PLATE 336. 
ANTIDESMA VENOSUM, E.M. (Thes. Cap. Vol. II, t. 169.) 
Natural Order, HupHorBiace». 
A small dioecious tree bearing dark red berries, and yellow-green flowers. 
Young branches, twigs, petioles and veins of the leaves pubescent. Leaves alter- 
nate, petiolate, stipulate, oblong to ovate, rounded to base, tapering to an acute 
apex, margins quite entire, veins conspicuous; 2 to 4 inches long, $ to 24 inches 
wide, young ones pubescent, older dark green, shining, glabrous except on veins 
beneath; petioles 2 to 3 lines long, swollen; stipules lanceolate, deciduous, as 
long as the petiole. Inflorescence in simple or branched axillary pendent racemes, 
from 14 to 4 inches long. Calyx of staminal flowers deeply 3 to 5-lobed, the lobes 
a little imbricate, and ciliate with a few minute hairs, pilose inside at base of disk ; 
disk annular. Stamens 3 to 5, exserted, opposite calyx, lobes, filaments free, ovary 
rudimentary. Calyx of pistillate flowers similar to the staminate one; disk 
annular. Stamens none. Styles 3 to 5, short, recurved, sometimes 2-lobed. 
Ovary sessile, 1-celled, 2-ovuled, one ovule abortive. Fruit a 1-seeded glabrous 
berry, red when ripe. 
Habitat: Navan: Coast and midlands; near Durban, December, IVood, in 
Colonial Herbarium, No. 1465; same locality, January, Wood, No. 9130. 
Drawn and described from Wood’s No. 9180. 
A small tree of coast and midland districts, bearing in the season pendent 
racemes of small berries, which are eaten by natives and children; they have been 
thought to be poisonous, and they are certainly unwholesome and indigestible. 
From the figure in Thesaurus Capensis, the inflorescence would appear to be erect, 
the drawing having been made from dried specimens, in reality they are as shown 
in the figure. The genus Antidesma includes about 60 species found in the warmer 
parts of the old world, none in America. The one here described is so far as at 
present known the only Natal species, but there are 2 species in South Africa, 3 
in Central Africa, and 2 in West Africa. Our species is known to the natives as 
isi-Bangaumloti. 
Fig. 1, portion of branch with pistillate inflorescence ; 2, branch with staminal 
flowers; 3 pistillate flower with bract ; 4, disk, and portion of ovary ; 5, portion of 
staminal raceme ; 6, disk of staminal flower with rudimentary pistil and portion of 
filaments ; 7, stamen, front view; 8, same, back view; 9, calyx; 10, bract ; except 
figures 1 and 2, all variously enlarged. . 
