1214 
XCVII1. NYCTAGINEiE. 
\Pisonia. 
longitudinal furrow. Albumen scanty. Embryo straight, the cotyledons convu- 
lute over the intruded testa. — Tree shrubs or woody climbers. Leaves opposite or 
scattered. Flowers in dense or loose cymes, often arranged in terminal panicles. 
Bracts and bracteoles very small or none. ^ 
The species are numerous in tropical and subtropical America, but there are also a few in 
southern Asia and in the island region from the S. African coast to the Pacific. Of the three 
Australian species one is widely spread over the tropical regions both of the New and the Old 
World, another extends to Norfolk Island and New Zealand, and possibly to some of the islands 
of the Eastern Archipelago and South Pacific, the third may be endemic, but closely resembles 
if it be not identical with a Pacific island species, the synonymy, however, notwithstanding the 
researches of Seemann, remains exceedingly confused, and the specimens now in the herbaria 
are whooly insufficient to clear it up. — Benth. 
Tall woody climber with axillary spines. Flowers unisexual. Fruiting 
perianth muricate 1. P. aculeata. 
Unarmed trees. 
Flowers unisexual. Perianth shortly villous, muricate when in fruit . . 2. P. inermis. 
Flowers (all ?) hermaphrodite. Perianth glabrous, elongated and smooth 
or minutely papillose-scabrous when in fruit 3. P. Brunoniana 
1. 2*. aculeata (prickly), Linn; Chois, in DC. Prod. xiii. ii. 440; Benth. 
FI. Anstr. v. 279. A tall woody climber, forming impenetrable masses on the 
borders of forests, reduced to a low straggling bush in open places, glabrous or 
rarely pubescent, often armed with stout recurved axillary prickles (abortive 
peduncles). Leaves opposite or here and there alternate, petiolate, ovate, often 
broad, or rarely oblong or lanceolate, obtuse, entire, rarely exceeding 3in. and 
often all under 2in. long. Flowers dioecious, in small dense cymes or globular 
clusters, of which several are usually collected into small panicles in the upper 
axils, the common peduncles rarely exceeding the leaves and often very short. 
Male perianths shortly pedicellate, campanulate, shortly and broadly 5-toothed, 
the bud clavate and prominently 5-angled at the top, opening to about 2 lines 
diameter, Female perianths nearly sessile, ovoid, about 1 line long, obscurely 5- 
tootlied, enclosing the ovary, the style shortly protruding, with a deeply lobed or 
fringed stigma. . Fruits in loose cymes forming often large panicles, the pedicels 
lengthening to above Jin., the enlarged perianth oblong or linear-clavate, J to Jin. 
long, 5-ribbed, glandular-muricate. — Wight, Ic. t. 1763, 1764 ; P. villosa, Poir. ; 
Chois, in DC. Prod. xiii. ii. 440 ; P. limonella, Blurne; Chois, lc. 446. 
Hab.: Cape York, IJaemel ; Burdekin Eiver, Fitzalan; Edgecombe and Rockingham Bays, 
Dallachy ; Broadsound and Nerkool Creek, Bowman ; Rockhampton, O'Shanesy. 
The species is very widely distributed over the tropical regions of the New and the Old 
World, especially in maritime districts. 
Wood light-coloured, close-grained, and very tough. — Bailey’s Cat. Ql. Woods, No. 303a. 
2. P. inermis (unarmed), Forst. Prod. 75 ; Benth. FI. Austr. v. 280. A tall 
tree, glabrous except the inflorescence. Leaves petiolate, ovate or oblong, 
acuminate or almost obtuse, rounded or narrowed at the base, often 6 to 8in. 
long. Flowers dioecious, small, collected in small cymes forming a terminal 
corymbose rather compact panicle, usually shortly pedunculate and much shorter 
than the leaves. Perianths both male and female narrow, ovoid-oblong, scarcely 
2 lines long at time of flowering the males rather longer and more dilated at the 
orifice than the females, all pubescent or villous. Stamens shortly exserted. 
Style scarcely protruding from the females. Fruiting perianths in a loose panicle 
on more or less elongated pedicels, the perianth about Jin. long, very prominently 
muricate along the angles. — P. c/randis, R. Br. Prod. 422 ; Chois, in DC. Prod, 
xiii. ii. 441 ; Endl. Inconogr. t. 30. 
Hab.: Islands of the Gulf of Carpentaria, II. Brown; Northumberland Islands, II. Broicn ; 
Rockingham Bay, Dallachy. 
The species is also in the Pacific islands. 
