322 ON THE PLANT AFFORDING CEARA INDIA-RUBBER. 



Manihot Glaziovii, Mull* Arg. — A tree of moderate size (the 

 largest now 35 ft. high), the erect stem dividing di- or tri- 

 chotomously, with the branches ascending and frequently branched 

 in a similar manner, forming a dense rounded crown ; bark 

 purplish grey, the thin silvery outer layers readily peeling off 

 transversely in narrow strips. Leaves numerous on smooth 

 cylindrical spreading or deflexed pruinose petioles as long as the 

 blade, peltate, the petiole inserted at no great distance from the 

 truncate or concave base, ordinarily about 6-8 ins. long by 8-10 

 ins. wide (but often reaching 14 by 18 ins.), palmately cut four- 

 fifths to petiole into 3, 5, or 7 oblong-ovate, acute, drooping seg- 

 ments rarely undivided or with 2 or 4 segments) which are entire 

 (rarely deeply sinuate), glabrous on both surfaces save for a tuft of 

 woolly hair on the centre of the summit of the insertion of the 

 petiole, texture thin, veins prominent especially beneath, the 

 lateral ones numerous, parallel but uniting within the margin to 

 form a continuous nerve, deep bluish green, much paler beneath; 

 stipules very quickly deciduous, small, lanceolate-linear, very 

 acute, with a few fine spine-like denticulations at upper part of the 

 margin, sub-membranaceous. Flowers rather large, completely 

 unisexual, monoecious, arranged ha rather few-flowered racemes or 

 panicles from the forks of the young branches, the male (more 

 numerous) above, the female below and expanding several days before 

 the male, all stalked, the pedicels spreading, glabrous, glaucous, in 

 the male suddenly bent downwards at a right angle, in the female 

 thicker, curved downward and expanded beneath the flower into a 

 turbinate receptacle suggesting externally an inferior ovary. 

 Male fl. : — Calyx campanulate, about f inch long by ^ inch wide, 

 somewhat truncate at the base (angular in the bud), divided about 

 half-way down into 5 triangular acute lobes, each with a broad 

 prominent vein down the centre, with incurved margins, smooth, 

 externally greenish white with a purplish tinge, internally pale 

 dull purple, especially at the base, and sticky with nectar. 

 Stamens 10, arising from beneath a large smooth bright yellow disk 

 and passing between its spreading lobes which are arranged in 

 5 pairs, filaments unequal, 5 longer (coming off from between the 

 pairs of lobes), erect-spreading, as long as the calyx, 5 shorter 

 (coming off between the lobes in each pair), not more than half the 

 length of the others, inflexed towards centre of flower. Female fl. : — 

 Sepals 5, distinct, inserted on the edge of the receptacle, | inch 

 long, curved outwards but not widely spreading, oblong-lanceolate, 

 acute, with a strongly-marked midrib and lateral intra-marginal 

 vein, pale greenish yellow. Ovary surrounded at the base with a 

 small smooth pale yellow disk, oblong-ovoid, blunt, shining, pale 

 green capped by the large cream-coloured style which is divided 

 very nearly to the base into 3 spreading tufted coral-like stigmas 

 each bifid, and the flabellate divisions cut into numerous blunt 

 lobes. Capsule pendulous on the thickened peduncle, about an 

 inch in diameter, nearly globular, with (\ shallow grooves, testa dry 

 and hard, smooth, greenish brown, at length splitting elastically 

 and separating into 3 hard cocci (each of which also partially splits 



