CYNOMETRA RAMIFLORA- (Nat. order Leguniinosse ; Sub order Csesalpiniese ; Tribe Cynometrese-..). 



CyNOMETRA, Linn. — GEN. CHAR. Calyx tube obsolete or shortly turbinate, limb of 4 (or 5) segments, imbricate in aestivation, usually 

 reflexed at flowering. Petals 5, subequal, or 2 anterior minute. Stamens 10 (or many), filaments filiform, free or very shortly cohering at base; anthers 

 small, elliptical or rotuudate, versatile, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary sessile or shortly stipitate, style usually filiform, stigma terminal; ovules solitary 

 or geminate. Legume obliquely ovoid obovoid or reuiform, turgid or more or les3 compressed, usually rugose, 2 valved, 1-seeded. Seed exalbuminous ■ 

 cotyledons large, fleshy, plano-convex. Unarmed trees or shrubs. Leaves abruptly pinuata, leaflets 1-6-jugate, more or less coriaceous 1-nerved. 

 Stipules caducous. Flowers small, iu axillary or rarely terminal racemes, often very short. Bracts dry or scarious, small, deciduous ; bracteole3 small 

 sometimes petaloid, persistent. 



CyNOMETKA. RAMIFLORA. (L.) A middling sized spreading tree, glabrous, leaves abruptly pinnate, leaflets 1-2-pair 

 sessile or subsessile more or less coriaceous oval to elliptic often unequal sided, subacute or obtuse at the apex, 3-6 iuclies long by 

 1|-2J broad (the upper pair the larger) flowers white or with a tinge of rose in short dense many-flowered axillary racemes or fascicles, 

 bracts short ovate from a broad base, the pedicels 3-4 lines long each furnished at the base with a small lanceolate bracteole, calyx at 

 length reflexed, of 5 broad segments, petals narrow linear equal in size. Stamens 10 alternately shorter, ovary sessile hairy 1-ovuled, 

 stigma capitate, legume very turgid ovoid to reniform very rugose and corrugated. Linn. Sp. p. 509 ; — Rheede. Mai. 4 t. 31 . 



This tree is, I believe, indigenous in Malabar and Travancore and it inhabits Ceylon. I have never myself met vjith it in any of our 

 forests, and the drawings are taken from Ceylon specimens ; it is to be found in a cultivated state in gardens in this presidency. The wood possesses 

 great strength and stiffness, and is close grained, hard and durable, but cracks and splits when exposei; it is of a light brown color and unseasoned 

 weighs 65 to 63 lbs, and 56 lbs the cubic foot when seasoned, and its specific gravity is -896. It is in use for house-building , carts, £c, and chips of 

 the wood infused in water give a dark purple dye. C. cauliflora, of which I have also addid analysis, is also to be met with in our gardens, but I 

 have not seen it wild. 



Analysis. 



1. Branch iu fruit (life-size.) 



2. Portion of a brauch iu flower (life-size.) 



3. A portion of the inflorescence magnified. 

 4, 5. Bract and bracteole. 



6. A flower bud. 



7, 8, 9. Full flowers. 



10. A petal. 



11. Anther, front view. 



1 2. Anther, back view. 



13. The hairy ovary, style and stigma. 



14. Ovary cut vertically, 1 ovule, (Drawn from dried specimens.) 



Cynometea CAULIFLORA. 



1. The truncal inflorescence. 



2. A flower bud and bracts. 



3. Full flower. 



4. Petals. 



5. Anther, front view. 



6. Anther, back view. 



7. Ovary. 



»■ 8. Ovary cut vertically, 1 ovule. 



9. Ovary cut vertically, 2 ovules. 

 10. Fruit or legume. (Drawn from flowers iu spirits.) 



315 



