338 



Descriptions of Malayan Plants. 



rivers. It is one of the most ornamental trees that occur in 

 these situations. Mergui, Malacca. W. G. 



It grows to be a large tree, generally with an irregular 

 crooked trunk. Leaves irregularly crowded at the extre- 

 mities of the branches which are rough with their persistent 

 vestiges, subsessile, cuneiform, retuse, attenuated at the base 

 into a very short petiole, obtusely crenate, often nearly 

 entire, smooth, thick and fleshy, almost veinless. Stipules 

 none. Racemes short, simple, terminal, subcorymbose. 

 Flowers pedicellate, crowded. Bracts two, small, acute at 

 the base of each flower. Calyx superior, 5-cleft, segments 

 erect, thick, rather obtuse. Corolla crimson, 5-petalled, 

 petals spreading, twice as long as the calyx, acute. Stamina 

 varying in number from 5 to 10, erect, twice as long as the 

 corolla, filaments red, subulate ; anthers oblong, purple, at- 

 tached by the middle. Ovary inferior, about the size and 

 shape of a clove, one-celled, containing from 3 to 5 ovula 

 which are pendulous from the top of the cell. Style one. 

 Berry or drupe somewhat compressed, obtusely angled, 

 crowned by the thick persistent calyx ; nut oblong with two 

 prominent angles, one-seeded. Seed exalbuminous. Embryo 

 inverse. Cotyledons convolute. 



Obs. — The number of the stamina is very variable, seven 

 is perhaps the most frequent; five and six are common, but 

 ten the complete number is rare. The number of ovula 

 varies also. The genus is most nearly related to Lagun- 

 cularia of Geartner, but seems to differ in its corolla and 

 stamina. It has some resemblance to Kada kandel, Rheed: 

 H: Mai: VI, p. 67, t. 37, a figure which has not I believe 

 been quoted, and may possibly be another species of this 

 genus. Kayu Api-api is the name generally given to this 

 tree in Sumatra, but is applied by Rumphius to his Man- 

 gium album. Herb: Amb : III. p. 115, t. 66, which is a 

 species of Avicennia, probably the A. resinifera of Forster, 

 known in Sumatra by the name of Pelandok Kayu. It appears 



