346 Rubiacece. \ixora*. 



inflated, nearly globose, lobes 5, rather longer than tube, 

 lanceolate, with long acuminate points, reflexed ; fl. very 

 short ; style rather exserted, stigma very large, truncate ;, 

 drupe f in. wide, didymous, compressed, tapering to base. 



Low country to 3000 ft.; rare. Deltota; Haragama; Madulsima. 

 (Marshall Ward). Fl. Aug.; cream-coloured. 



Endemic. 



This is the only plant besides species of Coffea upon which the 

 destructive parasitic {vmgus,L7emz7ezaz>asfatrz'x, was detected by Marshall 

 Ward in Ceylon. 



7. C. parviflorum, Lam. Encycl. Meth. i. 602 (1783). Kara, S*. 

 Karai, T. 



Moon Cat. 10. Thw. Enum. 152. C. P. 1662. 



Fl. B. Ind. iii. 136. Rheede, Hort. Malab. v. t. 36. Roxb. Cor. PI. t. 51. 



A much-branched shrub or small tree, branches usually 

 stout and rigid, with the supra-axillary spines numerous, 

 thick, woody, over 1 in. long, divaricate, often 3 in a whorl, 

 but sometimes the branches are less rigid and quite with- 

 out spines ; 1. often fascicled, variable, f-2^ in., rotundate or 

 oval or oblong-oval, obtuse, glabrous, whitish beneath with 

 conspicuous reticulate venation, petiole short, stip. short, with 

 a long point ; fl. very small, on long slender ped., cymes 

 many-flowered, sessile or pedunculate ; cal.-segm. 4, acute ; 

 cor.-tube inflated, globose, lobes 4, as long as tube, ovate,, 

 acute ; drupe f in., ovoid, compressed, slightly didymous. 



Low country, especially in dry region ; common : and up to 4000 ft., 

 rarer. Fl. Nov.-March ; yellowish. 



Also in S. India. 



The form in the moist region, especially at upper elevations, is much 

 less rigid and often without spines, and has larger leaves, looking quite a 

 different plant. 



The leaves are used in curries in Northern Prov. Wood very hard 

 and close-grained. 



34. XXORA,* Linn. 



Shrubs or small trees, stip. cuspidate, more or less per- 

 sistent, fl. numerous, in terminal corymbose or paniculate 

 cymes; cal.-limb undeveloped, segm. 4, small; cor. with very 

 long slender tube, lobes 4, twisted in bud ; stam. 4, inserted 

 at mouth of cor., fil. very short, anth. small, linear; ov. 2- 

 celled, with a single ovule in each cell attached to septum, 



* Taken by Linnaeus from Rheede, who states that Baldaeus in his. 

 account of Ceylon says that the flowers (of /. coccinea) are offered ia 

 sacrifices to 'the god Ixora J (= ? Isvara). 



