EHRETIA L^VIS. (Nat. order Boragineae.) 



EhRETIA. Linn. — GEN. CHAR. Calyx deeply divided into 5 segments. Corolla with a short or cylindrical tube, limb of 5 spreading 

 lobes, imbricate in the bud. Stamens inserted in the tube ; anthers exserted or rarely almost included. Ovary 2-celled with 2 ovules in each cell, or 

 4-celled with 1 ovule in each cell ; style terminal, more or less 2-lobed or forked, the lobes entire, without any prominent ring. Fruit a drupe, the 

 endocarp forming 2 two-seeded or 4 one-seeded pyrenes. Seeds with a membranous testa and usually scanty albumen ; cotyledons ovate, not foldfd. 

 Trees or shrubs, often glabrous. Leaves entire or toothed. Flowers rather small, usually white, in panicles or cymes, either terminal in the upper axils 

 or rarely all axillary. Bracts small. Fruit usually much smaller than in Cordia. 



EflRETIA LiEVIS. (Roxb.) A small or middling sized tree quite glabrous, leaves ovate oval or elliptical acutely 

 acuminate or rather obtuse quite entire rounded or tapering at the base shining above, 3-5 inches long by about 2 broad. Flowers 

 small in axillary shortly pedunculate dichotomous cymes much shorter than the leaves. Calyx-segments narrow under one line long, 

 corol-tube about as long as the calyx, the lobes twice as long spreading, anthers exserted, ovary 4-celled with 1 ovule in each cell, 

 style 2-forked at the apex, drupe small containing 4 one-seeded pyrenes. DC. Prod. ix. 505; — Wight Ic. tab. 1382 ; — Benth. Fl. 

 Aust. iv. p. 389. 



This tree is common throughout the jungles of this Presidency and in Ceylon ; its timber is strong, hard and durable, and is in us& 

 for various purposes with the natives. In the Oodavery forests the tree is called Palddtam (Teligu), and in the Circars, Peda pid-mera (Teligu.) 



Analysis. 



1. A flower bud, showing corol lobes imbricate. 



2. A full flower. 



3. Corol removed and opened to show insertion of the stamens. 



4. Anther, front and back view. 



5. Calyx, ovary and style. 



6. Ovary cut transversely, showing its 4 cells. 



7. Ovary cut vertically, showing the pendulous ovules. 



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