Sarcostigma.'] AQUIFOLIACEAE. 199 



SARCOSTIGMA KLEINII, W. & A. ; F. B. I. i. 594 ; Wt. Ic. t. 



1854. 



W. Ghats, in the Wynaad, Anamalais and Travancore Hills, at 

 low elevations. 



A climbing shrub with entire coriaceous oblong-lanceolate 

 leaves up to 10 in. long, prominently reticulate, slender flower- 

 ing spikes and drupe 1-1*5 in. long. 



Family XLIII. AQUIFOLIACEAE. 



Trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, simple, usually coriaceous 

 and evergreen ; stipules or 2 minute. Flowers regular, small, 

 usually dioecious, <? with imperfect ovary, ? with imperfect 

 stamens, in axillary cymes fascicles or umbels. Calyx persistent, 

 3-6-lobed, the lobes imbricate. Petals 4-5, rarely more, connate 

 below in both <r and ? or in <? only, deciduous, imbricate. 

 Stamens isomerous with the petals and alternate with them, 

 inserted on the base of the corolla ; filaments subulate ; anthers 

 shortly oblong, dorsifixed. Disk 0. Ovary free, 3-6 or rarely 

 more celled ; ovules 1 or 2 in each cell, collateral, pendulous ; 

 style or very short ; stigma capitate or discoid. Yruit a drupe 

 with 2 or more, 1 -seeded, free or connate, stones. Seed with a 

 membranous testa ; albumen copious, fleshy ; embryo minute. 



Ilex, Linn. 



Trees or shrubs. Calyx 4-6-lobed. Corolla rotate, petals 4-6, 

 free or connate at the base. Stamens isomerous with the petals, 

 adhering to the base of the corolla in <? , imperfect and often 

 hypogynous in ? . Ovary subglobose, 2-12-celled ; stigmas free 

 (usually so in 3 but ovary imperfect) or confluent on the top of 

 the ovary. Drupe usually globose with 2-12 stones ; pericarp 

 thick, bony, often grooved. 



Leaves entire or rarely with few serratuves near the apex, subcoriaceous 

 or almost membranous : 



Flowers usually 6-merous ; leaves acute at apex; drupe -15 in. in diam., 



tipped by prominent stigmas ; large tree 1. malabarica. 



Flowers usually 5-merous ; leaves coriaceous : 



Leaves elliptic-obovate, 1-2 in. long, mucronate or emarginate at 

 apex, pale beneath, the midrib prominently impressed; small tree 

 with sessile umbellules 2. Thwaitesii. 



