wris. 



lbs. 

 iger 

 cpo- 



ain- 



16 VI. CAPPARIDE^E. [Capp< 



small, J inch across, on filiform pedicels, in many-flowered corymbs. 

 Sepals oval, concave. Petals oblong, white, unequal. Stamens much longer 

 than petals. Fruit a globose berry J in. diam. on a short slender carj 

 phore, one-seeded, black when ripe. 



Here and there in the Panjab and the North- West. Common in the Peni 

 sula, Burma, Ceylon, in the Andamans, Timor, and the Philippines. A middle- 

 sized shrub, with numerous and strong branches, makes excellent hedges (My- 

 sor, Coimbator), easily raised from seed or from cuttings. Flowers May ; 

 fruit ripens about July. 



2. CRAT^VA, Linn. 



Trees ; leaves trifoliolate. Sepals and petals inserted on hemispherical 

 disc. Sepals 4. Petals 4, long-clawed, open in bud. Stamens numerous, 

 filaments slender, filiform, free. Ovary on a long gynophore, with 2 pla- 

 centas bearing numerous ovules. Stigma sessile. 



1. C. religiosa, Forst. ; Bedd. Fl. Sylv. 1. 116 j Hook. Fl. Ind. i. 172. 

 Syn. C. Roxburghii, E. Br. ; W. & A. Prodr. 23. Capparis trifoliata, Eoxb. 

 Fl. Ind. ii. 571. Sans. Varana, varuna, setu. Vern. Brcmia, Bildsi, 

 bila, biliana. (Kadatben, Burm.) 



A moderate-sized tree. Leaves trifoliolate, clustered towards the ends 

 of branches on common petioles 4 in. long, leaflets ovate-lanceolate, acu- 

 minate, on articulate petioles. Flowers large, 2 inches across, on long fili- 

 form pedicels, in many-flowered corymbs, with centripetal expansion. 

 Sepals 4, ovate, deciduous, inserted with the petals on the broad-lobed hemi- 

 spherical disc. Petals 4, long-clawed, larger than sepals, limb roundish ovate. 

 Filaments longer than petals, inserted above the disc on the base of gyno- 

 phore. Fruit ovoid or globose, about the size of an apple, on a strong thick 

 gynophore, partially bilocular, owing to the cohesion of the placentas, 

 with many reniform seeds J in. long, nestling in a yellow pulp. Rind 

 hard, subligneous, rough, with numerous whitish specks. 



Subhimalayan tract, extending west to the Ravi, ascending to 2000 ft. 

 Bandelkhand, Rajputana, South India, Assam, Burma, and Ceylon. Low 

 and shady places, particularly near banks of rivers. Cultivated throughout 

 India, in the north-west to the Jhelum river. Fl. April, May, when the 

 tree has a striking appearance, with its large, cream-coloured blossoms. The 

 old leaves at times remain on the tree till the flowers appear, but usually the 

 tree is bare for some time. The young leaves appear with and after the flowers. 

 Attains 30 to 40 ft. and a girth of 6 ft. Bark dark grey, even and smooth, 

 with long horizontal wrinkles. Pith large ; wood yellowish white, with some- 

 times a pinkish tinge, even, close- and smooth-grained. It is easy to work, 

 fairly tough and durable, and not heavy. Used for drums, models, writing- 

 boards, combs, boxes, and in turnery. In the Panjab the viscid pulp of the 

 fruit is said to be mixed with mortar as a cement, and is also used as a mor- 

 dant in dyeing. 



Order VII. BIXINEiE. 



Trees or shrubs, with alternate simple leaves. Stipules minute or none. 

 Flowers regular, uni- or bi-sexual. Stamens usually hypogynous, inde- 

 finite, rarely definite. Anthers 2- celled, bursting by slits or pores. Torus 

 often glandular, or expanded into a disc. Ovary syncarpous, free, gener- 



