-peduncled or subsessile 

 solitary in pairs or clusters, the male ovoid with the umbilicus rather pro- 

 minent and numerous umbilical bracts, the female globose wKen. ripe, 

 both i~ in. diam. scaberulous subverrucose orange-red witli" no^rj&sal 

 bracts but with a few scattered irregularly along the sides, peduncle^ 

 short with numerous basal bracts. King Fie. 8, t. 6; Miq. Fltn\ i. ii. oil ; 

 Ann. iii. 275, 292 ; Xurz For. Fl. ii. 452. F. acuminata, Roxb.tyl. InvL. 

 iii. 538; Watt. Cat. 4478. F. ancolana, Miq. PL Jungh. 62. F. virgata, 

 Reirnv. in Blume I. c. 454. 



From CHITTAGONG, southward to PEGTT, PEBAK and PENAN G, as< 

 4500 ft. DISTRIB. China, Malay Islands. 



A semi-scandent or straggling dioecious shrub. Leaves 4^-10 in., nerves 7-10 

 pairs, rather prominent beneath, glabrous when mature, dull when dry, "r^tfeer pale 

 beneath; petiole about 5 in., stout, scaberulous ; stipules about 1 in., convolute, subu- 

 late curving. Male Ji. (only in the ovoid receptacles with the gall h 1 .) ; perianth thic!;. 



Kk2 



