38 



EBENACE^E. I. DIOSPYROS. 



mcns being double, &c., while the flowers of Oleince are her- 

 maphrodite, and the stamens simple. 



Some of the order are hardy trees or shrubs, with deciduous 

 leaves and white flowers, natives of woods, mountains, and banks 

 of streams, in North America, Europe, and New Holland. 

 Others are tropical evergreens. Of the latter, many of the 

 Diospyri produce edible fruit ; as, for example, the Mabola of 

 the Philippine Islands, which is as large as a peach ; and the 

 Kaki of Japan, which resembles an apricot. All these fruits are 

 remarkable for their extreme austerity before maturity, and the 

 necessity of letting them decay like the medlars before they are 

 fit for the table. These are also distinguished for the excessive 

 hardness of their wood, and for the black colour it sometimes 

 acquires when old, as the Ebony. The bark of Diospyros 

 Virginiana is used in North America in intermittent fevers. 



Synopsis of the genera. 



1 DIOSPY V ROS. Flowers polygamous. Calyx deeply 4-cleft, 

 sometimes 3-6 cleft. Corolla urceolate, with the same number 

 of divisions as in the calyx. Stamens in the male flowers, twice 

 the number of the segments of the corolla. 



2 EMBRYOPTEIUS. All as in Diospyros, except in the stamens 

 of the male flowers being 4 times the number of the segments of 

 the corolla. 



3 PARA' LEA. Calyx 4-cleft. Corolla thick, with a short tube 

 and a 4-cleft limb. Stamens in the male flowers 4 times the 

 number of the segments of the corolla, with simple filaments ; in 

 the hermaphrodite flowers about 8, and the ovarium 8-celled, 8- 

 seeded. 



4 ROYE^NA. This genus differs from Diospyros in the flowers 

 being hermaphrodite, and usually 5-cleft, in the filaments being 

 simple, and in the ovarium being 4-6-8-celled. 



5 DIPLONE V MA. Flowers polygamous ; stamens in the male 

 flowers 4 times the number of the segments of the corolla ; fila- 

 ments double ; anthers bearded. Ovarium 4-6-celled. 



6 DICLIDANTHE'RA. Flowers hermaphrodite, pentamerous. Co- 

 rolla funnel-shaped ; anthers sessile, 2-valved from the base, 

 probably double. Berry 5-celled ; cells 1 -seeded ; some of the 

 cells abortive. 



7 CARGILLIA. Flowers polygamous. Calyx semi-4-cleft. Co- 

 rolla with a 4-cleft limb. Stamens 8 ; filaments double. Ova- 

 rium 4-celled. 



8 MA'BA. Flowers dioecious. Calyx semi-trifid. Corolla 

 urceolate, 3-cleft. Stamens 3-6 ; filaments simple, or the alter- 

 nate ones are twin. Ovarium 3-celled. 



I. DIOSPY'ROS (from &oe, dios, divine ; and jrvpoe, pyros, 

 wheat ; divine wheat ; called by Pliny Granum Jovis, or Jupiter's 

 Wheat.) Lin. gen. no. 1161. Juss. gen. 156. Gaertn. fruct. 

 2. p. 478. t. 179. R. Br. prod. p. 525. Ebenus, Comm. 

 Guaiacana, Tourn. 371. 



LIN. SYST. Polygamia, Diotcia. Flowers polygamous. Ca- 

 lyx deeply 4-cleft, sometimes 3 or 6-cleft. Corolla urceolate, 

 4-cleft, sometimes 3 or 6-cleft. Male flowers having the sta- 

 mens inserted by pairs into the base of the corolla, twice the 

 number of its segments, with double or twin filaments, and the 

 rudiment of a pistil. Hermaphrodite flowers, having fewer and 

 sterile stamens. Ovarium 8-12-celled; cells 1-seeded. Berry 



globose, with a spreading calyx, which is at length reflexed. 

 Albumen horny. Trees and shrubs. Flowers white, or pale 

 yellow. 



* Leaves downy beneath. 



1 D. LOTOS (Lin. spec. 1510.) leaves oblong, acuminate, 

 downy beneath ; leaf-buds hairy inside. 1? . H. Native of the 

 southern parts of Caucasus, woods of Hyrcania, and the whole 

 coast of the Caspian, Italy, and Mauritania. Willd. spec. 4. p. 

 407. Mill. icon. t. 116. Pall, fl.ross. l.p. 20. t. 58. Wangh. 

 amer. 84. t. 28. f. 58. Ger. emac. 1495. f. 1. Park, theatr. 

 1523. f. 3. Flowers small, reddish white. Fruit size of a 

 cherry, yellow when ripe, sweet with astringency ; it is recom- 

 mended as a cure for diarrhoea. 



European Lotos, or Common Date Plum. Fl. July. Clt. 

 1596. Tree 20 to 30 feet. 



2 D. PUBE'SCENS (Pursh. fl. amer. sept. 1. p. 265.) leaves 

 oblong, acute, downy beneath; petioles long; fruit few-seeded. 

 Tj . H. Native of North America, in the lower counties of Vir- 

 ginia, Carolina, and Georgia. Though Michx. in his abr. for. 

 makes this as only a variety of D. Virginiana ; Pursh con- 

 siders it a distinct species, not only on account of the difference 

 in the structure of the fruit, but in the shape and downiness of 

 the leaves. 



<wny-leaved Date Plum. Fl. April. Clt. 1812. Tree 20 

 to 30 feet. 



3 D. ORIXE'NSIS (Klein, ex Willd. 1. c.) leaves oblong, obtuse 

 at the base, acutish at the apex, glabrous above, and clothed 

 with fine soft down beneath. ^ . S. Native of the East Indies. 



Orixa Date Plum. Tree. 



4 D. TOMENTOSA (Roxb. fl. hid. 2. p. 532.) dioecious ; all 

 the tender parts downy ; leaves opposite and alternate, oval, 

 entire; male peduncles 3-flowered : calyx and corolla gibbous, 

 4-toothed : stamens 12; female flowers having the calyx and 

 corolla 5-parted ; berry 5-seeded. V- c . S. Native of the nor- 

 thern parts of Bengal ; and is the Ebony of that country. 

 Kakindoo is the Sanscrit name ; and Kyou is the Bengalese 

 name. Leaves deciduous. Male flowers whitish. Styles 2. 

 Berry size of a pigeon's egg, yellow when ripe, and filled with 

 a soft edible pulp. 



Tomentose Date Plum. Tree tall. 



5 D. HIRSU'TA (Lin. syst. 918. suppl. 440.) branches and 

 underside of leaves villous ; leaves elliptic, obtuse ; flowers 

 aggregate, sessile. Jj . S. Native of Ceylon. Hardly dis- 

 tinct from Royena. 



Hairy Date Plum. Clt. 1820. Tree 20 feet. 



6 D. CHLOROXYLON (Roxb. cor. 1. p. 38. t. 49.) spiny ; leaves 

 oval, villous beneath, fy . S. Native of the East Indies, on the 

 coast of Coromandel, among the Circars. Branches furnished 

 with strong spines. Male flowers with about 12 stamens, and 

 16 anthers ; and the hermaphrodite ones with 8 single filaments. 

 Styles 4. Berry 2-3-seeded. The tree is called Nelta-woolimera 

 by the Telingas. 



Green-tvooded Date Plum. Clt. 1822. Tree. 



7 D. CORDIFOLIA (Roxb. 1. c. t. 50.) spiny ; leaves ovate- 

 lanceolate, cordate, downy beneath. Tj. S. Native of the East 

 Indies, every where. Spines strong, usually branched. Male 

 flowers with 8 double filaments ; hermaphrodite flowers with 

 12 single filaments. Styles 4. Berry 8-seeded. Tumala is 

 the Sanscrit name of the tree ; Kok-noolimera is the Telinga 

 name ; and Bun Gaub the Bengalese name. 



Heart-leaved Date Plum. Clt. 1794. Tree. 



8 D. SALICIFOLIA (Willd. spec. 4. p. 407.) leaves lanceolate, ob- 

 tuse, acute at the base, downy beneath, hoary while young. 

 fy . S. Native of South America. 



Willow-leaved Date Plum. Tree. 



9 D. DECA'NDRA (Lour. coch. p. 227.) leaves ovate-lanceo- 



