BISCHOFFIA JAVANICA. (Nat. order Euphorbiacese.) 



BlSCHOFFIA. Blume. — GEN. CHAR. Dioecious or soroetimeB monajcious. Male, calyx segments 5 valvate very concave at first enclosing the 

 stamens, afterwards revolute, stamens 5 opposite the segments on short filaments inserted on the pedicel of a large flat peltate inconspicuously 5-lobed 

 fimbriate abortive ovary. Female, calyx segments 5 lanceolate slightly imbricate very soon deciduous, ovary 2-3 celled with 2 collateral ovules in each 

 cell attached to the centre of the axis, styles equalling the number of cells in the ovary entire long filiform recurved, fruit a globular drupe enclosing 

 2-3 indehiscent cocci. A tree, leaves alternate trifoliate rarely 5-foliate, flowers very Bmall the male very numerous in very compound axillary panicles, 

 the female in looser and less branched panicles or racemes. Blume. Bijdr. p. 1168. Andrachne, Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. p. 728. Microelus, WA. in Edirib. New 

 Philos, Journ. 14, 298. Stylodiscus, Bam. in Horsf. Fl. Jav. rar. p. 133. 



BlSCHOFFIA JAVANICA, (Bl.) A very large tree with a tall erect trunk often of great girth, leaves 8-12 inches long 

 of which the common petiole is 3-5 inches, trifoliate or very rarely with 5 leaflets, leaflets membranaceous to coriaceous elliptic ovato- 

 lanceolate or oblong to obovate with a long sudden acumination coarsely crenate, smooth on both sides, 3-6 inches long by 

 l£-2 inch broad, on short petiolules, stipules membranaceous caducous, stipels minute filiform caducous leaving a black gland-like speck. 

 Male, flowers greenish crowded in broad panicles much branched and shorter than the leaves ; female, flowers in looser and less 

 branched panicles or simple racemes, the flowers, <fcc. as in the generic character, drupe round smooth of the size of a small cherry. 

 Blume. Hiq. Fl. Ind. 1. part ii. 363. B. trifoliata, Rook. Ic. PL I. 844. Andrachne trifoliatus, Roxb. Fl. Lid. in. p. 728- 

 Stylodiscus trifoliatus, Burm. Microelus Eseperianus, WA. I. c. 



This very valuable timber tree is rather common throughout the Presidency, being found both on the eastern and western side, in 

 some of our richer tracts it grows to be an immense tree, and it ascends the mountains to 5000 feet elevation ; it also inhabits Northern India, 

 Borneo, the Archipelago, S, China and the Philippines, but appears to be absent from Ceylon; it is the only known species of the genus. It flowers 

 in February and ripens its seed in May and June; the timber is reddish, very hard and durable and much in use in some parts with planters and 

 others for building, planking, <&c, but it is very little known or utilized in general, and should receive more attention. In the Madura district and 

 parts of Tinnevelly it is known by the name of Modagerri vembu ; and 1 have known planters using it under the name of red cedar ; on the 

 Bombay ghats it is called Boke. From Roxburgh's description the tree is sometimes monoecious, but I have not noticed this myself nor have I 

 observed glands (or staminodial) in the female flower, or 4 styles and! cells to the ovary, but both apparently occur {vide description in DC '. 

 and Roxb.), 2 styles and 2 cells to the ovary occur in some, panicles nearly in the same proportion as 3 styles and 3 celled ovaries ; the figure here 

 given represents a branch of the female tree and a portion of a male panicle, all drawn from living specimens collected on the Nilgiris ; the 

 foliage is very variable, and all DCs varieties might be gathered off one and the same tree. 



Analysis. 



1. Portion of a panicle from the male tree. 



2- A male flower bud, the concave calyx segments partly enclosing the anthers. 



3. A male flower more advanced. 



4. The same fully expanded, showing the calyx segments revolute and the filaments attached to the pedicel of the abortive 



ovary or central disk. 



5. Anthers, front and back view. 



6. Female flower with 2 styles, showing the bract at the base of the pedicel and the lanceolate calyx segments, 



7. Ovary of the same cut vertically, showing the ovules attached to centre of axis- 



8. Ovary of the same showing only 2 cells and 2 collateral ovules in each cell. 



9. Female flower with 3 styles, 



10. The same opened. 



11. Ovary of the same, showing 3 cells. 



259 



