THE POISONOUS PLANTS OF BOMBAY. 261 



BRANCHES.~The branches and branchlets are said to be often 

 spinesoent. The Thana plants appear to be singularly free from spines 

 of any sort. The branches are very irregular. 



BARK. — The thickness of the bark as given by Brandis is only 

 half an inch. I think I can safely say that the bark is not unfre- 

 quently about an inch in thickness. In young, branches it is less than 

 a quarter of an inch. When Brandis says that the bark is " grey with 

 some white specks," it is to be understood that he refers to the bark of 

 young and tender branchlets. The bark of the new off-shoots is light 

 green. Whether in the young or old branches and branchlets, the 

 bark is marked with irregular undulations. It is also deeply marked 

 with the scars of the fallen leaves and pedicels of the former season. 



WOOD. — The wood is described by Brandis as "light brown 

 or yellowish-brown." " It is tough and strong, weighing 49 lbs. per 

 cubic foot." Brandis very happily describes it further as " fine, even 

 close, and smooth grained." Kurz says that the wood is " dark- 

 brown."* This answers the description of the wood examined in the 

 Thana plants. "The wood is beautiful" says Roxburgh — (Flora 

 Indica, p. 404— Calcutta, 1874). 



LEAVES. — Exstipulate, petiolate, alternate ; membranous, says 

 Brandis ; 3-6 inches long, 1-2 inches broad ; entire. Both Hooker and 

 Brandis say they are persistent, but of this more hereafter under the 

 head of " Remarks." The shape of the leaves is very variable even on 

 one and the same branch — from linear oblong to elhptic, obtuse, 

 acute, or long-acuminate ; pubescent or tomentose when young ; 

 glabrous or pubescent below when full grown ; the base unequal, 

 often somewhat equal. The chief character of most leaves is that they 

 are three-nerved at the base. The nerves are pubescent and distinctly 

 white and prominent on the under surface. The main lateral nerves 

 vary from five to eight on either side of the midrib, joined by promi- 

 nent transverse and intra-marginal veins. Brandis observes that in 

 the axils of primary nerves there are often " tufts of hairs or hollow 

 glands." This is a fit subject for microscopical workers who may be 

 interested in the study of the morphology of the leaf of this plant. It 

 may be observed here that in the axils of the leaves of one season 



* Kurz— Forest Flora of BritiBh Burma, Vol. I, p. 543, 1877, Calcutta. 



