VERNONIA VOLKAMERLEFOLIA. (Nat. order Composite.) 



VERNONIA. Schreb. — GEN. CHAR. Capituli many-flowered. Florets all tubular and equal regular with 5 narrow lobes, involucre 

 ovoid-globular or hemispherical, the bracts imbricate not longer than the florets, the inner bracts the longest, receptacle naked. Anther3 obtuse at the 

 base, style, lobes subulate achenes mostly striate or angular rarely cylindrical. Pappus of numerous capillary bristles usually surrounded by an outer row or 

 very short often scaly bristles which are rarely entirely wanting. Rarely trees, generally herbs, shrubs or climbers, leaves alternate. Flower-heads terminal 

 or in the upper axils in cymes or panicles or sometimes solitary. 



VERNONIA VOLKAMERI^EFOLIA. (DC.) A good sized tree, young branches more or less pubescent, leaves aub- 

 merabranaceous elliptic to elliptico-obovate, acute at the base, irregularly crenate or crenately-lobed towards the apex 4-6 inches long 

 by li to 2| broad, minutely glandular on both sides, in age glabrous abovo except the costa, beneath slightly puberulous, primary 

 veins and transverse veinlets very prominent, petioles about 6 lines long, panicle terminal leafless cymose, rachis angled hoary or 

 tomeutose, bracts at the ramifications linear-oblong, flower-heads on rather slender pedicels laxly arranged at the ends of the branchlets, 

 involuoral bracts sericeous the outer ones short ovate, the inner narrow oblong, achenes glandulose, pappus very white, the outer bristles 

 short. DG. Prod. v. 32. 



I have only met with this tree on the South Travancore ghats at about 3000-4000 feet elevation {Atlraymallay ghat), and I do not think 

 it occurs on the Nilgiiis or any where north of the Palghat gap, but if it is the volkanxeriazfolia of DC. (and my specimens were named at Keio), it 

 also occurs in, Neual. Its timber is soft and worthless ; it is the only Composite known to me in this Presidency xohich grows to a tree except Mo- 

 nosis, but Vernonia Javaniea, a considerable tree, occurs in Ceylon, and is probably also found inS. Tinnevel'y or Travancore. 



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