ASTERIASTIGMA MACROCARPA. (Nat. order Bixineae.) 



ASTERIASTIGMA. Bedd — GEN. CHAR. Calyx 4-parted much imbricate, petals 12 each furnished on the ineide with a large scale, 

 stamens numerous (60) iu 2 rows inserted ou to the torus between the scales and the ovary, anthers oblong opening longitudinally along the outer edge 

 and polleniferous, ovary sessile, placentas 6-7, ovules very numerous, stigmas as many as the placentas large sessile spreading 2-lobed. Berry large glo- 

 Dose, pericarp woody, seeds numerous (50), testa crustaceous, albumen fleshy, cotyledons large foliaceous ovate plane, radicle short thick inferior. A tree, 

 eubglabrous, leaves penniveined petioled entire, flowers rather fleshy in short fascicles on the older branches. 



ASTERIASTIGMA MACROOARPA. (Bedd.) A large tree, young shoots minutely aureo-pubescent, leaves exactly 

 oblong with a sliort sudden acute point at the apex, quite entire, above glabrous or the costa very minutely pubescent towards the base, 

 beneath glabrous except the costa and primary veins (which are minutely strigose), and furnished with very minute white dots (under 

 the lens) 10-12 inches long by 3 \ broad, venation very prominent beneath, the primary veins much raised about 7 on each side alter- 

 nate, veinlets parallel prominent with the venules prominent and beautifully reticulated, petioles 9-10 lines long pubescent, 

 flowers whitish about 1 inch across in few flowered \\ inch long fascicles on the older branches, pedicels 4-5 lines long thick, calyx 

 segments roundish minutely puberulous or subglabrous, petals much shorter than the calyx-segraeuts oblong much ciliate round the 

 margin with broad scale-like hairs and each furnished on the inside near the base with a thick fleshy hairy more or less 3-lobed scale 

 about § as long as the petal, filaments about as long as the petals dilated at the base filiform at the apex (rarely furnished with 2 

 anthers), ovules hairy, seed glabrous more or less angled (from pressure.) 



I discovered lids very fine tree last September (in young fruit) on the ghat (2500 feet elevation) leading up to Peermede (Travancore 

 kills) from Cottyam, it flowers in March, and I received good specimens of the flowers in spirits, and ripe fruit, from which the drawing is taken, 

 All the flowers sent were bisexual, the anthers being apparently polleniferous, but it is very possible that there may be male flowers in addition, and 

 that the tree may be polygamo-diceeious or monoecious. The fruit and leaves (except that the latter are entire) are exactly those of ffydnocarpv&, 

 but I think it differs too much to authorize its being referred to that genus ; it may howzver be co-generic with the little known Taraktogenos of 

 Hasck. There was quite a clump of the trees at the place above mentioned. 



Analysis. 



1. A fascicle pi flowers. 



2. A bud. 



3. A flower half open. 



4. A flower fully open, calyx 4-leaved, petals 12 each with a scale, stamens 60 in 2 regular rows inserted on the torus, ovary with 



6-7 large sessile spreading stigmas. 



5. A petal shewing the margin ciliate with scales and the thick generally 3-lobed scale attached a little above its base. 



6. A flower with most of the petals and stamens removed, to show the torus on which the stamens and petals are inserted. 



7. The scale removed from the petal. 



8. Shows the regular 2 rows iu which the stamens are inserted, the scale has been removed from the petal in the back ground. 



9. Anthers, front and back view. 



10. A filament with 2 anthers (a few of these occurred in most flowers examined.) 



11. Ovary out vertically. 



12. Ovary cut transversely shewing 6 parietal placentas, (this is the wual number, but when tliere.are 7 styles there are 7 



placentas) and numerous ovules. 



13. Au ovule shewing that it is hairy. 



14. A fruit (life size) cut open to shew the numerous closely packed seeds. 



15. A seed. 



16. Vertical section of a seed, the testa removed, shewiug the large embryo as it lies in the albumen. 



2€6 



