ASCLEPIADE^E. XXXVI. CONCHOPHYLLCM. XXXVII. GYMSEMA. 



135 



LIN. SYST. Pentandria, Digynia. Calyx small, 5-toothed. 

 Corolla sub-globose, with a bearded throat ; segments of the 

 limb short. Stamineous crown, inclosed, 5-angled, inappendi- 

 culate outside. Anthers terminated by a membrane ; pollen 

 masses erect, fixed by the base. Stigma mutic. Follicles 

 smooth. Seeds comose. Herbs rooting on trees. Leaves 

 opposite, somewhat imbricate, fleshy, roundish-cordate, emargi- 

 nate, of a different colour beneath, convex and rather wrinkled 

 above, and veinless beneath. Umbellules twin, pedunculate, 

 interpetiolar. 



1 C. IMBRICA'TUM (Blum, bijdr. p. 1061.) J; . S. Native 

 of the island of Nusfe-Kambanga, on the sea shore. Dischidia ? 

 Collyris, Wall. pi. rar. asiat. 2. p. 36. Colly ris major, Vahl, in 

 act. soc. hist. nat. hafn. 6. p. 111. Rumph. amb. 5. t. 175. f. 

 3. bad. 



/wfericfl/erf-leaved Conchophyllum. Fl. Nov. PI. creeping. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see Dischidia, p. 134. 



XXXVII. G YMNE'M A (from yw/iyoc, gymnos, naked ; and 

 V7)jua, nema, a filament ; the Stamineous corona being absent, 

 the filaments are left naked.) R. Br. in mem. wern. soc. 1. p. 

 33. prod. p. 461. 



Lis. SYST. Pentandria, Monogy'n'ta. Corolla sub-urceolate, 

 5-cleft; throat usually crowned by 5 scales, or teeth, inserted in 

 the recesses between the segments of the corolla. Stamineous 

 corona wanting. Anthers terminated by a membrane ; pollen 

 masses erect, fixed by the base. Follicles smooth. Seeds 

 comose, generally marginate. Usually twining shrubs, natives of 

 the East Indies ; tropical parts of New Holland, and Equinoxial 

 Africa. Leaves opposite, membranous, flat. Umbels interpe- 

 tiolar, cymose. In the greater number of the species, the sta- 

 mens are not usually naked, but are furnished with a gland-like 

 body, or fleshy tuft, at the base of each filament. 



* 1 . Tube of corolla pilose inside ; throat crowned by 5 df cur- 

 rent toothlels or scales. 



1 G. LACTIFERUM (Roem. et Schultes, syst. 6. p. 57. ex R. Br. 

 1. c.) glabrous ; stem erect, or twining a little, simple ; leaves 

 on short petioles, ovate, bluntly acuminated, usually unequal- 

 sided ; umbels many-flowered, shorter than the petioles ; throat 

 of small corolla crowned by 5 fleshy tubercles ; tube furnished 

 with double pilose lines, running from the tubercles. ^ . S. 

 Native of Ceylon. Asclepias lactifera, Lin. spec. 314. fl. zeyl. 

 111. Burm. zeyl. p. 24. The milk of the plant is substituted 

 for cow's milk, where that is scarce ; and the leaves are boiled 

 with food, ex Burm. Very nearly allied to G. sylvestre. 



Milk-bearing Gymnema. Shrub. 



2 G. SYLVE'STRE (R. Br. prod. I.e.) twining; clothed with 

 soft down in every part except the upper surfaces of the leaves ; 

 leaves from oval, attenuated at the base and apex, to ovate or 

 cordate, acute ; peduncles equal in length to the petioles ; um- 

 bels twin, sub-capitate, many-flowered ; flowers small ; stigma 

 bluntly conical, much longer than the stamens ; follicles slender, 

 attenuated, glabrous. \j . ^. S. Native of the Peninsula of 

 India, frequent in China and Ceylon. Wight, and Arnott, contrib. 

 ind. hot. p. 44. G. parviflorum, Wall. tent. fl. nep. p. 50. 

 Pewp'.oca sylvestris, Willd. spec. 1. p. 1252. phyt. 1. p. 7. t. 5. 

 f. 3. Asclepias geminata, Roxb. fl. ind. 2. p. 45. Segments 

 of corolla ovate, acute. Scales in the throat long and thick. 

 Hypogynous scales linear, obtuse, covering the genitals. 



If'tld Gymnema. Shrub tw. 



3 G. GEMIXA'TUM (R. Br. prod. p. 462.) leaves ovate, 

 smoothish; branchlets downy'; peduncles shorter than the pe- 

 tioles ; umbels twin ; corolla with a crowned throat, and pilose 

 tube. ^ . '"\ S. Native of New Holland, within the tropic, on 

 the sea-shore. 



TVin-umbelled Gymnema. Shrub tw. 



4 G. HIRSU'TCM (Wight, and Arnott, contrib. ind. hot. p. 44.) 

 twining, much branched ; young branches, and under surfaces 

 of leaves clothed with hairy tomentum ; leaves downy above, 

 from broad-ovate to narrow-oblong, acuminated ; peduncles 

 shorter than the petioles ; umbels sub-capitate ; flowers small. 



f? . *"\ G. Native of the Neelgherry mountains. Wight, cat. 

 no. 1531. Wall. ascl. no. 70. This may eventually prove a 

 variety of G. lactiferum. 



Hairy Gymnema. Shrub tw. 



5 G. MOLLE (Wall. ascl. no. 72. b. 145. 151. Wight, and 

 Arnott, contrib. ind. bot. p. 45.) twining ; young branches 

 clothed with soft pubescence ; leaves from broad-cordate to 

 ovate, acuminated, clothed with soft down beneath, smoothish 

 above ; umbels capitate, almost sessile ; flowers small ; stigma 

 truncate, hardly higher than the stamina ; follicles short, broad 

 at the base, and gradually tapering to the apex, velvety. Fj . 

 ^\ S. Native of the Burman Empire, on the banks of the 

 Irrawaddi. 



Soft Gymnema. Shrub tw. 



6 G. ACIJMINA'TUM (Wall. tent. fl. nep. p. 50.) twining; bark 

 of stem corky ; young branches rather tomentose ; leaves oval- 

 oblong, acuminated, glabrous above, and tomentose beneath, at 

 length almost naked ; peduncles shorter than the petioles ; um- 

 bels sub-capitate ; flowers small ; scales of the throat exserted, 

 one half shorter than the segments ; follicles thick at the 

 base, conical, short, woody, coriaceous, at length glabrous, 2 inches 

 long, and 6-8 lines thick at the base ; seeds large, surrounded 

 by a membranous wing. ^ . / ^ > . S. Native of Chittagong, 

 Silhet, Tavoy, and Maulmyne. Asclepias acuminata, Roxb. fl. 

 ind. 2. p. 55. Cynanchum acuminatum, Ham. herb. The 

 specimens from Tavoy are more glabrous than the others. 



Acuminated-\ea\eA Gymnema. Shrub tw. 



7 G. LATIFOLIUM (Wall, asclep. no. 68. 144. Wight, and 

 Arnott, contrib. ind. bot. p. 45.) twining ; ? young branches 

 densely downy ; leaves broad-oval, acuminated, sparingly pilose 

 on both surfaces, parallelly veined ; umbels shorter than the pe- 

 tioles, cyme-formed, many-flowered ; flowers small ; scales of 

 throat inclosed ; follicles rather slender, acuminated, warted, 3 

 inches long, and 2 lines thick at the base. fj . ^. ? S. Native 

 of Tavoy, Silhet, Saluen, and the Peninsula of India. Leaves 

 4-6 inches long, and 3 broad. 



Broad-leaved Gymnema. Shrub tw. 



8 G. GLA'BRUM (Wight, contrib. ind. bot. p. 45.) twining, gla- 

 brous ; leaves ovate or cordate, acuminated, parallelly veined ; 

 follicles large, oblong-lanceolate, acuminated, ligneo-coriaceous, 

 glabrous, 4 inches long, and 6 lines thick in the middle, fy . r *. 

 S. Native of the East Indies. Wall. ascl. no. 150, without a 

 name. Very nearly allied to the preceding, but quite distinct. 



Glabrous Gymnema. Shrub tw. 



2. Throat of corolla furnished with 5 decurrent, pilose lines. 

 The plants of this section hate larger flowers than thoie of 

 the last ; and, owing to the pedicels being longer, the umbels 

 are larger, though fewer-flowered. 



9 G. E'LEGANS (Wight, et Arnott, contrib. ind. bot. p. 46.) 

 twining ; branches slender, glabrous, woody : the older ones 

 rather warted ; leaves cordate-ovate or oval-acuminated, with 

 undulated edges ; umbels on short peduncles, but not spirally 

 elongated at length, as in the following species ; pedicels about 

 equal in length to the peduncles ; flowers small ; throat of co- 

 rolla furnished with 5 pilose lines inside ; stigma obtuse, longer 

 than the stamens ; follicles usually solitary, acuminated, white, 

 S inches long, and 3-4 lines thick ; seeds marginate. fj . / *~ > . S. 

 Native of the mountains of Dindygul, Salem, and Columala, 

 also of Segaen Wight, cat. no. 1534. Wall. ascl. no. 67, 155, 

 unnameJ. Flowers white. 



Elegant Gymnema. Shrub tw. 



