470 FLORA OF MADRAS. [Nyrtaceae. 



Family LXIII. MYRTACEAE. 



Trees or shrubs, rarely herbs. Leaves entire, opposite or 

 alternate, usually with an intramarginal nerve, and dotted 

 with pellucid glands ; stipules none or minute, deciduous. Flowers 

 regular, hermaphrodite or rarely polygamous, axillary or terminal, 

 solitary or in cymes or corymbs ; bracteoles usually 2, sometimes 

 0. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary and sometimes produced 

 above it, sometimes with a disk at the mouth ; limb of 4 or 5 

 persistent or deciduous lobes, often closed in bud. Petals as 

 many as the lobes of the calyx and alternate with them, inserted 

 on the margin of the disk or the mouth of the calyx-tube, 

 imbricate, sometimes connate and falling as a calyptra. Stamens 

 many, inserted within the petals in one or more rows, often bent 

 inwards in bud; anthers 2-celled, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary 

 inferior or semi -inferior, 1- or more- but usually 2-celled, with 

 many ovules, the ovules usually axile, sometimes pendulous ; 

 style simple ; stigma small. Fruit crowned with the calyx- 

 limb, a berry or capsule with many seeds, sometimes only 1, by 

 arrest. Seeds exalbuminous. 



Leaves opposite or very rarely alternate : 



Leaves with 3-5 ribs, very tomentose ; ovary 3-6-celled, many- 

 seeded 1. Rhodomyrtus. 



Leaves penninerved : 



Calyx-limb closed in bud, the lobes in flower valvate ; ovary many- 

 celled 2 . Psidium. 



Calyx-limb 4-5-lobed, the lobes free*; ovary usually 2-celled : 

 Calyx-tube produced beyond the ovary ; flowers in cymes, the 

 stamens bent back inwards in bud at the middle : 



Calyx-tube with a thickened staminal disk at the mouth ; 



flowers usually large, the petals falling free 3. Jambosa. 



Calyx-tube without a thickened staminal disk ; flowers 

 usually small, the petals falling off either free or more often 



as a calyptra 4. Syzygium. 



Calyx-tube not produced beyond the ovary ; flowers solitary or 

 fascicled or in short racemes, the stamens not bent inwards at 

 the middle in bud, but only erect or incurved : 



Ovary with 2 cells and many axile ovules ; flowers axillary 

 or subterminal 5. Eugenia. 



