BRIEDELIA RETUSA. (Nat. order Euphoibiacese.) 



-DEIEDELIA. Willd. — GEN. CHAR. Flowers monoecious. Calyx 5-lobed to nearly the base valvate in bud, petals 5 small similar or nearly 

 similar in both sexes, or entire in the female, dentate in the male. Male, disk single large saucer-shaped adnate to the bottom of the calyx. Stamens 5 

 inserted round a central style-like column a little below its apex. Female, disk double the outer thick and cupular adnate to the wall of the calyx, inner 

 one adnate to the inside of the outer disk very thin membranaceous more or less 5-lobed, the lobes irregularly cut and jagged. Ovary 2-eelled ^-enclosed 

 by the double disk, ovules 2 in each cell pendulous from the apex of the axis, styles 2 shortly bifid, fruit globular or ovoid succulent enclosing 2 (or rarely 

 1) indehiscent cocci. Seed albuminous, radicle very short superior, cotyledons broad flat foliaceous. Trees, shrubs or scandent shrubs, leaves alternate 

 short petioled more on less distichous, the primary veins usually prominent apd parallel, flowers in axillary bracteated clusters or from the abortion of the 

 leaves appearing as if in long axillary spikes. 



JdRIEDELIA KETUSA. (Linn.) A large tree, trunk pretty erect and with the larger boughs occasionally armed, leaves 

 from elliptic or oblong to obovate, bluntly pointed or-very retuse or emarginate at the apex, entire or slightly crenulated, more or less 

 coriaceous glabrous above, glaucous sub-glabrous or more or less hairy beneath, primary veins 15-22 parallel rarely forked, very pro- 

 minent beneath, veinlets prominent and parallel and the venules beautifully reticulated, very variable in size, up to 5| inches long by 

 3| inches broad, petioles 3-4 lines long, flowers greenish yellow in axillary sessile heads or from the abortion of the leaves on the young 

 ramuli in long axillary and terminal spikes collected in sessile head3 with the interstices naked, calyx slightly haiiy ; male, staminal 

 column slightly 2-lobed at the apex, petals glabrous broadly ovate dentate, clawed and cucullate at the base, disk flat or slightly concave, 

 anthers attached at the centre of the back at first erect afterwards versatile ; female, petals lanceolate entire, disk double the outer one 

 thick and cupular subentire or crenulate, the inner membranaceous more or less 5-lobed and much jagged at the margin, ovary, styles, &c. 

 as in the generic character, fruit globular size of a pea succulent black enclosing two indehiscent pyrenes. — Clutia retusa, Linn. Spec. 

 PI. Ed. 1. p. 1475. Briedelia retusa, Spreng. Briedelia spinosa, Roxb. Fl. hid. iii. 735 ; et B. crenulata, I. e. p. 734. 



This is a very valuable timber tree common in most jangles and dry forests throughout the Presidency, and in Ceylon and Bengal. On 

 the eastern coast it is known by the Teligu names of Kovamdn, Korarnaddi, and Duriamaddi, in Tinnevelly Adamaruthu, a?id in Ooomsur Kosi ; 

 the wood is of a dirty red or copper color, very stiff, strong, close-grained and durable, but not easily worked. A cubic foot unseasoned weighs G8-70 

 lbs. and 60 lbs. when seasoned, and its specific gravity is '960 ; it is used for house building, construction of carts, agricultural implements, railway 

 sleepers and a variety of other purposes, and. it stands the action of water ; the bark is a strong astringent. Cattle eit the leaves greedily and they 

 are supposed to act as a vermifuge. 



Analysis. 



1. Portion of a specimen in which the inflorescence is only in axillary heads and not forming long spikes. 

 Male. — 2. A flower bud, calyx valvate. 



3. A flower. 



4. The same fully open, showing insertion of the petals under the disk. 



5. A petal showing that it is dentate, and cucullate at the base. 



6. Anthers, front and back view, filament attached at the centre of the back. 



7. The flat saucer-like disk. 



8. The staminal column showing the insertion of the 5 stamens below its apex and its 2-lobed point. 

 Female — 1. A flower bud. 



2. Full flowers. 



3. A flower opened showing the lanceolate entire petals and the double disk, the outer thick and cupular adnate to the calyx, 

 the inner thin and membranaceous 5-lobed and much jagged. 



4. Ovary and the 2 bifid styles. 



5. Vertical section of ovary, showing the pendulous ovules. 



6. Transverse section of ovary, showing the 2 cells, 2 ovules iu each cell. (All drawn from living specimens,) 



2G0 



