in the H. C. Botanic Gardens, Calcutta. 



387 



Frutex arbusculoideus succo lacteo caustico scatens ; ra- 

 muli virides, compressiusculi. Folia opposita, breve petio- 

 lata, pendula, oblongo-lanceolata, acuminataj serrata, laete 

 viridia, venis secondariis distinctis. Stipulse parvae, sub- 

 foliaceae, conduplicato-carinatae, mucronibus 1 vel 2 sphace- 

 latis. Gemmse axillares et terminales, squamis stipulifor- 

 mibus paucis imbricatae. Flores dioici ; masculi in spicis 

 solitariis ascendentibus, terminalibus, foliis J brevioribus di- 

 positi, solitarii, utrinque glandula stipati, bractea rotundata 

 basi carnosa sufFulti.^ Rachis (spicarum) exsculpta. Perian- 

 thium 3-sepalum, sepalis denticulatis. Stamina 3 ; 2 lateralia 

 sepalis sub-opposita, tertium anticae bracteae oppositum. Fi- 

 lamenta robusta, sepalis paullo longiora. Antherae magnse, 

 cordato-reniformes, didymse, longitudinaliter dehiscentes, 

 connective mucronulato. Pollen oblongum, plicis tribus in- 

 structum. Flos foemineus solitarius, terminalis, pedicellatus, 

 basi utrinque glandula magna stipatus, unibracteatus. Pe- 

 rianthium 3-sepalum, sepalis bracteae subsimilibus, tertio 

 postico. Rudimenta staminum o. Ovarium 3-loculare, ova- 

 tum, attenuatum in stylum brevem robustum tripartitum, 

 ramis recurvis subulatis intus stigmatosis ; ovula solitaria 

 pendula. Fructus baccatus, pedicellatus, subrotundus, pen- 

 dulus, basi perianthio glandulisque sufFultus, apice subumbili- 

 catus, 6-sulcatus, trilocularis, tricoccus, coccis bipartibilibus, 

 pomi minoris magnitudine. Semen pendulum, sub-globosum ; 

 tegumentum exterius carnosum, tenue, raphe J completa; 

 interius atrum, osseum. Albumen carnosum. Cotyledones 

 foliaceas. Radicula ovata supera. 



Introduced from Sillet in 1826. It exhibits occasionally a 

 tendency to become monoicous, in which case the female is 

 found at the base of the spike ; it also sometimes presents 4 

 stamina, as well as occasional cohesions between anthers 



* Vel potius spiculse S-florse, interdum 4-flor3e. Flos quisque e sta- 

 mine solitario in axilla bracteae, bractea postica (vel quarta) ssepius 

 vacua. 



