344 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY 



MYRSINE^E 



Examples : 



EMBELIA RIBES, Burm. a scandent shrub. 



Leaves alternate, exstipulate, simple, with glands or 

 resin passages in the blade and on the petiole. Blades 

 elliptical-acute, with cuneate base, entire, coriaceous 

 and glabrous. 



Flowers small, unisexual or bisexual (polygamous), 

 in axillary panicles. Calyx five-lobed. Corolla deeply 

 five-lobed (or petals free) white. Stamens five at- 

 tached to the corolla and opposite the lobes. Ovary 

 superior one-celled, with a free central placenta (not 

 reaching to the top). Fruit globose one-seeded. 



MAESA INDICA, Wall, a shrub, very common espe- 

 cially on the hills. Leaves alternate, lanceolate, ovate 

 or elliptic, acute, dentate, glabrous. Flowers in short 

 axillary racemes, calyx of five small teeth, more or 

 less inferior. Corolla monopetalous, campanulate, with 

 five imbricating lobes. Stamens five epipetalous. 

 Ovary, half inferior, one-celled with a short style, 

 ovules on a free central globular placenta. Fruit a 

 berry with numerous seeds. 



CHARACTERS OF THE MYRSINE^E 



The MYRSINE^E are a family of Tropical trees, with 

 alternate, simple, exstipulate leaves, and small regular 

 flowers. The corolla tube is short, with the stamens 

 standing on it and opposite its lobes (not alternately 

 as one might expect). The ovary is one-celled and 

 has a round central placenta over the whole of which 

 are set the numerous ovules, and which does not 

 reach to the top, i.e. is free. 



