ACTINODAPHNE SALICINA. (Nat. order LaurineEe.) 



AcTINODAPHNE, Nees.— GEN. CHAR. Flowers disecious, calyx 6-4-fid, the lobes subequal deciduous. Male, stamens 9-6, the 3-2 

 inner ones each furnished with 2 sessile or stipitate glands at the base, anthers oblong all 4-celled and introrse. Staniinodes none, an abortive rudiment 

 of an ovary. Female, sterile stamens 9, (rarely only 6) ligulseform, the 3(-2) inner ones furnished with 2 glands above the base, style filiform, stigma 

 discoideo-sublobate ; berry seated on the persistent cup-shaped or rarely flat truncate base of the calyx. Trees or shrubs, flowers without any involucres 

 entire in sessile clusters surrounded by imbricate scales or in racemes or panicles. 



A-CTINODAPHNE SALICINA. (DC.) A middling sized tree, young parts sericeous, branchlets verticelled, leaves in 

 verticels of 5-8 together, slightly coriaceous lanceolate acute at both ends, glabrous in age except often the costa beneath, sericeous 

 round the margins when young, very glaucous beneath, veins obscure, minutely scrobiculato-reticulated on both sides (under the lens), 

 21-5 inches long by 5-12 lines broad, petiole 3-6 lines long, fascicles subsessile 3-8 flowered sericeous, pedicel in fruit 4 lines long, 

 berry 4 lines in diameter. DC, Prod. xv. p. 212. 



This tree is rare on our Western Ghats. 1 have only detected it in South Tinnenelly. Br. Wight found it on the Nilgiris, and ii occurs 

 in Ceylon ; the primary veins in my specimens are much fewer than described by DeCandille, and 1 am not certain that this is his tree ; it is how- 

 ever closely allied to the Ceylon A. elegans, Thwaitesii, and stenophylla, and they are all probably only varieties of one species. I know nothing 

 of its timber, but it would probably be of good quality. 



Analysis. 



1. Branch of a female tree in flower. 



2. A flower bud (female.) 



3. A female flower. 



4. The same open, perianth 6-lobed, 9 ligulasforin sterile stamens, the 3 inner each with 2 glands above the base, the outer 



glandless. 



5. One of the inn er row of gland-bearing sterile stamens. 



6. One of the outer row of glandless stamens. 



7. Ovary, style and stigma. 



8. -Ovary cut vertically. 



9. Fruit, the berry seated in the cup-like truncate base of the calyx, the lobes having fallen away. (All drawn from flowers 



in spirits.) 



10. Male inflorescence of Actinodaphne angustifotfa- 



11. A male flower of the same open, stamens 9 all with introrse 4-celiei anthers, the 3 interior with two glands at the base 



of each. 



295 



