DILLENIA SPECIOSA. (Nat. order Dilleniacese.) 



DlLLENIA. Linn. — GEN. CHAR. Sepal 5 patent, petals 5 large, stamens free or nearly so, anthers adnate linear dehiscing by two fissures, 

 interior erect introrse, exterior recurved extrorse, carpels 5-20 many ovuled and crowned by as many radiating styles united round a central conical axis 

 into a spurious berry enclosed in the calyx, seeds immersed in pulp or without pulp. Trees, leaves very large prominently parallely nerved, flowers large 

 solitary or fascicled white or yellow. 



JJlLLENIA SPECIOSA. (Thunb.) A good sized tree, trunk straight but of no height, branches numerous spreading 

 then ascending, forming a dense head, leaves about the extremities of the brancblets approximated short petioled oblong or lanceolate 

 acute, most regularly serrate, very coriaceous with the veins very prominent excurrent at the points of the serratures, 9-12 inches long 

 by about 4 inches broad, petioles 1-2 inches long, channelled, embracing half the circumference of the branchlet and leaving a permanent 

 scar after falling off, peduncles generally one towards the extremity of each branchlet clavate round smooth about 3 inches long, 1 

 flowered, flowers very large white fragrant, anthers opening by 2 fissures forming a large yellow globe in the centre of the flower, 

 which is crowned by the white lanceolate spreading stigma, carpels about 20, styles scarcely any, stigmas linear-lanceolate recurved, 

 fruit 3-4 inches in diameter, seeds in pulp, numerous reniform or obliquely oval very hairy. Thunb. Linn. Trans. 1. 200 ;— Roxb. 

 Fl. Ind. iii. 650. Dillenia elliptica, Thunb. Trans. 1. 200. Syalita, Eheed. Mai. iii. t. 38, 39. 



One of the handsomest trees in India, it is found in dense forests at no great elevation in Malabar, the Northern drears, Orissa, the Go- 

 davery forests, in various parts of Northern India; Bombay, Ceylon, Birmah, and in the Malay Peninsula ; it is called Chaltd in Hlndustanee, 

 and Uva and Pedda Kalingd in Telugu ; it is much cultivated, particularly by natives about temples; the wood is hard and tough, and used to 

 make gun stocks and for boats, and is said to be very durable undo water. The ripe fruit is eaten by natives in curries, and makes a tolerable 

 jelly, and added to syrup is used as a cough mixture; it has rather a disagreeable odour. The tree is called Mota Kurmal in the JUahratta country, 

 Hondapara in Ceylon, and Kaloonoot in Birmah; the timber weighs 44 lbs. the cubic foot when seasoned, and 55 — 60 when unseasoned, and its 

 specific gravity is '704. 



The v.nexpanded bud in the plate is from a drawing made in the Ceylon Herbarium, and the full flower and analysis from Dr. Wight's 

 plate. 



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