MB HIEEN, ON EBENACE,. 131 



X ' 



35. MABA LANCEOLATA. 



M. foliis lanceolatis vel ovato-lanceolatis, utrinque acutis, glabris, coriaceis, breviter petio- 

 latis ; Jloribus masculis 1 3-nis, sessilibus, basi bracteatis, bracteis imbricatis, calyce hirsuto, 

 breviter 3-lobo, corolld 3 4^-lobd, staminibus 24 32, glabris, basi corollce insertis ; Jloribus 

 femineis brevissime pedunculatis, ovario glabro, globoso, 3-loculari, loculis biovulatis; fructibus 

 ovoideis, glabris, nitidis. 



Diospyros lanceolata, Poir. Encycl. Me"th. V. p. 434 (1804) ; Alph. DC. Prodr. vm. p. 236. 

 n. 69 (1844) ; non Wall. 



A tree ; with glabrous, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate leaves, acute at both ends, especially 

 at the apex, coriaceous, in the dry state brown on both sides, 1| 2f in. long by | 1-Jg- in. 

 wide ; petioles spreading, | ^ in. long ; veins confluent at the margin, shining above ; 

 margins recurved. 



<. Flowers 1 3 together, sessile, ovoid, acute in bud, 1J in. long; surrounded at the 

 base by 7 imbricated rounded ciliolated unequal coriaceous bracts, glabrous except at margin, 

 the inferior ones very short. Calyx nearly \ in. long, densely hirsute, ferruginous, shortly 

 3-lobed, 3-cornered, campanulate in flower (spreading in fruit much less hairy and in. 

 across). Corolla glabrous but with broad hairy patches outside lobes, \ f$ in. long, deeply 

 3 4-lobed ; lobes oblong, emarginate, spreading and recurved. Stamens 24 32, glabrous, 

 inserted at base of corolla, the outer ones shorter; filaments short. Ovary wanting. 



? . Peduncles very short, recurved ; calyx urceolate, shortly 3-lobed, not accrescent ; 

 corolla narrowed at the throat, deeply 3 4-(?) lobed ; staminodes ...; ovary quite glabrous, 

 shining, spherical, 3-celled; cells 2-ovuled with imperfect septa in middle ; style 3-lobed, erect; 

 fruit ovoid, glabrous, shining. 



Madagascar, Commerson ! 



The leaf described and figured by Ettingshausen in Blatt-skel. Dikot. p. 89. t. 37. fig. 12 

 (1861) is decidedly larger than in the specimens that I have seen of this species; it pro- 

 bably belonged to a different species. 



36. MABA NATALENSIS, Harv. Thes. Cap. n. p. 7. t. 110 (1863). 



M. fruticosa, ramis gracilibus patentibus ; foliis ovalibus, obtusis, glabris, supra nitentibus, 

 subtus pallidioribus, breviter petiolatis ; Jloribus femineis solitariis, brevissime pedunculatis ; 

 calyce cupuliformi, glabro, integro ; corolld trilobd, extus sericed; staminodiis 6 9, glabris, 

 uniserialibus ; ovario conico, glabro, 3-loculari, loculis bi-ovulatis. 



A quickly glabrescent shrub ; branches pale, slender, spreading at 60 65 ; shoots 

 flexuous, puberulous. Leaves oval, obtuse or mucronate at apex, submembranous, flat, 

 \ 1 in. in length by \ j^ in. in width, veins delicate and inconspicuous, shining and dark 

 green above, paler beneath ; petioles - ^ in. in length. 



9 . Flower solitary, axillary, very shortly pedunculate, in. in length ; peduncle ^ ^ in. 

 in length. Calyx ^ in. in length, truncate, entire, dark green, glabrous, semi-ellipsoidal. 

 Corolla - in. in length, argenteous-sericeous outside, 3-lobed ; lobes in. in depth, diverging, ob- 

 long, acute. Staminodes 6 9, free, uniseriate, ^ in. in length, glabrous. Ovary conical, drab, 



172 



