1839.] Observations on the Burmese and Munipoor Varnish Tree. 71 



Panicles of flowers terminal on leafless branchlets, broad-oval, 

 spreading, much and loosely subdivided, 12 to 16 inches wide at the 

 base; the divisions cylindric, covered with much soft down. There 

 is a small linear, caducous bract under each branch. Flowers white, 

 inodorous, rather large, two or three in each fascicle, supported by 

 pedicels half an inch to an inch in length. Calyx smooth, consisting 

 of five sepals which are marginally soldered together into one, 

 forming a conical, attenuated, obtuse hood, slightly marked with paral- 

 lel veins; it falls off the instant the coralla is ready to expand, 

 leaving an annular vestige on the peduncle immediately under the 

 coralla ; its base circular, irregularly slit a little way, in four or 

 five places. Petals white, imbricating and slightly contorted in estiva- 

 tion, lanceolate-oblong, rather obtuse, with entire, a little undulated, 

 ciliated margins, thin and membranous, pubescent on both sides, mi- 

 nutely reticulated, half an inch long. Torus large, fleshy, hemispherical, 

 pitted for the insertion of the stamens, its base five-lobed. Stamens 

 very numerous, straight, spreading in all directions, half the length of 

 the petals ; filaments subulate, smooth; anthers oval, versatile. Ovary 

 very small, obliquely oval, smooth, supported from the centre of the 

 torus by a short, cylindric, pubescent pedicel, one-celled ; ovule sus- 

 pended from a lateral ascending funicle. Style rising obliquely from 

 the vertex of the ovary, subulate, not reaching to the ends of the 

 stamens. Stigma minute, obtuse. 



The accompanying figure represents a panicle of flower reduced to 

 one half of its natural size. Fig. 1, flower-bud, the hooded calyx 

 commencing to detach itself, and at Fig, 3, completely separate. Fig. 2, 

 corolla in estivation. Fig. 4, the same fully expanded. Fig. 5, 

 petals separate, showing the pitted torus. Fig. 6, ovary opened show- 

 ing the insertion of the ovule. 



