Rhamnus, pentandriA monogyniaJ i>51 



armed with the most acute, strong, recurved thorns give the most 

 cautious travellers infinite pain and trouble, Flowering season tha 

 months of January, February, and March; the seeds take nearly a 

 year to ripen. 



Trunk short, soon dividing into many, long, straggling, scandent 

 brandies; with numerous, diverging, alternate, round, smooth, 

 armed branchlets. — Spines on the lateral branches axillary, solitary, 

 rather longer than the petioles, coloured, very sharp, and a little 

 recurved ; the leading shoots are unarmed. — Leaves sub-opposite, 

 short- peiioled, round-cordate, dentate, firm and polished on both 

 sides ; about three-quarters of an inch each way. — Stipules small, 

 caducous. — Vmbellets axillary, solitary, very small, from ten- to 

 twelve-flowered, the floriferous axils bear no thorns. — Calyx globe* 

 campanulate, five-toothed. — Petuls or scales crescent-shaped. — 

 Germ ovate. Style scarcely any. Stigma somewhat two-lobed. — 

 Berry a little depressed and unibilicate, smooth, the size of a mar- 

 rowfat pea, having the base covered by the remaining calyx. — Seeds 

 five when all come to maturity. 



3. R.virgatus, R, 



Shrubby, erect, spines terminal. Leaves oblong-ventricoge, ser- 

 rate. Flowers round the base of the young shoots and axillary, tern; 

 corol four-cleft. Stigma two or three-cleft. 



A native of Nipal, from thence Dr. Buchanan sent seeds to 

 the botanic garden at Calcutta in 1802, where the plants grow free- 

 ly to the size of a very large shrub ; they blossom in March, and ripen 

 their seed in October and November. 



Trunk not very short, distinct from the branches, all are erect 

 dividing and sub-dividing into long, terminal, straight, unarmed twigs, 

 and short, rigid, lateral spinous pointed branchlets, bark of the old 

 woody parts beautifully variegated with ash-colour and brown, that of 

 the young shoots smooth and green. — Leaves alternate, rarely 

 sub-opposite, short- petioled, reclinate, oblong-vent* icose, serrate, 

 pretty smooth oq both sides j from one to three inches long. 



