CASEARIA VARIANS. (Nat. order Samydaceee.) 



CASEARIA. Jacg. — GEN". CHAR. Flower-tube short; sepals 4-6, itabrioate. Petals wanting. Staminal tube short, emerging from near 

 the base of the flower-tube, divided at its upper margin into 6-15 fertile stamens and as many barren stamiuodes. Ovary free ovoid 1 celled with 3 or 

 rarely 4 parietal placentas, style simple short; stigmas capitate; ovules numerous, capsule 3-4 valved, valves bearing the seeds in the middle. Seeds 

 oblong, with a fleshy aril ; albumen fleshy ; embryo straight ; cotyledons flat ; radicle terete. Trees or shrubs. Leaves distichous, alternate, simple, 

 coriaceous, often marked with linear or circular translucent spots. Stipules minute. Flowers tufted, small. — Valentinia, Swartz. Hexanthera, Endl, Gen. 917. 

 Ironcana, Aubl. Vareca, Gcert. Guidonia, Griscb. Pitumba, Aull. Anavinga, Lam. Melistaurum, Forst. Liudleya, S. B.et K. andKunth. Antigona, 

 Veil. Crateria, Pers. Chsetocrater, Ruiz et Pav. Piparea, Avbl. Zuelania, A. Rich. Thiodia, GriseS. 



CASEARIA VARIANS- (Tliw.) A lofty tree, leaves glabrous coriaceous subopaque reticulated, quite entire or rarely slight- 

 ly crenate, ovate or ovato -lanceolate to obovate, acuminate or obtuse or rounded at the apex, 2-4 inches long by lj-lf broad, flowers 

 pubescent, stamens 6-8 much longer than the very hairy truncate stamiuodia, ovary glabrous, placentas 2-3, stigma obscurely 2-3 lobed. 

 Thw. En. PI Zey. p. 19. C. coriacea, Thro. I. c. p. 20. C. Championi, Thw. I. c.p. 19. 



This tree is very common in all our Western ghat forests and in Ceylon, and it grows to a very large size in the dense moist forests at 

 2000-3000 feet elevation. C. coriacea, Thw., is a form with very coriaceous rather larger leaves, but does not otherwise differ ; this latter is very 

 common on the higher ranges of the Anamallays, 6000-7000 feet elevation, and on the Ceylon mountains at the higher altitudes. I hnovi nothing 

 of the timber or uses of the tree ; in drying the leaves turn very black on the upper side. The specimen figured is from the Anamallays, 



Analysis. 



- 1. Apes of a very young branch, shewing the pubescence and the stipules. 

 2 & 3. Flower buds shewing the 5 imbricate sepals, no petals. 



4. Flower open shewing 8 stamens alternating with as many short ciliate scales or stamiuodes all in a single series and united into 



a perigynous ring at the base. 



5. A portion of the stamen-tube highly magnified. 



6. Anthers, front and back view. 



7. Ovary with the almost sessile obscurely 3-lobed stigma. 



8. Ovary cut transversely, shewing 3 placentas with numerous ovules attached to each. (AH drawn from fresh specimens.) 

 Fig. A. View of the fruit at dehiscence (of another species) to illustrate the genus. 



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