336 Ritbiacece. [Dipiospora. 



27. DZPLOSPORA, DC. 



Trees, stip. triangular, persistent ; fl. small, polygamo- 

 dicecious, in sessile axillary clusters ; cal.-limb very short, 

 segm. 4 ; cor.-tube short, lobes 4 (rarely 5) twisted in bud ; 

 stam. 4 (rarely 5) inserted at mouth of cor., anth. exserted ; 

 ov. 2-celled, with 1-5 ovules in each cell ; fruit a 2-celled 

 berry, with few rather large seeds. — Sp. 10; all in Fl. B. Ind. 



1. D. Dalzellii,* Hk. f. Fl. B. Ind. iii. 123 (1880). Vella, T. 

 [Plate L.] 



Discospermum Dalzellii, Thvv. Enum. 158. D. sphcsrocarpa, Bedd. 

 For. Man. 1343. C. P. 561. 

 Fl. B. Ind. iii. 123. 



A small pyramidal tree with numerous ascending branches, 

 bark very smooth, white or yellowish, twigs compressed, 

 thickened at nodes ; 1. 3-4 in., lanceolate or oval, acute at 

 base, acuminate, obtuse at apex, glabrous, shining above, 

 paler beneath, subcoriaceous, stiff, petiole \ in., furrowed 

 above, stip. small, broadly triangular with a long terminal 

 bristle, sub-persistent ; fl. small, nearly sessile, in dense 

 cymose clusters ; cal. glabrous, segm. triangular, subacute ; 

 cor.-tube short and broad in fem. fl., longer and narrower in 

 male fl., lobes nearly as long as tube, oval-oblong, recurved ; 

 berry f-f in. or rather more, nearly globose, smooth, dark 

 green, crowned with cal -segm., with several seeds in each cell. 



Low country, principally in the dry region; rather common. Fl. 

 April; greenish-white. 



Endemic, but very close to D. sphcerocarpa of S. India. 



When young, this is very like Memecylon in habit and foliage. Wood 

 hard, heavy, fine-grained, white, smooth. 



2. D. erythrospora, Bedd. For. Man. cxxxiv. 3 (1873?). 

 Discospermum erythrosporum, Thw. Enum. 158. C. P. 2510, 3481. 

 Fl. B. Ind. iii. 124. 



A much-branched tree, branchlets stout, much thickened 

 at nodes, twigs compressed, glabrous ; 1. 2 J-4 in., oval, acute 

 at base, usually rounded sometimes bluntly acuminate at 

 apex, margin usually recurved, glabrous, coriaceous, with 

 glandular pits in axils of veins beneath, petiole very short, 

 stip. triangular, thick, sharply acuminate, the basal portion 

 persistent; fl. as in i,male rather the larger; cal.-limb. almost 

 truncate, the segm. minute, tooth-like ; cor.-lobes oblong, 

 obtuse, much longer than tube; berry less than \ in., ovoid or 



* After N. A. Dalzell, Conservator of Forests, Bombay, and author 

 (with A. Gibson) of ' The Bombay Flora ' (1861). Died 1878. 



