Sccevota* pestandria monogyptia. 147 



Be!a modagam, Rheed. mat. iv. 1-21. t. 59* 



A native of most of the maritime parts of the East Indies, and 

 introduced from Pulo-Penang into the Botanic Garden at Calcutta, 

 where there is a constant succession of flowers and fruit the whole 

 year round. I suspect the American plant, called by Willdenow 

 and others, Sccevola Lobelia, to differ specifically from ours; I have 

 therefore prefered Gaertner's specific name. 



Trunk short and variously bent. Bark thereof, and of the old 

 branches ash-coloured, and somewhat scabrous, large branches 

 erect, the smaller ones nearly verticelled, ascending, and covered with 

 smooth, green bark ; general height of the whole plant about five or 

 six feet. — Leaves alternate, sub-sessile, long-obovate, with margins 

 entire, apex circular, smooth, shining green on both sides ; from three 

 to six inches long. In the axil of each is found a little tuft of deli- 

 cate white wool. — Teduncles axillary, solitary, once, twice, or thrice 

 dichotomous, the whole not above one-fourth the length of the 

 leaves. — Pedicels clavate, round, and smooth. — Bractes opposite, 

 small, conical.— Flowers white, slightly fragrant, — Calyx may be 

 called five-leaved ; leaflets rather remote, erect, or recurved, subu» 

 late, permanent. — Corol one-petalled. Tube five or six times longer 

 than the calyx, split its whole length on the side next to the branch, 

 villous on the inside and shaggy with filaments round the mouth. 

 Border of five, oblong, unilateral segments, with membranaceous, 

 curled borders. — Filaments from the receptacle, erect till the flow- 

 ers expands, then becoming variously curled back round the base 

 of the tube of the cprol. — Anthers oblong, crowned, before the 

 expansion of the corol they adhere slightly to each other, round the 

 mouth of the stigma. — Germ inferior, obovate, torose, two-celled, 

 with one seed in each, attached to the very bottom of the partition. 

 Style length of the tube, pretty thick, recurved. Stigma large, 



» It has been justly remarked by Mr. Avibert du Petit Thouars (Encycl. bot supl. 

 i. 608.) that Rheede-'s tree, seems to differ from Rumphius's shrub, both in size and 

 place of growth. A similar observation has been made by Prof. Schultes in Syst. 

 Veg. v. ]53 — Rheedesays it is "arbor speciosa atque prsecelsa plurimum" whkh 

 certainly is inapplicable to the shrubs from the shores of India; those at the Mau>* 

 sitius ,if I remember right, Beyer exceeding eight or at furthest ten feet— N. W. 



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