MORINDA CITRIFOLIA. (Nat. order Rubiacese.) 



MoRINDA. Linn.— GEN. CHAR. Flowers usually several together, united at the base into a small head. Calyx limb short, scarcely 

 toothed. Corolla tube cylindrical or slightly dilated at the top ; lobes 5, rarely 4, valvate in the bud. Anthers included in the tube or rarely exserted. 

 Ovary 2 celled or more or less completely 4-celled, with 1 omle in each cell, laterally attached at the base or below the middle ; style exserted, with 2 

 stigmatic lobes or rarely entire. Fruit of each flower-head united in a compound succulent berry, including a number of hard 1-seeded pyrenes, usually 

 2 to 4, proceeding from each flower. Shrubs or small trees, or sometimes woody climbers. Stipules visually membranous and united within the petioles in 

 a short sheatb. Flower heads on axillary or terminal solitary or clustered peduncles. • 



MoRINDA CITEIFOLIA. (Linu.) A small tree glabrous, branchlets more or less 4 angled, leaves glabrous or slightly 

 pubescent or only hairy in the axils underneath, from broad ovate to narrow lanceolate, acuminated at the apex generally about 4-5 inches 

 long by 1^ to 2| broad but sometimes larger, petioles 3-6 lines long, stipules membranaceous, broad entire or bifid, variable in size, 

 peduncles apparently leaf opposed from the abortion of the subtending leaf varying from f to 2 inches in length glabrous or slightly 

 pubescent, capituli many flowered without any bracteoles, the calyx-tubes quite connate in the flower head, coiol 5-8 lines long more 

 or less hairy white fragrant, ovary 2 celled but the thick fleshy placentas are so extended as to make it nearly 4 celled, ovules 4 erect 

 from near the base, fruit forming a pulpy mass 1-1| inches in diameter, the pyrenes orbicular flatteued about 3 lines in diameter. Linn.; — 

 DC. iv- 446 ; — Roxb. Fl- hid. i. 541. M. tinctoria, Roxb. I. c p. 543. 



This small tree is rather common throughout the presidency. The specimen figured is from the Anamallay forests and is a variety tvith 

 very broad abruptly pointed leaves, a narrower leaved gradually pointed variety is very common about the banks of the Cauvery and other localities; 

 a careful dissection of the flowers of these 2 forms shows no difference. The tree is called y Al in Hindustani, Togare, Togaree mogilli, Mulugu, and 

 Maddi in Teligu Noonah in Tamil. The roots yield a valuable red dye which is fixed with alum ; the red thread used in carpet making and red 

 turbans are generally dyed with it. The tree is cultivated in some parts of India and Birmah solely for its dye, the roots selling at 4 to 5 Us. the 

 maund. The wood is close grained, light, tough, and easily worked, when fresh of a bright yellow color, but after exposure turning to yellowish 

 brown • a cubic foot unseasoned weighs nearly iO lbs. and 30 lbs. when seasoned, and its specific gravity is -480 ; it is icsed for gun stocks, wooden 

 shoes, and a variety of other purposes. 



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