tB VOYAGE FROM TO INDIA SIAM AND IMALACCA. 



very frequent on the Coromandell coast. 



Scoevola grew here ahnost as hig-h as a tree. 



The big trees, along- the coast, which we had seen from the 

 ship, were a kind of trees with pinnate leaves having the ap- 

 pearance of false-varnish trees of which Koempfer has given an 

 illustration, furthermore there were Hibiscus Tiliaceus some Termi- 

 nalia catappa but a mistake caused by the resemblance in the 

 leaves with those of the Temiinalia, made me take that tree for 

 the latter, until I saw a large branch hanging down, bearing 

 square conic fruit, this attracted my attention more closely to 

 this tree.* 



The stem was only low, its bark bearing much resemblance 

 to that of our beech-trees, and its circumference was hardly as 

 thick as a man, the crown was oblong, the branches were placed 

 without any special order, and all directed upwards, and at their 

 ends they had many bare places, where the leaves had fallen off. 



The leaves were placed at the end of the branches, very 

 closely together, and had no stalks ; they spread out and were 

 obovate quite entire at the edges slightly turned back, smooth 

 on both sides, the upper side g'lossy and light g-reen, the lower 

 one white and bare. The principal veins of the leaves run in 

 opposite directions and spread out very little, being white like 

 the principal middle vein, the leaves are fleshy and about one 

 span long. 



The blossoms are placed at the end of the branches in a 

 simple raceme, the common stalk is directed upwards, and 

 irregularly flattened at the sides, it is smooth and shiny, and 

 where the stalks of the single blossoms begin it is as thick as a 

 finger, and longer than the width of a hand. The proper flower 

 stalks spread, they are single, round, smooth, shiny, somewhat 

 shorter than the common stalk, and as thick as an ordinary quill, 

 their number varies from 7 to 12. The swelling at the beginning 

 of the stalk, continues for some time in the common stalk, its 

 ridge is thick, round, smooth and shiny and ends abruptly where 

 the bract begins, which is patent, sessile, oblong-, smooth, shiny, 

 bare, lesembling the leaves and grows as long as one inch and 

 a half. The blossoms are superior. 



The calyx consists of one leaf, which splits right down to 

 * JBarrinqtonia speciosa^ Forst 



