Michelia) III. MAGNOLIACE^ 7 



3. MICHELIA. Linn.; Fl. Brit. Ind. i. 42. 



Trees, mostly evergreen, buds enveloped in the convolute stipules. Leaves 

 thinly coriaceous, tertiary nerves prominently reticulate. Sepals and petals 

 similar, 9-15, in whorls of 3. Filaments flat, anthers introrse. Ovaries 

 separated from the stamens by a distinct iuternode, style generally much 

 shorter than ovary. Fruit a lax, rarely dense spike of wood} - or coriaceous 

 dorsally dehiscing carpels. Species 1G, Lido-Malayan region, mostly on the 

 mountains. 



A. Leaves small, 3-6 in. long, fl. white. 



1. M. Cathcartii, Hook. f. & Th. : Ann. Bot. Gard. Calc. iii. t. 60. Vern. 

 1'iti < '/inu/p. Xep. 



A large evergreen tree, heartwood dark olive-brown, young branches 

 densely silky. Leaves pale beneath, acuminate, midrib hairy on both sur- 

 faces, chiefly on the upper. Fl. terminal, 3— 4 in. diam., white, turning red in 

 drying, perianth leaves 9, inner gradually smaller. Stamens more than 1 in. 

 long, overtopping the ovaries, which are sessile and densely imbricate. 



Sikkim Himalaya 5,000-7,000 ft. Xaga hills. Fl. May, June. 



2. M. nilagirica, Zenker: Wight Ic. t. 938; Bedd. Fl. Sylv. t. 62; Ann. 

 Bot. Gard. Calc. t. t>5. — Syn. M. pulneyensis, Wight 111. t. 5. 



A moderate sized tree, buds silky. Leaves shortly and bluntly acuminate. 

 Fl. 1^-2 in. across, on short generally leafless axillary branchlets. Perianth 

 leaves usually 12, the inner narrower. Stamens shorter than gynajcium. 

 Ovaries silky, with 2—1 ovules. Fruiting spike interrupted, 2-3 in. long, 

 carpels warty, apiculate, mixed with many abortive carpels. Seeds bright 

 scarlet. 



Nilgiris, I 'a In is and other hills in t he peninsula, Ceylon. Fl. I \. S. 



B. Leaves moderate sized or large, 4-12 in. long. 



3. M. oblonga, Wall. : Ann. Bot. Gard. Calc. iii. t. 07. Vern. Bw Soppa, 

 Ass. 



A very tall tree, entirely glabrous. Leaves thinly coriaceous, 4-6 in. long. 



Sec lary nerves 7-9 pair, somewhat prominent beneath. Fl. yellowish white, 



3-4 in. across. Fruiting spike lax, 0-7 in. long. Carpels sessile, woody, 

 lenticellate, blunt. 



Assam, Silhet. Fl. C. S. Nearly allied are the following, which are all entirely 



gliihrmis : I. tvt Mnnnii King; Ann. iii. t. 7i>. Assam, Silhet. Leaves rigidly c 



i as, II. smaller, ii i >< ■ i-ai-jii-l-t distant, olilrmg. -lightly nniciilnte. 5. M. punduana, 



Hook. f. & Thorns.; Ann. iii. t. 66. Assam, Khasi hills. Leaves thinly coriaceous. 



S ii'l.'iry nerves not much more conspicuous than the shorter inten liate and 



the reticulate tertiary nerves. Fl. I. 1 , in. across. Ripe carpels distant, compressed, 

 not beaked. 6. M. Kisopa. DC.; Ann. iii. t. 58 B. BLumaon and Nepal 5,000 7,000 ft., 



rare in Sikkim. Leaves corii as. PI. 1—11 in. across. Carpels small, ! in. diom.j 



compressed, shorl Lj n piculate. 



7. M. lanuginosa, Wall.; Ann. Bot. Gard. Calc. iii. t. 62. Vern. Gogay 

 < 'limii/i, Nepal. 



A large deciduous tree, branchlets and underside of full grown leaves 

 densely pale-grey tomentose. Leaves lanceolate. Fl. axillary, yellowish 

 white, 2 J 3 in. across, Perianth leaves 12 L8, oblanceolate. Ovaries densely 

 lanate, style glabrous. Fruiting spike lax, I 5 in. long. Carpels compressed, 

 shortly stalked, woody, warty, $-1 in. Seeds orange. 



Eastern Himalaya, from Nepal eastwards, 5,000-7,000 ft. Khasi hills. Fl. B. S, 



8. M. excelsa, Blume; Ann. Bot. Gard, Cajc. iii. t. 63. Vern, Bara 

 Champ, Safed Cliamp, Nepal. 



A large deciduous tree, heartwood olive-brown, buds clothed with brown, 



