OSTODES ZEYIANICA.. (Nat. order Euphorbiaceee.) 



OSTODES. Blume. — GEN. CHAR. Ditecious, calyx of the male and female much imbricate, segments 5-6; petals present in both sexes 

 imbricate alternate with the calyciue segments and with the glauds or lobes of the disk. Male, Btamens more or less numerous central on a convex 

 receptacle, filaments sub-connate, anthers 2 celled dehiscing longitudinally introrse or extrorse, no rudiment of an ovary. Female, ovary 3 celled, cells 1 

 ovuled, styles 3 very short, stigmas bifid or simple, fruit a woody capsule with 2-3 cocci, seed exarillate. Trees, leaves alternate with stipules, penniveined 

 denticulate or entire coriaceous, flowers panicled or rarely fasciculate iu the axils. S>. Bidj.p.6\.9. Djsmo3temon, Thw. En. PL Zey, p, 278, 



OSTODES ZiEYIANICA. (Thw.) A very large tree, ramuli angled, young parts leprous, leaves coriaceous oblongo- 

 lanceolate acute or acuminate very coarsely and distantly serrate glabrous in age, 818 inches long by 2^-4 broad, petioles 2-3£ inches 

 long tumid at the apex and furnished with 2 minute glands, stipules minute glandular on the inside, panicles terminal often much 

 elongate and longer than the leaves pendulous, the rachis much angled more compound iu the male, flowers more or less glomerate on 

 pedicels 2 3 lines long, calyx deeply 5 -par ted slightly puberulous on the outside, segments unequal L^-2 lines long obtuse thick and 

 generally with a knob on the outside, petal-i 5 erect imbricate reflexed at the apex white about 4 lines long. Male, disk large 

 dilated into 5 fleshy glands, stamens about 15 sub-3-4-serial, filaments free or slightly cohering, anthers fixed by the middle of the 

 back extrorse, cells parallel and dehiscing longitudinally. Female, disk annular and not as much dilated as in the male, ovary ovoid 

 tomentose, 3-celled, celk 1 ovuled, ovules attached to the centre of axis, styles 3 very short, stigmas bifid small, capsule subspherical 

 1-1£ inches in diameter somewhat 5 ribbed slightly pubescent, seed oblong. — Desmostemon Zeylanicus, Thw. En. PI. Zey. p. 278. 

 Ostodes, DC. Prod, xv. p. 1114. 



Vary. /?. minor, a small tree differing in no way except that all its parts are smaller, Oatodes minor, Mull. DO. I. c. page 1115. 



This tree is common in thi dense moist forests of the Wyn id, Ananallays, Tinnevelly ghats, Travancore and Ceylon, up to about 4000 

 feet elevation. I know nothinj of its timber but it is in use for ordinary work in Ceylon, where it is called Walkakoona, . Variety ft is much rarer 

 than the ordinary form, and I have only obsirviJ it on the AiiamxUays, ani it occurs in Ceylon, it differs in no way except in the she of all its 

 parts, but it is considered a distinct species by Midler. 



Analysis. 



I. Portion of a male panicle in very young bud showing the much angled rachis, 



2- Portion of a male panicle in flower, 



3. A male flower bud. 



4. A male flower. 



5. The petals. 



6. Calyx stamens and disk. 



7,8. Anthers, front and back view. 



9, Branch of the female tree iu leaf, flower aud young fruit. 



10. Female flower bud. 



11. Feoaa 1 e flnver open potals removed (the latter are similar to those in the male) shewing the hairy ovary anl 3 short styles 



with their bifid stigmas. 



12. Ovary cut vertically, ovules attached to ceutre of axis. 



13. Ovary cut transversely 3-celled, cells 1-ovuled. 



14. Ripe capsules. 



15. A capsule cut transversely. 





t/ 1 r - ^ 274 



