MALLOTUS PHILIPPINENSIS. (Nat. order Euphorbiace*.) 



MALLOTUS, Lour. — GEN. CHAR. Diseoioua or rarely monajeious, calyx 2-5 cleft, valvate, petals none, disk none or very rarely present in the 

 female flower. Male, stamens numerous central free or shortly united at the base, anthers 2-eelled, rudiment of ovary none, or rarely a minute one present. 

 Female, ovary 3-(or rarely 2-5-) celled, cells 1-ovuled, styles as many as the ovary cells, simple recurved usually densely plumose on the inner side, capsule 

 dividing into 3 (or rarely 2-5) cocci, seed ecarunculate, albumen copious, cotyledons broad, radicle short. Trees or shrubs, leaves alternate or opposite 

 3-5 nerved at the base bistipulate entire toothed or lobed, usually with 2 depressed glands at the base, flowers in racemes or spikes terminal or very rarely 

 axillary. Lour. Fl. Cochinch. p. 781. Rottlera, Foxb. Echinus, Lour. Elateriospermum, Blume. Melanolepis, Feichenb. Boutonia, Boj. Cordemoya, 

 Baill. Adisca, M. Echinocroton, Mueller. Hancea, Seem. Axenfeldia, Baill. Plagianthera, Feichenb. 



M.ALLOTUS PHILIPPINENSIS. (Lam.) A middling sized tree, young branches minutely lioary tomentose, leaves oblongo- 

 elliptic to ovate obtuse or with, a long acumination, 3-6 inches long entire rather coriaceous, glabrous above except when young 

 minutely hoary tomentose or often glaucous beneath and there furnished with minute red glands 3-nerved at the base, furnished at the 

 base on the upper side with 2 depressed glands, petioles \-2 inches long terminal at the apex, spikes axillary and terminal dense and 

 paniculate in the male, generally solitary in the female, 3-4 inches long, bracts triangular ovate acute 3-flowered in the male and 1 -flower- 

 ed in the female, flowers small, calyx hoary tomentose and furnished with red glands, stamens about 26, anthers glandular, styles 

 shortly united with plumose recurved branches, capsule 3 coccous, each of the cocci the size of a small pea, covered with red glandular 

 tomentum. DC. Prod. xv. 980. Croton Philippinensis, Lam. Ency. vol. 2, p. 206. C- punctatus, Retz. C. cocciueus, Lam. C- moutanus, 

 Witld. Eottlera tinctoria, Raxb. Fl. hid. \\\.p. 827. Pi. aurantiaca, Hook, tt Arn. Pi. affinis, Hassl: 



This tree is common throughout the Madras presidency, and in Bengal, Bombay, Birmah, Ceylon, <&c, and it is also found in Java, the 

 Philippines, Australia and Hongkong. In Southern India it ascends the mountains to about 5000 feet, bat is also common in the forests of the 

 plains ; the wood is occasionally used by the natives for ordinary purposes, and the baik is in use for tanning. The red mealy powder off the cap- 

 sides is a valuable product and might be a source of considerable revenue in many of our forest districts; it is used as an orange dye principally for 

 silk. The ripe capsules are gathered in March and rubbed together or shaken in bags till the farina separates. It is known as Kapli or Kamila powder, 

 and the silk dyers use the following method : — 4 parts of the powder ,1 part of poivdered alum, 2 parts of salts of sod i, rubbed well together with oil of 

 Hesamum andthen boiled in water ; it is sufficient however to mix it with ivater containing J its weight of carbonate of soda. The powder is 

 much adulterated in our bazaars, but some collected carefully by the Forest Department, realized a high price in the English markets. The tree is 

 called Kapli almost throughout this Presidency, and is known by the names of Kameel and Kamila in Hindoostani ; and in Ceylon it is calltd 

 Hwnparandella, and in Bombay Shendree ; the powder is also supposed to be of value as a vermifuge. 



Analysis. 



1. A portion of the male inflorescence maguified. 



2. A male flower bud, calyx 4- cleft, segments valvate. 



3. The same more advanced, showing the red glandular dots. 



4. A full flower, stamens central about 26, no petals, or disk, or abortive ovary. 



5. Anthers, frout and back view, showing the glandular dots. 



6. Fernale flower. 



7. Calyx. 



S. Ovary cut vertically, ovules pendulous.. 



9. A style very highly maguified. 



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



11. A capsule. 



12. Lower portion of a leaf upper surface, showing the 2 glands at the base. (All drawu from living specimens.) 



2S9 



