320 LIV. APOCYNE^E. [Carissa. 



Several plants of this family yield caoutchouc. Vahea gummifera, Lam., of 

 Madagascar, and other species of the same genus, produce an excellent article, 

 second only in quality to the Para caoutchouc. They are large climbing shrubs, 

 with huge subglobose fruit. The African caoutchouc, a much inferior article, is 

 likewise produced by large climbing shrubs, which belong to the genus Lan- 

 dolphia, with large subglobose fruit containing an acidulous pulp in a hard 

 woody rind. Urceola elastica, Roxb. ; Wight Ic. t. 473, a gigantic climber 

 (fruit of 2 large globose/many-seeded coriaceous follicles, the seeds embedded in 

 fleshy eatable pulp) of the Indian Archipelago, yields the Borneo rubber, and 

 small quantities of caoutchouc are collected in India from Wittughbeia edulis, 

 Roxb. Cor. PI. t. 280, and W. Martabanica, Wall. PI. As. rar. t. 272, two large 

 climbers of Burma and Eastern Bengal. (Collins' Report on Caoutchouc, 1872.) 



Vahea belongs to the sub-Order of Carisseo?, with a single 2-celled ovary. 

 Landolphia and Willughbeia are somewhat anomalous genera with 1 -celled 

 ovary, and fleshy fruit. Urceola belongs to the sub-Order Euapocynece (fruit 

 of 2 many-seeded follicles), which comprises all genera described below, except 

 Carissa and Cerbera. 



1. CARISSA, Linn. 



Shrubs or trees, often armed with opposite axillary spines. Leaves 

 opposite. Calyx without glands. Corolla -tube cylindrical, slightly 

 swollen round the anthers, lobes spreading, contorted in the bud, the 

 throat without scales. Anthers oblong or lanceolate, included in the 

 corolla-tube. Ovary single, 2-celled; ovules several in each cell; style 

 filiform, stigma thickened. Fruit succulent, indehiscent. Seeds 1-4, 

 rarely more, without hairs, albuminous. 



Leaves and branchlets always glabrous ; fruit -1 in. long, some- 

 times more than 4-seeded 1. C. Carandas. 



Leaves and branchlets often pubescent ; fruit ^ in. long, 4-seeded 2. C. diffusa. 



1. C. Carandas, Linn.; Roxb. Cor. PL t. 77; Fl. i. 687; Wight Ic. 

 t. 426. Syn. G. congesta, Wight Ic. t. 1289. Sans. Karamarda (the 

 tree), avigna (the fruit). Vern. Karaunda, karaun, karunda, korinda, 

 garinga. Local n. Timukhia, N.W.P. ; Gotho, C.P. 



A large evergreen shrub with a short stem, glabrous, only inflorescence 

 pubescent. Branchlets generally alternate, with twin stout, sharp, often 

 forked, glabrous, shining spines at their base, 1-1 J in. long; branches ex- 

 ceptionally opposite, generally without spines. Leaves coriaceous, generally 

 penninerved, wholly glabrous, and shining on both sides, elliptic ovate or 

 obovate, rarely elliptic-oblong, obtuse or mucronate, 1J-3 in. long, 1-2 in. 

 broad, subsessile or on short petioles. Flowers white, inodorous, on short 

 pedicels in sessile or pedunculate pubescent cymose corymbs of 10-20 

 flowers at the ends of branches. Bracts linear, pubescent. Calyx pubes- 

 cent, cleft half-way or deeper into lanceolate ciliate segments. Corolla- 

 lobes lanceolate, snorter than tube, but more than half its length. Ovules 

 4 in each cell of ovary. Berry ovoid or globose, J-l in. long, 4- or more- 

 seeded, shining, first red, black when ripe. 



Cultivated in most parts of India, not much in the Panjab ; is wild on dry 

 sandy and rocky soil in the Gonda and Baraich divisions of the Oudh forests, 



