598 C. H0RACE2E [Ficus 



L. palminerved, basal n. 3-7 prominent. 

 Ripe carpels (aclienes) enclosed in the 



syncarpium 4. Mohus. 



Bipe carpels pendulous on long fleshy 



stalks 5. Broussonetia. 



(b) Armed (excepting Plecospermum andamanicum). 



Stamens included, syncarpium many-seeded 6. Cudrakia. 

 Stamens exserted," syncarpium few-seeded . 7. Plecospermum. 



D. Fruit the result of one flower, 

 (a) Unarmed trees or shrubs. 



Glabrous, 1. quite entire, fr. enclosed by 4 

 orbicular concave accrescent coriaceous 

 sepals ....... Pseudostreblus (p. 614). 



Hairy, 1. entire or serrulate. 



A tall tree, young shoots velvety, 1. 3-6 

 in. $ perianth 0, fr. velvety, en- 

 closed in a fleshy involucre of con- 

 nate bracts 8. Aniiaris. 



A rigid shrub or small tree, 1. 2-4 in., 

 very rough. ? perianth of 4 sepals, 

 fleshy in fr. . . . . . . 9. Streblus. 



(6) More or less armed. 



L. rigidly coriaceous, spinulose-dentate, fl. 



i in catkin-like spikes, ? in racemes . Balanostreblus (p. 615). 

 L. membranous, serrate. 



Fl. 6 in clustered involucrate heads. ? 

 solitary, berry enclosed in the en- 

 larged lanceolate sepals . . . Phyllochlamys (p. 615). 

 Fl. i minute, in short axillary compact 

 racemes, 9 in lax few-fid. axillary 

 and terminal racemes, fr. obliquely 

 subglobose Taxotrophis (p. 616). 



1. FICUS, Linn. ; Fl. Brit. Ind. v. 494. 



Tree or shrubs, often epiphytic, sending out aerial roots, man} T species creeping 

 and climbing by means of adventitious roots on stems, on the ground and over 

 rocks, at times subsequently developing an erect stem with a spreading 

 crown. Juice milky. Narrow undulating concentric bands of parenchyma 

 in the wood. L. usually alternate, stipules deciduous in most species, leaving 

 annular scars. Fl. minute, together with numerous thin bracteoles covering the 

 inner surface of a hollow globose or pear-shaped receptacle {fig) which sometimes 

 lengthens out into a stalk, supported by 3 or 4 basal bracts, the mouth of 

 the receptacle closed by numerous scales in several rows, the inner scales turned 

 downwards, those of the outer row being erect or spreading. Fl. of 5 kinds : 

 ^ with 1-3 anthers (a) without, (6) with a rudimentary pistil, (c) $? fl. (rf) gall 

 fl., ? with a short style, (e) neuter fl. consisting of a pedicellate perianth 

 without stamens or pistil. Perianth of 2-6 sepals, or gamosepalous, 2-6- 

 partite. In the species of one section (Urostigma) <J , $ and gall fl. are in 

 the same receptacle, in the other species <J and gall fl. as a rule are in one 

 set and 5 fl. in another set of receptacles. In some species of Urostigma the 

 tj fl. are mixed with the others, as a rule they are only found near the mouth 

 of the receptacle, in some species few, in others numerous, covering half the 

 inner surface. The gall fl. do not usually develop an embryo, but are visited 

 by Hymenopterous insects {Blastopkaga) which lay their eggs in them. The 

 perfect insect, on leaving the receptacle, takes away the pollen of the $ fl. 

 and thus fertilizes the $ fl. in another receptacle. The 5 receptacles 

 generally require several months to ripen ; the fr. as a rule becomes fleshy and 

 encloses numerous minute achenes. Embryo curved, in a scanty albumen. 



The following key to the species of this large genus may be found useful : 



