456 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. VIII. 
SEEDS.—Two, often only one, slightly winged near the situation 
of the embryo ; pale yellow ; the tegmen of the seed is friable. 
ALBUMEN.—Absent. 
Hupryo.—Hrect, small, fleshy. 
RADICLE.—Short, eccentric, cylindrical. 
CoryLepons.-—Rotundate; convex externally, plane internal- 
ly ; fleshy ; varying in size from a two-anna silver-piece to 
a four-anna silver-piece. The substance of the cotyledons 
is intensely bitter. 
REMARKS. 
The shrub is a native of South America and the West Indies. It 
was introduced into England in 1735. It is not known when it was 
introduced into this country and whether it came here direct from 
its native soil or from England. It is, however, perfectly naturalized 
in India in the different parts of the country. It has been figured and 
described by Royle in his “ Illustrations of the Himalayan Plants ” 
published in 1839. The flower is considered by some writers to have 
a sickly odour. It has the faint odour of Neriwm oleander, which is by 
no means disagreeable. But that is a mere matter of taste or opinion ; 
and, as such, knows no definite law. The wood also, as has been already 
observed, is credited by some writers of note, such as Lindley, with a 
repulsive odour (“Veget. Kingdom,” p. 559, 1847). It does not possess 
any such odour, so far as I can judge from the examination of several 
specimens, fresh or dried, growing in Bombay, Thana, and Bandra, 
where the plant is much appreciated asa garden beauty of hardy growth. 
Kurz, describing the plant as it grows in Burma, gives its height 
as from fifteen to twenty feet. It seldom grows as high as that on 
this side of India. The length of the clear stem is given by him as 
between six to ten feet, but very often here there appears to be no 
clear stem, as fresh branches are given off, even when the stem is old 
the branches keep sprouting out even downto the root, The flowering 
time in England, as given by Loudon, is from January to July 
(“Encyclopeedia of Plants,” p. 148, 1829). Kurz gives the flowering 
time in Burma as between November and March, where the fruit is 
ready in the cold season. The plant seems to flower and mature fruit on 
this side of India at all times of the year. Here itis quite possible to see 
a full-formed fruit,while fresh flowers are being thrown out in succession. 
