564 



RUBIACE.E. CXLII. CANTHIUM. CXLIII. PLECTRONIA. CXLIV. PSYDRAX. 



axillary, solitary, 17>nger than the leaves. Fj . S. Native of 

 the Island of Luzon, one of the Philippines. Teeth of calyx 

 subulate. Corolla pale purple, with a woolly throat, and 5 

 lanceolate, very acute segments. Filaments shorter than the 

 corolla. Berry ovate, sub-compressed. This shrub is perhaps 

 generically distinct from Cdnthium. 



Peduncular Canthium. Shrub 8 to 10 feet. 



18 C. LYCIO^DES (A. Rich, diss. p. 108.) spines supra-axillary, 

 simple ; leaves small, oblong-oval, acuminated, rather hairy ; 

 stipulas broad, ending in a long abrupt point at the apex ; 

 flowers axillary, pedunculate, solitary. t? . S. Native of 

 Manilla. Habit of a species of Lycium. The rest unknown. 



Lycitim-like Canthium. Shrub. 



19 C. CHINE'NSE (Pers. ench. 1. p. 200.) shrub thorny; 

 leaves obovate ; flowers sessile, hairy. Jj . G. Native of 

 China, at Macao ; and of Madras. Gardenia spinosa, Thunb. 

 diss. gard. no. 7. t. 2. f. 4. exclusive of the synonymes. Willd. 

 spec. 1. p. 1229. Randia spinosa, Poir. diet. 2. p. 829. 

 Leaves many from the buds under the spines, glabrous. Co- 

 rolla white, a little longer than the calyx, with ovate, obtuse, 

 spreading segments. Stigma clavate. This plant does not 

 probably belong to Canthium. 



China Canthium. Fl. Ju. Aug. Clt. 1800. Sh. 5 to 8 ft. 



20 C. SCA'NDENS (Blum, bijdr. p. 966.) climbing; spines 

 divaricate or recurved ; leaves on short petioles, oblong, acu- 

 minated, downy beneath as well as on the branches ; flowers 

 disposed in axillary fascicles ; fruit didymous. Tj . w . S. Na- 

 tive of the Island of Nusa-Kambanga, near Java, among bushes. 

 Thorns much shorter than the leaves, straight, or a little re- 

 curved, but sometimes wanting on the branchlets. Fruit rather 

 rugged, like that of Psydrax. 



Climbing Canthium. Shrub cl. 



SECT. II, PLEUROGA'STER (from irXtvpov, pleuron, a side, 

 and yaarrip, gaster, a belly ; the cicatrice occasioned by the fall- 

 ing of the flower is left at one side of the fruit). D. C. diss. 

 ined. acad. sc. par. 1806. prod. 4. p. 475. Mature fruit 1- 

 celled, furnished with the floral cicatrice on one side at the base. 



21 C. ANOMOCA'RPUM (D. C. prod. 4. p. 475.) glabrous; 

 branches divaricate, and probably at length becoming spines- 

 cent ; leaves oval, acuminated, on short petioles ; pedicels slen- 

 der, elongated, 1 -flowered, corymbose, usually deflexed, rising 

 from the axils of the superior leaves. 1} . S. Native of Sierra 

 Leone, where it was collected by Smeathmann ; and of the 

 Gambia, at Albreda. This plant comes near to Plectronia ven- 

 tbsa, from the singularity of the fruit. 



Anomalous-fruited Canthium. Shrub. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Chiococca, p. 569. 



CXLIII. PLECTRA NI A (from rX^rpov, plecktron, a whip ; 

 in reference to the square branches). Lin. mant. p. 6. no. 1249. 

 Lam. ill. t. 146. A. Rich, mem. soc. hist. nat. par. 5. p. 189. 

 but not of Burm. nor Lour. Rhamnus species, Burm. 



LIN. SYST. Tetrdndria, Monogynia. Calyx with an obo- 

 vate or oblong tube, and a 5-toothed limb. Teeth very short, 

 aculish. Corolla short, rather funnel-shaped, with a 5-parted 

 limb, and a bearded throat ; segments acute, reflexed. Sta- 

 mens 5, inserted in the throat, a little exserted. Style short ; 

 stigma sub- capitate, of 2 approximate lamellae. Berry dry, 

 naked at the apex, emarginate, obovate-oblong, compressed, 

 didymous, containing 2 chartaceously coriaceous, 1 -seeded, inde- 

 hiscentpyrenae, which are flat inside. Small African trees, with 

 opposite, sub-spinose branches. Leaves opposite, petiolate, 

 elliptic, acute at both ends, rather coriaceous, pale beneath. 

 Stipulas solitary on each side, apiculated. Peduncles axillary, 

 short, solitary, racemose, or corymbose ; pedicels about equal in 



length to the fruit, slender. This genus, along with Damna- 

 cdnthus, Psydrax, and Canthium ought probably to be united. 



1 P. VENTO'SA (Lin. mant. p. 52.) branchlets glabrous, tetra- 

 gonal ; stipulas 3 times shorter than the petioles ; peduncles 

 many-flowered, corymbose. tj. S. Native of the Cape of 

 Good Hope, in woods much exposed to the wind. Serissa 

 Capensis, Thunb. fl. cap. p. 193. exclusive of the syn. of Willd. 

 Cruse, rub. cap. p. 21. 24. t. 2. Canthium Thunbergianum, 

 Cham, et Schlecht. in Linnasa. 4. p. 130. Plectronia corym- 

 bosa, A. Rich. 1. c. Burm. afr. p. 257. t. 94. Flowers greenish 

 white. 



Windy Plectronia. Clt. 1816. Tree. 



2 P. MADAOASCARIE'NSIS (A. Rich, in mem. soc. hist. nat. 

 Par. 5. p. 189.) branchlets glabrous, compressed ; pedicels axil- 

 lary, 1 -flowered. fj . S. Native of Madagascar, where it was 

 collected by M. Chapelier. The whole shrub is glabrous. 

 Leaves oval, attenuated at the base, petiolate. Stipulas short, 

 acuminated, deciduous. Flowers unknown. Fruit obovate, 

 emarginate at the apex, and probably obcordate and compressed, 

 usually 1 -celled by abortion. 



Madagascar Plectronia. Shrub or tree. 



3 P. HIRSU'TA (D. C. prod. 4. p. 476.) branchlets villous ; 

 leaves villous beneath ; stipulas length of petioles. J? . S. Native 

 of Senegal, by the sides of woods near Dagana, where it was 

 collected by Leprieur and Perrottet. Canthium Senegalense, 

 A. Rich. I.e. p. 188. Branches terete, divaricate, spreading, 

 forming straight angles. Peduncles axillary, villous, compressed, 

 corymbose at the apex. Berry 2-celled, emarginate at the apex ; 

 but one of the cells is usually abortive, in this case the fruit be- 

 comes 1-celled, and the umbilicus lateral, which is indicated by 

 the permanent 5-toothed calyx. 



Hairy Plectronia. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



Cult. See Chiococca, p. 569. for culture and propagation. 



CXLIV. PSY'DRAX (from ^uopcticee, psydrakes, pustulse ; 

 in allusion to the fruit, which are warted). Gaertn. fruct. 1 . p. 

 125. t. 26. f. 2. A. Rich. mem. soc. hist. nat. Par. 5. p. 190. 

 D. C. prod. 4. p. 476. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdndria, Monogynia. Calyx with an obovate 

 tube, and a 5-toothed deciduous limb. Corolla with a short 

 tube, a hairy throat, and 5 oval acute reflexed lobes. Stamens 

 inclosed, inserted at the throat. Style much exserted ; stigma 

 bilamellate. Berries fleshy, areolate at the apex, obovate, com- 

 pressed, wrinkled from tubercles, marked by a furrow on both 

 sides, 2-celled, containing usually 2, rarely 3 pyrenae ; pyrenaa 

 oblong, scabrous from wrinkles, 1 -seeded, marked by a linear 

 furrow, and an umbilicus in the middle. Seeds bony, filling the 

 pyrenae. Albumen amygdalaceous, scrobiculate. Embryo in- 

 verted, filiform, curved into the form of a Greek sigma, with 

 linear cotyledons. Shrubs, with opposite ovate leaves, and axillary 

 racemes of small flowers. This genus, from the hard fruit being 

 often 3-celled, and from the form of the embryo, almost agrees 

 with the tribe Gtiettardacece. 



1 P. DICO'CCOS (Gaertn. fruct. 1. p. 125. t. 26. f. 2.) leaves 

 elliptic, long-acuminated, gradually tapering into the short 

 petioles at the base ; stipulas lanceolate, acute, permanent ; cymes 

 pedunculate, branched ; fruit rather heart-shaped. Tj . S. Na- 

 tive of Ceylon. 



Two-seeded Psydrax. Shrub. 



2 P. MA'JOR (A. Rich. 1. c. p. 191.) leaves elliptic, on short 

 petioles, short-acuminated ; stipulas semi-oval, bluntish ; cymes 

 pedunculate, simple ; fruit heart-shaped. tj . S. Native of 

 Madagascar. Very like the preceding species, but differs in the 

 broader leaves with shorter points, caducous stipulas, simple 

 cymes, and larger fruit. 



Larger Psydrax. Shrub. 



