246 



CXXVIII. GNETACE^. 



1. GNETUM. 



1. G ScANLiENS, Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii, 518.— A stout scandent 

 shrub ; young shoots round, smooth, jointed and swollen at the 

 insertion of the leaves; leaves opposite, short-petioled, oblong, firm, 

 glossy, entire, rather obtuse ; peduncles axillary and terminal, with 

 one or two opposite pairs of pad uncled, cylindrical aments, and a 

 terminal one ; scales of the aments short cyathiform ; drupe oblong, 

 of the size of an olive, when ripe smooth, of a reddish orange- 

 colour, one-celled ; pulp intermixed with many tender spiculse ; nut 

 of the shape of the drupe. Very common in the thick jungles. 

 Native name " Koombul" or "Oomblee"; flowers in March and 

 April. 



CXXIX. SMILACE^. 



1. SMILAX, Linn. 



1. S OvALiFOLiA, Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii, p 794. — Stems climbing, 

 cylindric, woody, larger parts armed with sharp, strong, incurved 

 prickles ; tendrils paired, simple ; leaves alternate, short-petioled, 

 oval, 5 to 7-nerved smooth, entire ; petioles short-winged, chan- 

 nelled ; umbels axillary, compound ; umbellets globular ; berries red, 

 smooth, succulent, 2 to 3-seeded. Native name " Gootee." Com- 

 mon in the jungles. 



2. S Macrophylla, Roxb. loc. cit. 793. — Scandent; stem and 

 branches cylindric and prickly ; leaves short-petioled, round entire, 

 6-nerved, glossy ; tendrils petiolary, undivided ; female peduncles 

 axillary solitary, branched, each with a large globular umbellet of 

 greenish-yellow, pedicelled flowers ; umbellets much larger than in 

 the preceding ; berries size of a pea, red, smooth, 1 to 2-seeded, in 

 dense, round balls. Rarer than the preceding ; on the Southern 

 Ghauts, Ghorla. 



CXXX. ASPARAGINE^. 



1. ASPARAGOPSIS, Kunth. 



1. A Saementosa, Kunth. Enum. v, p 97.^Sfems woody, 

 climbing, very much branched ; branches grooved and ribbed ; 

 branchlets rather rough ; thorns subulate straight, turned downwards ; 

 leaves linear-mucronulate ; racemes many-flowered, flowers white ; 

 berries red ; root woody, with oblong, fleshy tubers, which are often 

 candied for the table. Wild in Gujarat and on Deckan Hills ; 

 fruit ripe in February. Often found in gardens. 



