CELASTRACEAE. 



223 



Family 3. CELASTRACEAE. Lindl. 



Staff-Tree Family. 



Trees or .shrubs, often climbing. Leaves simple. Stipules, when pres- 

 ent, small and caducous. Flowers regular, generally perfect, small. Pedi- 

 cels commonl}^ jointed. Calyx 4— 5-lobed or -parted, persistent, the lobes 

 imbricated. Petals 4 or 5, spreading. Stamens inserted on or under the 

 disk. Disk flat or lobed. Ovary sessile, mostly 3-5-celled; style short, 

 thick; stigma entire or 3-5-lobed; ovules 2 in each cavity, anatropous. 

 Fruit various. Seeds arilled; embryo large; cotyledons foliaceous. About 

 45 genera, and 375 species, widely distributed. 



Flowers 5-parted ; ovary-cells 2-ovuled.' 

 Flowers mostly 4-parted ; ovary-cells 1-ovuled. 



1. Elaeodcndron. 



2. Rhacoinu. 



1. ELAEODENDRON Jacq. f. 

 Trees or shrubs, with opposite or alternate coriaceous leaves, the very 

 small stipules caducous, and small, often dioecious greenish or white flowers in 

 small axillary clusters. Calyx 5-parted. Petals 5, spreading. Stamens 5. in- 

 serted under the disk; filaments short; anthers globose. Ovary adnate to the 

 disk, 2-5-celled; style short; stigma 2-5-lobed; ovules 2 in each ovary-cavity. 

 Fruit a rather large drupe. [Greek, Olive-wood, the fruit resembles an olive.] 

 About 35 species, natives of tropical regions. Type species: Elaeodendron 

 orientale Jacq. 



1. Elaeodendron Lanea- 

 num A. H. Moore. Bermuda 

 Olive-wood Bark. (Fig. 248.) 

 An evergreen tree up to 45° 

 high, the usually short trunk 

 sometimes 20° high, and up to 

 20' in diameter, main branches 

 nearly erect; twigs very 

 densely leafy; outline of the 

 tree ovate when isolated and 

 bearing branches to the 

 ground. Leaves erect-ascend- 

 ing, nearly equally dark green 

 on both sides, somewhat con- 

 vex, thick and firm, some- 

 what shining above, dull be- 

 neath, oblanceolate, 2i'-4' 

 long, 1^' wide or less, acute 

 at apex, cuneate at base, mid- 

 vein impressed above, promi- 

 nent beneath; veins diverging 

 at about 45° from the mid- 

 vein, and 6 to 9 on each side, ultimate venation obscure, delicately reticu- 

 lated; margin of leaf horny, distantly low-serrate to below the middle, the 

 teeth tipped by black conic prickles about V long; petioles rather stout, 

 nearly terete, 2i"-4" long; flowers clustered in the axils, dioecious, about 

 3" broad; sepals oval to oblong or oblong-spatulate, about as long as 

 the elliptic petals; fruits solitary or 2-4 together, stalked, yellowjsh-white, 

 ovoid to globose, shining, obtuse and rounded, V-V long, Y-f,' thick, the 

 white flesh 2"-3" thick, sweet; stone oblong, bluntly angled, pointed at earh 

 end, about twice as long as thick, only one cavity seminiferous in specimens 

 examined; seed lenticular, brown, about 1" thick. \E. a-j/docarpum of Rein, 

 Hemsley, Verrill and Lefroy; E. xylocarputn lermudense Urban.] 



