Casearia.'] 8AMYDACEAE. 539 



wild on the Nilgiri Hills, and sometimes on other hills in the 

 Deccan and W. Ghats. 



Family LXIX. SAMYDACEAE. 



Trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, rarely opposite, petiolate, 

 simple, entire, crenate or serrate, often with pellucid glands; 

 stipules small or 0. Flowers regular, usually hermaphrodite, 

 small, in axillary or subterminal fascicles racemes or panicles ; 

 pedicels articulate, bracteolate. Calyx coriaceous, persistent, tube 

 short or long, sometimes adnate to the ovary ; lobes 3-7, imbricate 

 or valvate. Petals as many as the calyx-lobes or 0, perigynous. 

 Stamens definite or indefinite, often alternating with staminodes, 

 sometimes fascicled opposite the petals ; anthers didymous or 

 oblong. Ovary 1 -celled, superior or half - superior ; ovules many, 

 on 2-5 parietal placentas ; style 1 with capitate stigma, or styles 

 2-5. Fruit a loculicidal 2-5-valved capsule, the valves alternating 

 with the placentas. Seeds few or many, oblong or angular, 

 sometimes arillate, albuminous. 



Petals ; flowers in axillary fascicles 1 . Casearia. 



Petals present ; flowers in axillary or subterminal, sometimes panicled, 

 racemes ..2. Homalium. 



1. Casearia, Jacq. 



Shrubs or trees. Leaves alternate, distichous, petioled, entire 

 or serrate, with pellucid transparent glands, usually both as dots 

 and lines; stipules small, lateral, caducous. Flowers small, 

 greenish-yellow, in axillary fascicles (Indian species) ; pedicels 

 jointed above their base, surrounded by many scale-like bracteoles. 

 Calyx inferior, deeply 4-5-lobed; lobes imbricate, obtuse, per- 

 sistent. Petals 0. Stamens normally twice as many as the 

 calyx-lobes, alternating with as many staminodes tufted at their 

 apex, the stamens and staminodes forming a ring attached below 

 to the calyx-tube ; filaments subulate. Ovary free, ovoid, 1-celled ; 

 ovules many, on (usually 3) parietal placentas ; style simple ; 

 stigma capitate or 3-fid. Fruit a succulent, ellipsoid, 3- or rarely 

 2-valved capsule, angled or ribbed when dry. Seeds many, 

 angular or obovoid, with an enveloping fleshy coloured (usually 



MM 



