Balanites.] OCKNACBM. 145 



A tree, 60-80 ft. high. Leaves 1 foot or more, glandular-hairy ; leaflets 

 very many, on long stalks, ovate or falcate-lanceolate, unequal at the 

 hase, coarsely toothed, often lobed. Flowers yellowish, in large lax often 

 much-branched panicles ; filaments \ the length of the anthers. Samaras 

 2 in. long, tapering to each end, twisted at the base^ copper-red. 



Planted at Saharanpur, Delhi, Agra, and Aligarh, possibly wild in Bundel- 

 khand. Distbib. : Bengal, C. & S, India, wild or cultivated; also in 

 Queensland (var.imberbifolia). Tlowers in April and May. The aroma- 

 tic and bitter bark and leaves are used medicinally, and the wood is used 

 for light articles, such as drums, sword-sheaths and floats for fishing 

 nets. 



2. BALANITES. Delile ; Fl. Brit. Ind. i. 522. 



Spiny shrubs or trees. Leaves coriaceous, 2-foliolate, entire. 

 Flowers greer\f in small axillary cymes. Calpx-aegm.ejits 3, imbricate, 

 decidnous. Petals 5, imbricate. Disk thick, conical, entire. Ovarf 

 entire, globose, 1-celled ; ovules solitary, pendulous. Fruit a large 

 fleshy oily 1 -seeded drupe. Seed exalbuminous. 



B. ssgyptiaca, Belile Fl. Egypte, 221, t. 28, f. 1, var. Eoxburghii. 

 B. Eoxburghii, Planch. ; Brand. For. Fl. 59 ; F. B. I. i, 522 ; Watt E. D. 

 B. aegyptiaca, Wall.; Boyle III. 154. Ximenia segyptiaca, Eoi»&. Fl. Ind. 

 a, 253. Vern. Hingan, hingot. 



A small tree or scraggy shrub, with glabrous or puberulous branches 

 ending in strong sharp thorns. Leaves of 2 elliptic or obovate puberulous 

 entire coriaceous leaflets. Flowers in close cymes, small, white or green- 

 ish-white, fragrant. Sepals and petals ovate, velvety-pubescent. Ovary 

 ovoid, short. Drupe about 2 in. long, 5-grooved ; rind woody, of a light 

 grey colour, inclosing a bitter offensive-smelling pulp. Nut hard, 

 tubercled, 1 -seeded. 



Not uncommon within the area, in open dry places where the soil is 

 clayey. Disteib. : Sikkim, Bengal, C. & S. India, Burma ; also in N. 

 Africa, Arabia and Palestine. It differs from the type in having shorter 

 petioles, and hairy petals, and the ovary does not lengthen out after 

 flowering. Flowers in April and May. \^arious portions of the plant are 

 used medicinally. The pulp of the fruit is used in Eajputana for clean- 

 ing silk, and the hard nuts are made into crackers, after removing the 

 kernel and filling with gunpowder. 



XXX.-OCHNACEiE. 



Glabeous trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, usually simple, coria- 

 eous ; stipules 2. Flowers bisexual, conspicuous, in panicles or 

 umbels, rarely solitary, braeteate. Sepals 4-5. free, imbricate, per- 

 sistent. Petals 5, rarely 4 or more than 6, hipogy nous, imbricate. 



