COROLLIFLOR.^ 237 



The glabrous elliptic leaves of bakul, with their 

 apices pointing downwards, form an unbroken sloping 

 canopy which, like a gabled roof, shoots off the rain 

 water and makes it fall on a circular zone of earth at 

 a distance from the main trunk. The underground 

 root-system is developed in accordance with the 

 aerial branch-system, so that the sucking tips of the 

 laterally-spread roots are all disposed in the rain- 

 soaked circular zone of earth mentioned above. The 

 same phenomena may be studied with advantage 

 in the branch-system of the root and of the stem of 

 aswathwa or Peepul tree. 



Further, the inconspicuous dull-white flowers of 

 bakul are rendered highly attractive by their strong 

 aromatic odour, and the bees visit them in swarms, 

 getting as their reward a good feed of honey secreted 

 within the flowers. 



Nat. Order 9. Ebenacece. — Trees or shrubs, without 

 latex, wood usually hard and heavy. Leaves alter- 

 nate, entire, usually coriaceous. Flowers usually di- 

 oecious or polygamous. Sepals connate in an inferior 

 calyx, lobes 3 to 7, often accrescent. Petals connate 

 in a tube, lobes 3 to 7. Stamens in i series and as 

 many as the corolla-lobes; or in 2 to several series 

 and 2 to several times as many as the corolla-lobes. 

 Carpels connate in a superior ovary, with 2 to 8 styles, 

 and the cells as many or twice as many as the styles. 

 Fruit drupaceous or berry, several- or few-seeded. 

 Seeds with copious albumen. 



The Order is chiefly tropical. The genus Diospyros 

 contains several species which yield a hard intensely 

 black wood, to all of which the general name of ab- 

 loosh or Ebony is given. Among the ebony-yield- 

 ing species the following may be specially mentioned, 

 ^^Diospyros tomentosa, D. Mbmum, and D, melan- 



