ME HIERN, ON EBENACEJE. 



Alph. DC. Prodr. vm. p. 217. n. 7 (1844). 

 E. rigida, E. Mey. 1. c., Alph. DC. I. c. n. 6. 



E. angustifolia, Benth. Niger Fl. p. 441 (1849). Leaves and branches glabrous or pu- 

 bescent. Leaves linear or linear-lanceolate, apiculate, erect or patent, alternate, coriaceous 

 very shortly petiolate, crowded, 1 2 in. in length by -^ J in. in width ; petioles $ ^ in. in 

 length. 



<J. Cymes racemose, hairy, bearing 3 7 flowers, erect or erect-patent, f in. in 

 length ; pedicels slender, ^ in. in length ; flowers -fa f in. in length, puberulous or 

 incano-pubescent, usually pentamerous, rarely hexamerous ; calyx with deltoid lobes reaching 

 half way down; corolla lobed at apex; stamens 16 22, with a few bristles on the lanceo- 

 late anthers or glabrous ; filaments more or less combined at the base, inserted around base 

 of rudimentary ovary. 



? . Flowers solitary or two or three together, or in small cymes, f in. in length, pen- 

 tamerous ; peduncles ^ f in. in length, not drooping. Stamens ; styles 2 ; ovary 4-celled, 

 pubescent; fruit 1-celled, 1-seeded, glabrescent, globular, ^ in. in diameter; albumen not or 

 scarcely ruminated ; fruit edible, fleshy, sweet and slightly astringent ; seeds marked by three 

 depressed lines. 



There are three forms of this species according as the plant is glabrous with linear 

 leaves, pubescent with linear leaves, or glabrous with linear-lanceolate glaucescent leaves. 

 The two latter forms belong to E. angustifolia, Benth. and E. rigida, E. Mey. respectively. 



It is known by the names of Orange river ebony, black ebony, zwartebbenhout, and 

 sneezewood. It is a large shrub, 6 8 ft. high or a tree, the heart-wood of which is extremely 

 hard and black. It occurs in the western districts of South Africa, up to an elevation of 

 4000 ft., and reaches the tropics. Drege! ; Niven! n. 46. Namaqualand, Dr Atlierstone! n. 2; 

 Wyley! S. W. Tropical Africa, lat. 23, Chapman and Baines!; Curror! ; Angola, Distr. 

 Mossamedes, shrub, 5 8 feet high, flowers white, direcious, fruit the size of a pea, edible, 

 glaucous-bluish (as in Juniperus communis), called by the natives (as also Euclea lanceolata) 

 Embolo, quite frequent in thickets and woods in company with Tamarix and Cordia near 

 the rivers Bero and Maiombo, Dr Welwitschf nos. 2543, 2544. 



NOTE. This species may prove identical with E. lancea, Thunb. 



7. EUCLEA LINEARIS, Zeyher in Linnsea xx. p. 192 (1847, sine descriptione). 



E. foliis alternis suboppositis vel oppositis, linearibus, acutis, falcatis, numerosis, sessililms, 

 gldbris ; cymis racemosis, 3 7-floris ; floribus dicecis, tetrameris ; corolla breviter 4-fidd ; 

 staminibus 16, in flore femineo ; ovario hirsute. 



Plant quite glabrous and subglaucous, dioecious, 2J 3ft. high. Branches numerous, at 

 about 35 with stem. Leaves alternate opposite or subopposite, linear, acute, usually some- 

 what falcate, sessile, numerous, 1 to 2| in. in length by -^ in. in width. Cymes racemose, 

 bearing 3 7 flowers, \ to \ in. in length (excluding flower), usually drooping ; 2 to \ in. 

 in length, pedicels not exceeding ^ in. in length, less on the $ plant, opposite or alternate, 

 falling short of or equalling the bracts; bracts at base of pedicels, caducous. 



