APOCYNACE.E 219 



Fruit baccate, ellipsoid, glabrous, black when mature or suffused 

 with a glaucous bloom, two-celled, two-seeded. 



Seed oval in outline, concavo-convex, peltate, ventrally attached 

 to the middle of the placenta, pale, subtransparent and whitish ; 

 testa closely adhering to the endosperm ; radicle superior and close 

 to the micropyle ; hilum large, oval, occupying the greater part of 

 the concave ventral face. 



Endosperm abundant, pale subtransparent white, fleshy and 

 tough or subcartilaginous and easily cut, occupying the greater part 

 of the seed. 



Embryo straight, thin, falling a little short of the length of the 

 seed, and slightly curved or concave towards its inner base, and con- 

 forming to its dorsal convexity ; cotyledons thin, closely adpressed 

 face to face, rotund-ovate, obtuse, entire, occupying a median position 

 in the seed, a little nearer the dorsal than the ventral aspect, sur- 

 rounded by endosperm ; radicle very short, but the radicle and 

 petioles together are about 3-4-5 mm. long, and nearly or quite 

 equal to the cotyledons in length. 



Thevetia neriifolia, Juss. 



Hypocotyl 2-3 cm. long, 3 mm. thick, terete, glabrous, woody, 

 colourless. 



Stem woody, glabrous, light green ; 1st internode 5-6 cm. 

 long, 2-2-5 mm. thick ; 2nd 1 cm. long ; 3rd to 10th much 

 shorter. 



Leaves simple, entire, cauline, alternate or the earlier ones 

 nearly or quite opposite, exstipulate, shortly petiolate or subsessile, 

 decussating in the seedling stage, subcoriaceous, glabrous, bright 

 green. 



Nos. 1 and 2. Nearly opposite, subsessile, 3-5 cm. long, 6*5 

 mm. wide, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, with a distinct articula- 

 tion at the base, entire, penninerved, straight or slightly recurved 

 at the apex, channelled, quite glabrous, bright green, somewhat 

 leathery. 



Nos. 3-6. Nearly opposite, linear-lanceolate, acuminate; the 

 rest alternate. 



Plumeria alba, L. (fig. 514). 



Hypocotyl woody, erect, terete, fleshy, glabrous, pale green, 

 shining, ultimately becoming grey, about 2-8 cm. above the soil. 

 Juice milky. 



Cotyledons large, foliaceous, broadly oblong-cordate, obtuse, 

 shortly petiolate, with the basal auricles frequently unequal ; lamina 



