BERRYA AMMONILLA. (Nat. ord. Tiliacese.) 



•BERRY A. (Roxb.) Gen. PI. 1. p. 232.— GEN. CHAR. Calyx campanulate irregularly 3-5 cleft, petals 5, naked at the base, stamens nu- 

 merous free inserted on to the torus, which is not elevated, stamiuodia noue, anthers subglobose, cells at length confluent, ovary 3 lobed, 3 celled cells 4 

 ovuled, style subulate, stigma 3 lobed, capsule subglobose 6 winged, 3 celled 3 valved loculicidal, each valve furnished with 2 large oblong membranaceous 

 reticulated horizontal villous wiugs, seeds 1-4 in each cell densely covered with short rigid hairs, albumen fleshy, radicle superior, cotyledons foliaceous. A 

 tree, leaves alternate entire 5-7 nerved, panicles terminal and axillary, flowers numerous, white. (Espera, Willi. Hexagouotheca, Turcz.) 



BERRYA AMMONILLA. (Roxb.) Trunk tolerably straight, with smooth light brown bark and an extensive dense shady 

 head, leaves alternate petioled, cordate sometimes slightly scoloped 5-7 nerved acute smooth on both sides, 4-8 inches long, petioles 

 rather shorter than the leaves, slender round smooth aud often colored, stipules ensiform, panicles terminal and axillary large ramose bear- 

 ing numerous elegant middle-sized white flowers ; calyx 1 leafed downy outside, splitting irregularly into 3-4-5 segments permanent, 

 petals 5 spreading linear oblong double the length of the calyx or more, filaments numerous half the length of the petals, authers incum- 

 bent 2 lobed, ovary superior hairy ovate 3 lobed 3 celled, with 6-8 ovules in each, attached in 2 vertical rows to the axis, style short stig- 

 ma 3 -cleft capsule 6-winged, &c, as in the genus. Roxb. Fl. hid. ii. 639. 



This is the tree which yields the toell known Trincomalee wood ; it is indigenous in Ceylon, where it is called Halmililla( hence Roxburgh's 

 specific name Ammonilla ), and is not uncommon in the Madras Presidency in a cultivated state, though lhave never met with it wild; its timber is 

 strong, tolerably light, flexible and straight grained easily worked, of a pale red coloi fading to light brown, and very superior jor direct cohesive 

 strength; it is used for shafts, spokes of wheels and framing of carriages, handles and helves, and answers all the purposes of Ash in England ; its 

 specific gravity is '800, unseasoned it weighs 58 to 60 lbs. the cubic foot and 50 lbs. seasoned, it is largely imported into Madras from Ceylon in 

 logs from 18 to 25 feet long and 2| to 5 feet in girth. 



58 



