354 



Descriptions of Malayan Plants. 



PHALERIA CAPITATA. 

 Native of Sumatra. 



A shrub with smooth branches. Leaves opposite, or 

 subopposite, short petioled, ovate-lanceolate, terminated by 

 a long sharp acumen, entire, very smooth : eight inches long. 

 Petioles thickened. Stipules none. Peduncles axillary, some- 

 times from the axils of fallen leaves, very short, bearing a 

 head or umbel of sessile flowers, which is embraced by an 

 involucre composed of several oblong-ovate leaflets or bracts. 

 Flowers large and white, resembling those of the Jasmine. 

 Perianth inferior, tube long, faux pervious, smooth, limb four- 

 parted, segments ovate. Stamina eight, inserted on the faux, 

 exsert, rather long ; anthers two-lobed. Ovary embraced by 

 a thin white nectarial cup, oblong, attenuated into a style, two- 

 celled, cells monosporous, ovula attached to the summit of the 

 cell by a thread, which passing along the back of the ovulum 

 is inserted into its base, so that the ovulum seems as if 

 doubled upon its filament. Style a little shorter than the 

 stamina. Stigma capitate, papillous. Berries crowded, some- 

 what pear-shaped, rounded above, acute at the base, cortical, 

 two-celled two-seeded. Seed exalbuminous ; embryo inverse ; 

 cotyledons piano -convex \ radicle small, superior. 



LII. LAURINiE. 



LAURUS PARTHENOXYLON. (W. J.)^ 



Enneandria Monogynia. 



Foliis venosis ovatis acutis petiolatis subtus glaucis, pani- 

 culis brevibus paucifloris axillaribus et lateralibus, fructu 

 globoso calyci truncato insidente. 



* For an account of a nearly allied species, see a paper of Dr. Wal- 

 lich on the Nipal Camphor and Sapapos tree, (Laurus glanduUfera, Wall.) 

 in the Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society of Calcutta, vol. 



