CLEIDION JAVANICUM. (Nat. order Euphorbiacea.) 



C LEIDION. Blume. — GEN. CHAR. Disecious. Calyx 3-5 parted ; in the male valvate, in the female imbricate, petals none, diBk none or 

 sometimes present in the female. Male, stamens indefinite inserted on to a conical receptacle arranged in many verticels, filaments free attached to the 

 centre of the anthers, connective often produced beyond the cells, anther cells dehiscing transversely, rudiment of ovary none ; female, ovary 2-3-celled, 

 cells l-ovuled, ovules pendulous, styles 2-3 each with 2 long filiform papillose stigmas. Capsule 2-3-coccous, seeds exarillate globose ; cotyledons much 

 longer than the radicle, cordate at the base. Trees or shrubs, leaves alternate, toothed penninerved, stipules soon caducous, male flowers axillary glo<- 

 merate in interrupted spikes or racemose or panicled, female flowers axillary, solitary or loosely racemose- Bl. Bijdr. p. 612 ; — DC. Prod. xv. p. 983. 

 Redia Casarttto. Psilostachys, Tares. Lasiostyles, Presl. Tetraglossa, Bedd. in Mad. Lit. Journ. 



CLEIDION JAVANICUM. (Bl.) A middling sized glabrous tree, young shoots very minutely puberulous, leaves 

 glabrous and generally shining above, rather coriaceous, from narrow lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate to broad lanceolate, sub acute at 

 the apex or with a short rather abrupt obtuse acumination, distantly serrated the serratures callous, sometimes furnished at the base 

 on the upper side with 2 hollow glands one on each side of the costa, 4-7 Inches long by 1^-3 inches broad, petioles 1-1£ inches long 

 deeply channelled on the upper side, stipules ovate acuminate small deciduous. Stale, racemes axillary slender from shorter to about 

 as long as the leaves, flowers In small clusters of 3 to 8 together arranged along the common peduncle about 4 lines apart, pedicels 2-3 

 lines long bracteoled at the base, calyx 1|- lines long 3-parted slightly pubescent, the connective of the anthers produced beyond the 

 cells ; female, flowers solitary, peduncles bracteated, 6-12 lines long elongating as the fruit swells to 2-3 Inches long, calyx 5 parted ciliate, 

 ovary 2-3 lobed, 2-3 celled, ovules solitary in the cells pendulous, styles 2-3 united at the base into a single column branching upwards 

 and each furnished with 2 long papillose stigmas, the whole 6-8 lines long but elongating to more than 1 inch as the fruit advances, 

 capsules generally 2 lobed about 8 lines in diameter, cocci hard. Bl- Bidj. p. 613. Lasiostyles salicifolia, Presl. BoU Bernerk- p. 149. 

 Eottlera urandra, Dale. Bombay Flora p. 230. 



This tree is common in the moist forests on the Anamallays (Anagoody shola and elsewhere) elevation 200O-3OJO feet, Travancore 

 moist forests below ghats, and elsewhere in our western forests, and is also found on the Bombay ghats, in Ceylon, Bengal, Bir na, Java, <&c. ; the 

 timber is said by the natives to be hard and good for building purposes. The female flowers have often 3 styles and 3 cells to the ovary. 



Analysis. 

 The Figure represents a braDch of the male tree in flower. 



1. Male flower buds, calyx valvate. 



2, 3. Full male flowers, showing the 3-parted calyx and the numerous stamens seated on a conical receptacle. 



4. Anthers, front and back view, dehiscence transverse. 



5. Portion of a branch from a female tree in flower, peduncle solitary axillary 1-flowered furnished with bracts. 



6. A 2-styled flower more advanced, peduncle shortened. 



7. A 3-styled flower still more advanced, peduncle shortened. 



8. Female calyx, 5-parted imbricate. 



9. A stigma, much magnified. 



10. Ovary cut vertically, ovules pendulous. 



11. A 2-celled ovary cut transversely, cells 2-ovuled. 



12. A 3-celled ovary cut transversely. 



13. Young fruit. 



14. Kipe fruit cut transversely showing the embryo. 



15. An embryo removed. (All drawn fiom living specimens.) 



272 



