MB HIERN, ON EBENACE^E. 31 



Diospyros decandra, Lour. Cochin China. 



Diospyros melanoxylon, Roxb. S. India. 



Diospyros Embryopteris, Pers. S. India and Ceylon, &c. 



Diospyros Ebenaster, Retz. Malaya, &c. 



Diospyros Kirkii. East tropical Africa. 



Diospyros Tupru, Buch. India. 



Diospyros mespiliformis, Hochst. Tropical Africa. 



Diospyros australis. Australia. 



Diospyros batocana. Tropical Africa. 



Diospyros tessellaria, Poir. Mauritius. 



Maba major, Forst. Friendly Islands. 



Euclea undulata, Thunb. South Africa. 



&c. &c. 



According to Dr Kirk near Victoria Falls in Tropical Africa the shrub Euclea divin- 

 orum is the medicine of the diviners, being rubbed in the hands. 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 



The head-quarters of this family is India where the species are numerous, but of the 

 five genera which compose the family only two (though these are the largest genera) 

 occur in the whole of the East Indian regions. Two genera are peculiar to the continent 

 of Africa, and one, a new monotypic genus, is peculiar to the island of Madagascar. 

 Not a single species is indigenous to Europe; one however is naturalized in the countries 

 bordering on the Mediterranean sea. 



The majority of the species are confined to the tropical regions of both the eastern 

 and western hemispheres ; several species are found in the subtropical regions, especially of 

 South Africa; very few in temperate regions, and none in the colder regions of either 

 hemisphere. 



A specimen, apparently belonging to a tropical species (Maba luxifolia, Pers.), is stated 

 to have been met with near the straits of Magellan ; but this is probably an error. 



For the better comprehension of the distribution, I have given below lists of species 

 as they are known to occur in the different botanical regions into which the whole earth's 

 surface has been divided by Grisebach. 



Arabia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Western Australia, and the district along the Andes in 

 South America are destitute of a single representative of the family. 



Geographical distribution of Ebenacece with reference to Grisebach's regions. See 

 "Die Vegetation der Erde." 2 vols. 8vo. Leipzic, 1872, 



I. Arctic flora. 0. 



II. Forest region of the Eastern continent. 0. 



III. Mediterranean region. Diospyros Lotus, L. (Naturalized.) 



IV. Steppes region. Diospyros Lotus, L. 



V. China, Japan region. Diospyros Lotus, L.; D. Kaki, L. f.; D. Morrisiana, Hance ; 



D. eriantha, Champ.; D. vacdnioides, Lindl. 



