Prismatomeris.] RllbidCeCB. 355 



of that group, native here only in a few spots on our south-western 

 coast, but it is much cultivated in gardens. It is, I believe, quite distinct 

 from the dry country M. tinctoria, of which it has been considered 

 as a cultivated variety. 



The root-bark affords a red dye as in M. tinctoria. 



3. IK. umbellata, L. Sp. PL 176 (1753). BLiri-wel, Maha- 

 kiri-wel, 5. 



Fl. Zeyl. n. Si. M. scandens, Roxb., Moon Cat. 15. Thw. Enum. 

 145. C. P. 1669. 



Fl. B. Ind. iii. 157. Rheede, Hort. Malab. vii. t. 27. 



A scrambling shrub, climbing by very long, slender, sar- 

 mentose, divaricate branches, bark grey, striate, internodes 

 very long, young parts puberulous ; 1. rather small, 2-4 in., 

 usually oblong-lanceolate, but sometimes broadly oval, tapering 

 or acute at base, shortly acuminate, acute, glabrous, thin, dark 

 green, venation finely reticulate, pellucid, petiole £ in., often 

 twisted, stip. connate, sheathing, membranous, subpersistent ; 

 fl. few together, heads small, less than J in. diam., globose, 

 stalked, peduncles 4-10 together in terminal umbels ; cal.- 

 limb short, perfectly truncate ; cor.-tube very short, lobes 4, 

 oblong-oval, much longer than tube ; head of fruit small, 

 about J in. diam., lobulated, smooth, scarlet. 



Moist region extending up to 4000ft. or higher; common. 

 Fl. Feb. ; white or greenish. 

 Throughout the Tropics of Asia. 



At the higher elevations this often forms a small bush with no ten- 

 dency to climb, and with much broader and thicker leaves. 



38. PRISMATOMERIS, Thw. 

 Shrub, stip. shortly connate, often split ; fl. few, terminal, 

 unisexual ; cal.-limb cup-shaped, truncate with 5 tooth-like 

 segm. ; cor.-tube glabrous within, lobes 5, very thick and 

 prismatic on section, valvate; stam. 5, inserted in tube, small; 

 ov. 2-celled, with a single ovule in each cell, stigmas 2, 

 spreading; fruit a berry completely filled by 2 large seeds; 

 seed rounded on back, deeply excavated on ventral surface, 

 endosperm horny. — Sp. 3 ; 2 in Fl. B. Ind. 



P. albidiflora, Thw. in Kew Journ. Bot. viii. 269 (1856). 



. Enum. 154. C. P. 728. 

 Fl. 15. Jrif!. iii. 15^. Kew Journ. Bot. viii. t. 7, f. A. Bedd. Ic. PI. Or. 

 t. 93, and FL Sylv. Anal. Gen. I. 29, f. 4 (not good). 



A shrub 10 12 ft., much divaricately branched, bark grey, 

 branchlets sharply quadrangular compressed^ thickened at 

 nodes, yellow, polished; 1. 2J-5 in., oval or lanceolate-oval, 

 tapering to base, shortly acuminate, subacute, glabrous, 



ation conspicuous, reticulate, petiole very short, stip. 



