Contributions towards a Flora of Ceylon, 453 



Obs. — Thi3, the only species indigenous to Ceylon, comes 

 near to B. spiralis, Wall., but in it the leaves are subsessile, 

 much larger, and pubescent on the under surface. 



ORD. NAT. PROTEACE.E. 



HELICIA, Lour. 



1. Helicia Ceylanica, Gardn. 



R. foliis alternis petiolatis elliptico-obovatis obtusissimis 

 integris apice emarginatis basi cuneatis glabris, racemis axil- 

 laribus, folio subsequantibus, pedicellis geminatis perianthiis 

 ovariisque glabris. 



Hab. — Banks of the Massnawatte in the Ambegamoa dis- 

 trict. Flowers in February. 



Descr. — A tree about 20 feet high, glabrous in all its parts. 

 Leaves 4-6 inches long, 1J-2 inches broad. Raceme 3-4 inches 

 long, together with the pedicels of a very dark purple colour. Pedi- 

 cels geminate, 3 lines long. Perianth clavate in the unexpanded 

 state, of a pale yellow colour, and about 9 lines long : divisions 4, 

 recurved, each bearing a stamen on its inner surface a little below 

 the apex. Anthers sessile linear, 2-celled. Style filiform : Stigma 

 clavate. Hypogynous glands 4, distinct, obtuse. Ovary 1 -celled, 

 with 4 erect, superimposed ovules attached to a parietal placenta. 



Obs. I. — This species seems to approach Helicia Moluc- 

 cana> Blume (Rhopala Moluccana, R. Br.), but judging from 

 the description, that species has much longer petioles, and 

 the leaves are not emarginate at the apex. The ovary in 

 that species, moreover, has only two ovules, while in mine 

 there are four. 



Obs. II. — The genus Helicia represents in the Eastern 

 world the Rhopalas of Equinoctial America, and is distin- 



