STREBLUS.] UETICACEM. 139 



4, imbricate. Stamens 4, inflexed in bud. Pislillode dilated at 

 the top. FEM. flowers. Sepals 4, imbricate, embracing the ovary. 

 Ovary straight, retuse ; style central, with very long arms, ovule 

 pendulous. Fruit membranous, straight, subglobose, laxly covered 

 by the persistent perianth. Seed globose, testa membranous, 

 albumen none, embryo globose ; one cotyledon very large, fleshy, 

 embracing the smaller one and tbo ascending radicle. Species 2, 

 Indian and Malayan. 



S. asper, Lour. Fl. Cochinch. //, 615 ; Brandts For.Fl. 410 ; Ind. 

 Trees 615 ; F. B. I. V. 489 ; Wait E. D. ; Kanjilal (ed. 2), 362 ; 

 Gamble Man. 632 ; Train Beng. PL 962 ; Cooke FL Bomb, ii, 642. 

 Trophis aspera, Retz. (eocl. syn.) ; Roxl). FL Ind. Hi, 761. Vern. 

 Siora (Hind.), dahia and kuchna (Saharapur), rusa (Oudh). 



A small usually gnarled evergreen tree attaining 20 ft. in height, but 

 very frequently merely a shrub. Bark thick, soft, grey or greenish- 

 white or brown, becoming rough when old. Branchlets many, 

 rigid and often much interwoven, pubescent. Leaves 2-4 in. long, 

 elliptic or rhomboid or obovate, acute or acuminate, margins more or 

 less toothed towards the apex, rough on both surfaces with minute 

 raised dots especially beneath ; main lateral nerves 4-6 pairs ; petioles 

 about T *TJ in. long ; stipules obliquely lanceolate. Flowers usually 

 dioecious. MALE FLOWERS in shortly stalked globose heads. 

 Perianth campanulate. Sepals hairy outside. FEM. FLOWERS 

 solitary, on slender axillary usually fasicled pedicels J in. long. Fruit 

 a 1 -seeded subglobose berry about the size of a pea, yellow when 

 ripe. 



Common along river-banks and in hedges near villages, especially in 

 Bundelkhand and in the Sub-Himalayan tracts of Rohilkhand and 

 N. Oudh. Flowers Jan-. March, fruiting May-July. The new leaves 

 appear in March. DISTRIB. Along the base of the W. Himalaya 

 eastwards to Bengal and through C. W. and S. India to Ceylon ; 

 extending to Burma, Siam and China. The wood of this tree resem- 

 bles that of a fig. It is useful, however, by reason of its toughness 

 and elasticity. The rough leaves are used for polishing wood and 

 ivory. The tree is much lopped for fodder, and the fruit is eaten. 



15. CUDRANIA, Trecul ; Fl. Brit. Ind. v, 538. 



Shrubs, often scandent, or small trees, usually spinous. Leaves 

 alternate, entire, penninerved ; stipules lateral, small. Flowers 



