XXVI. SAPINDACEiE 
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the base. Sepals 4, free, concave, the 2 outer very small. Petals 
4, in unequal pairs, each with a small scale on the inner face. 
Disk reduced to 2 glands. Stamens 8, unequal, inserted at the 
base of the ovary. Ovary 3-celled ; style short, 3 -parted ; ovule 
1 in each cell. Capsule giobose, membranous, veined, 3-cornered. 
Seeds 3, spherical, black, bearing a conspicuous, white, heart- 
shaped excrescence. 
Valleys below Simla ; August, September. — Throughout India, ascending to 
4000 ft. — Most tropical and subtropical countries. 
2 . 2ESCULUS. The Latin name of an Oak having edible 
acorns ; derived from esca, food, nourishment. — Temperate 
regions of Asia and America. 
/Esculus indica, Colebr. ; FI. Br. Ind. i. 675. A tree ; buds 
sticky. Leaves glabrous, opposite, long-stalked, digitately com- 
pound ; leaflets 5-9, oblong-lanceolate, long-pointed, toothed, 
central ones 6-9 in., outer ones shorter. Plowers irregular, about 1 
in. long, in numerous, small, pubescent cymes disposed in terminal, 
erect, narrow, pyramidal panicles 12-15 in. long ; the upper flowers 
in each cyme usually male. Calyx tubular, splitting as the flower 
opens, 5-toothed. Petals 4, clawed, white and yellow, base often 
streaked with red ; 2 petals narrower than the others. Disk in- 
complete, the posterior half wanting, lobed. Stamens 7, longer 
than the petals, inserted at the base of the ovary within the disk. 
Ovary tomentose, narrowly oblong, 3-celled ; style simple, as long 
as the stamens ; ovules 2 in each cell. Capsule smooth, brown, 
ovoid, 1-2 in., containing 1-3 large, globose, dark brown, shining 
seeds. 
Simla (planted), Narkunda forests (wild) ; April, May. — W. Himalaya, 
4000-10,000 ft. — Afghanistan. 
The Horse Chestnut of Europe, JS. Hippocastanum, has larger leaflets and 
prickly capsules. 
3. SAPINDUS. From the Latin sapo, soap, and indicus, 
Indian ; the drupes of S. Saponaria and other species, contain a 
pulp which lathers with hot water and is used for washing. — 
Nearly all tropical countries. 
Sapindus Mukorossi, Gcertn. ; FI. Br. Ind. i. 683. A tree. 
Leaves glabrous, alternate, usually even-, sometimes odd-pinnate ; 
leaflets 8-15, alternate or the upper ones nearly opposite, lanceo- 
late, about 4|xlJ in., entire. Flowers numerous, small, poly- 
gamous, purple, in terminal, pubescent, pyramidal panicles 4-8 in. 
long. Sepals 5, free, in 2 series, imbricate. Petals 5, clawed ; a 
minute, hairy scale projecting on each side at the base of the 
fringed blade. Disk complete, flat, 5-angled. Stamens 8, inserted 
at the base of the ovary within the disk, filaments hairy. Ovary 
H 
