42 



EBENACE^E. III. PARALEA. IV. ROYENA. V. DIPLONEMA. VI. DICLIDANTHERA. 



downy on both surfaces ; branches tomentose ; male peduncles 

 usually 3-flowered ; male flowers with about 20 stamens, and 

 female 8 ; flowers quadrifid ; style 4-cleft ; stigmas bifid. 

 f2 . G. Native of China, Cochinchina, and Japan; and is also 

 cultivated in those countries, as also in Bengal. D. Chinensis, 

 Blum. cat. hort. buit. p. 110. and act. soc. batav. 9. p. 167. 

 Kouis or Kaki, Ksempf. amcen. t. 106. Fruit globose, 8- 

 celled, size of a small orange, yellow when ripe, abounding in 

 yellow, fleshy, edible pulp ; it is tolerably pleasant, but by no 

 means equal to a good apple ; eaten plentifully occasions diar- 

 rhoea. They are preserved in the same manner as the fig, by 

 sprinkling meal or sugar over them. There is a variety of this 

 species with an ovate fruit. 



Kaki Embryopteris. Clt. 1789. Tree 1 2 to 20 feet. 

 Cult. See Diosptfros, p. 41., for culture and propagation. 



III. PARA'LEA (Parala is the Caribbean name of the tree). 

 Aubl. guian. 1. p. 576. t. 231. R. Br. prod. p. 526. 



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

 lyx 4-toothed ; teeth acute. Corolla fleshy, with a short te- 

 tragonal tube, and a 4-parted limb ; segments acute. Stamens 

 18, inserted within the tube of the corolla at its base; anthers 

 small, roundish. Ovarium wanting in the male flowers, but in 

 place of it there is a villous, rufous corpuscle. Fruit and seeds 

 unknown. A tall tree, with a branched top. Leaves alternate, 

 quite entire, glabrous, but tomentose along the margins. Flowers 

 disposed in axillary fascicles : with villous rufescent scales. 



1 P. GUIANE'NSIS (Aubl. guian. 1. c.). I? . S. Native of 

 Guiana. Branches downy. Leaves ovate-oblong, acute. Flowers 

 sweet-scented. Corolla fulvous. 



Guiana Paralea. Tree tall. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Diospyros, p. 41. 



IV. ROYE'NA (named by Linnaeus in honour of Adrian 

 Van Royen. He and his son David were successively profes- 

 sors of botany at Leyden). Lin. gen. no. 555. Gaertn. fruct. 2. 

 p. 80. t. 94. Juss. gen. 156. R. Br. prod. p. 526. 



LIN. SYST. Decdndria, Digynia. Flowers hermaphrodite. 

 Calyx 5-cleft. Corolla with a 5-parted revolute limb. Stamens 

 10, length of the tube of the corolla ; filaments simple ; an- 

 thers oblong, acute. Ovarium usually 4-celled, but sometimes 

 6-8-celled ; cells 1 -seeded. Berry fleshy. Seeds triangular 

 or plano-convex. Shrubs, natives of the Cape of Good Hope, 

 with entire leaves ; and axillary or lateral, solitary or aggregate, 

 1 -flowered pedicels. Flowers white. 



1 R. LU'CIDA (Lin. spec. 568.) leaves ovate, roughish, shining 

 above. Jj . G. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. Lam. 

 ill. t. 370. f. 1. Herm. par. 232. t. 2S2 Comm. hort. 1. 

 p. 187. t. 96. Pluk. phyt. t. 63. f. 4. and t. 317. f. 5. Berry 

 globular, red above and pale below, containing a firm, whitish 

 flesh, almost like that of an apple. 



Zttczd-leaved African Bladder-nut. Fl. May, June. Clt. 

 1690. Shrub 5 to 10 feet. 



2 R. VILLOSA (Lin. spec. 568. Thunb. prod. 83.) leaves 

 cordate-oblong, tomentose beneath ; branches villous. fj . G. 

 Native of the Cape of Good Hope. R. scabra, Burm. prod. 13. 



Villous African Bladder-nut. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1774. 

 Shrub 5 to 10 feet. 



3 C. GLA'BRA (Lin. spec. 568. Thunb. prod. 80.) leaves lan- 

 ceolate, glabrous. ^ G. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 

 Comm. hort. 1. p. 125. t. 65. Plukn. phyt. t. 321. f. 4. 

 Fruit roundish, purple. 



Glabrous African Bladder-nut. Fl. Sept. Clt. 1731. Sh. 

 4 to 6 feet. 



4 R. PA'LLENS (Willd. spec. 2. p. 632.) leaves oblong-obo- 



vate, obtuse, glabrous. ^ . G. Native of the Cape of Good 

 Hope. 



Pale African Bladder-nut. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1789. Sh. 

 4 to 6 feet. 



5 R. CUNEA'TA (Lam. diet. 6. p. 322.) leaves somewhat obo- 

 vate-oblong, downy, nerveless ; branches villous. J? . G. Na- 

 tive of the East Indies, ? but probably of the Cape of Good 

 Hope. Flowers solitary. Calyx white. Corolla purple. R. 

 pubescens, Willd. enum. p. 457. Ker. bot. reg. 500. Flowers 

 whitish green. 



Cuneated-\ea.\ed African Bladder-nut. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 

 1752. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



6 R. HIRSU'TA (Lin. spec. 568.) leaves oblong-lanceolate, 

 villous. Jj . G. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. Lam. 

 ill. t. 370. f. 2. Jacq. coll. suppl. 110. t. 13. f. 1. Lin. hort. 

 cliff. 163. Boerh. lugdb. 2. p. 235. Leaves an inch long. 

 Flowers of a worn out dirty purple colour. 



Hairy African Bladder-nut. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1752. 

 Shrub 6 to 8 feet. 



7 R. ANGUSTIFOLIA (Willd. spec. 2. p. 633.) leaves lanceolate, 

 acute at both ends, rather pilose beneath. Tj . G. Native of 

 the Cape of Good Hope. 



Narrow-leaved African Bladder-nut. Fl. June, July. Clt. 

 1789. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



8 R. LATIFOLIA (Willd. enum. suppl. p. 23.). This species 

 has not yet flowered in the gardens ; consequently nothing more 

 is known of the plant than the name. 



Broad-leaved African Bladder-nut. Fl. June, July. Clt. 

 1816. Shrub 4 to 6 feet. 



Cult. The species thrive in a mixture of loam, peat, and 

 sand ; and slips, taken from ripened wood, strike root readily 

 in sand, under a hand-glass. 



V. DIPLONE'MA (from cnrXooe, diploos, double, and vrma, 

 nema, a filament ; filaments double). Royena polyandra of 

 authors. 



LIN. SYST. Polygamia, Dioecia. This genus differs from 

 Royena in the flowers being polygamous, in the stamens of the 

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

 corolla, in the filaments being double, and in the anthers being 

 bearded. Ovarium 4-6-celled. Shrubs with entire leaves and 

 axillary 1 -flowered pedicels. 



1 D. ELLIPTICA ; leaves elliptic, glabrous ; flowers quinque- 

 fid. 1 *2 . G. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. Royena 

 polyandra, Lin. suppl. 240. 



Elliptic-leaved Diplonema. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1774. Sh. 

 4 to 6 feet. 



2 D. AMBIGUA ; leaves obovate, rather villous, coriaceous ; 

 corolla 6-7-cleft, with obtuse segments. lj . G. Native of 

 the Cape of Good Hope. Royena ambigua, Vent. malm. t. 17. 

 Flowers yellowish, with reflexed segments. Branchlets hairy. 



Ambiguous Diplonema. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1815. Shrub 

 4 to 6 feet. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Royena, above. 



VI. DICLIDANTHE'RA (from &KXie, diklis, double doors, 

 and avBrjpa, anthera, an anther ; in reference to the anthers 

 dehiscing by two valves). Mart. nov. gen. bras. 2. p. 139. 



LIN. SYST. Penlandria, Monogynia. Flowers hermaphro- 

 dite. Calyx 5-parted. Corolla funnel-shaped, with a 5-cleft 

 limb. Anthers 5, sessile in the throat, 2-valved from the base. 

 Ovarium sub-5-celled ; cells 1-seeded. Stigma capitate, de- 

 pressed. Berry 5-seeded or 2-3-seeded from abortion. Small 

 shrubs or trees, with hard wood, and elongated, often pendulous 

 branches ; with scattered, petiolate, quite entire, thickish leaves ; 

 racemose, bracteate flowers ; and cream or milk-coloured co- 

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