Pol 



Polyalthia.~] III. ANONACE^. 5 



Sylv. t. 38. Syn. Guatteria longifolia, Wall.; W. & A. Prodr. 10; 

 Wight Ic. t. 1. Uvaria longifolia, Lam. ; Eoxb. FL Ind. ii. 664. Sans. 

 Devaddru. Vern. Asok, AsoJcan, Debdari, Devidari. 



A large glabrous tree ; leaves on short petioles, long-acuminate, undu- 

 late, 5 to 8 in. long, pellucid-dotted, glabrous, shining. Flowers numer- 

 ous, yellow green, on long slender pedicels, umbellate on short, leafless, 

 tuberculate branchlets. Sepals broad-ovate. Petals equal, linear-lanceo- 

 late from a broad base. Carpels ovoid, J in. long, on stalks about J in. 

 long. 



Indigenous in Ceylon ; commonly planted in avenues along roads in Bengal 

 and South India ; occasionally in North-West India, as far as Hushiarpur. 

 A tall, handsome, shady tree, with a fine straight trunk, attaining a girth of 

 6 ft. and a height of 50 ft., with a close symmetrical head. Evergreen ; flowers 

 between February and May ; the seed ripens in July and August. Wood 

 whitish yellow, fairly close and even-grained. The cubic foot weighs between 

 30 and 40 lb. 



2. P. suberosa, Benth. & Hook. f. ; Hook. Fl. Ind. i. 65 ; Bedd. 

 Ic. PL Ind. Or. t. 56. Syn. Uvaria suberosa, Eoxb.; Cor. PL t. 34 ; Guat- 

 teria suberosa, Dun. ; W. & A. Prodr. 10. Vern. Bara Cliali, Beng. 



A shrub or small tree ; leaves bifarious, nearly sessile, 2-5 in. long, 

 oblong, obtuse or acute, glabrous, pubescent beneath when young. 

 Flowers pubescent, small, greenish white, on long slender pedicels, with a 

 linear bract below the middle, mostly solitary, rarely two, on short woody 

 tubercles. Sepals small, triangular. Petals unequal, the three outer 

 ovate, \ in. long, 2-3 times the length of sepals, the three inner oblong 

 J in. long. Carpels dry, numerous, globular, size of a pea, on stalks about 

 twice their length. 



Oudh forests (not common), Bengal, South India. Evergreen ; flowers through- 

 out the year, but chiefly in April and May ; the seed ripens in Feb. and March. 

 A large shrub or small tree. Bark of trunk and branches often with a thick 

 rough cork layer. Wood close, hard, tough, and durable, weighs about 40 lb. 

 per cubic ft. 



3. P. cerasoides, Benth. & Hook. fil. ; Hook. Fl. Ind. i. 63 ; Bedd. 

 FL Sylv. t. 1. Syn. Uvaria cerasoides, Eoxb. Corom. PL t. 33 ; Fl. Ind. 

 ii. 666 ; Guatteria cerasoides, Dun. ; W. & A. Prodr. 10. Vern. Hoom, 

 Bombay. 



A moderate-sized or large tree. Leaves distichous, short - petiolate, 

 4-7 in. long, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, glabrous above, pubescent 

 beneath, with long soft hairs ; main lateral nerves 6-8 pair, prominent 

 beneath, with shorter intermediate nerves. Flowers greenish white, 

 on pedicels J-l in. long, solitary, or 2-3 on short, lateral, woody 

 branchlets, occasionally with 1 or 2 small leaves. Sepals broad-ovate, 

 acuminate, pubescent. Petals lanceolate, thick, glabrous, J in. long. Ber- 

 ries numerous, dark red, J in. diam., stalks slender, f in. long. 



South India, Western Ghats, Behar. Flowers Feb. to May. Evergreen. 

 Wood prized on the Western Ghats, where the Hoom is an important tree of the 

 evergreen forests in the Sattara district. 



