MITREPHORA GRANDIFLORA. (Nat. order Anonace^e.) 



MlTEEPHORA. (Blume.) Benth. and HooTc. Gen. PI. p. 26.— GEN. CHAR. Sepals 3 small, petals 6, valvate in 2 series, exterior large open 

 furnished with veins, sometimes persistent (after the interior have fallen) and increasing in size, interior unguioulate eonnivent into a mitreform cap over the 

 genitalia, stamens numerous densely packed oblong cuueate, ovaries numerous oblong, style oblong or truncate, ovules 4-many in one or 2 series on the 

 ventral suture. Trees often of large size, leaves coriaceous. 



JVllTREPHORA GRANDIFLORA. (Bedd,) A large tree, young parts minutely aureo-pubescent, leaves ovate lanceolate, 

 or elliptic with a short blunt acumination, thinly coriaceous glabrous and shining above, glabrescent beneath, with hairy glands in the 

 axils of the veins, 4 5 inches long by 1 J-2| broad, petioles about § au inch long, peduncles leaf-opposed furnished with a bract below 

 each flower, 2-3 flowered shorter than the petioles, flowers subsessile, bud globose densely aureo-pubescent, exterior petals 1 to 1 J inches 

 long, by £- to f- of an inch broad densely adpressedly velutinous on the outside, sub-glabrous within, pure white turning to yellow 

 interior petals | to f of an inch long triangular at the apex, with a long broad claw, very hairy at the apex, glabrous below, white 

 beautifully streaked with carmine, forming a mitreform cap over the geuitalia, early deciduous, stamens and ovaries indefinite as in the 

 genus, ovules 4-6 in 2 series, young carpels densely velvetty, mature about the size of a hazel-nut globose aud 1 seeded, or oblong and 

 2 seeded fuscous with dense short tomentum, aud furnished with a raised furrow down the whole length. 



South Canara ghat forests, elevxtion about 2,000 feet. A large very handsome tree ; when in full flower it is very beautiful, its large flowers 

 giving it at the distance more the appearance of a Magnoliaceous than an Anonaceous tree, the three inner petals or mitreform cap are early deciduous, 

 but the three outer ones subsequently increase in size and turn from pure white to yellow ; the timber is very tough. The specimen figured was gathered on 

 the Coloor ghat- 



75 



