IN CEYLON. 
193 
Seedlings epigeal ; cotyledons not readily detached but 
never function as assimilatory organs and exist as white or 
shrivelled leaves for a few days ; by the time the cotyledons 
are dead the enhanced epicotyledonary leaves are deep green 
and well developed ( cf, . D. Thwaitesii). 
Cotyledons whi te, 13 mm. long ; hypocotyl white, glabrous, 
90 mm. long ; epicotyledonary stem greenish, hairy, 3 mm. 
long ; epicotyledonary leaves form an opposite pair, ovate, 
rounded apex, rounded or tapering base, glabrous, 50 mm.long, 
25 mm. broad ; traces 3 per cotyledon, xylem of median trace 
weak, xylem of lateral cotyledonary traces much split ; one 
trace per epicotyledonary leaf, weak and continued into root. 
Timber .—A typical red wood with occasional small black 
strands ; black heartwood absent or small ; the elements 
are feebly lignified, even the fibres ; vessels have rather large 
transverse dimensions. The colouring substances are not 
very abundant. The timber is much inferior to ebony but 
superior to the yellow and white woods already described. 
It is rarely felled even where very abundant, and most 
natives disregard it entirely as a source of durable timber. 
Distribution. —Moist lowcountry, rather rare, Kalutara, 
Hewessa, Penijaval Forests, Kadawatte, Hinidumkanda, near 
Galle. It grows well in poor sandy or rocky soils providing 
there is plenty of water ; in some districts it can only be 
found alongside the streams with roots occasionally sub¬ 
merged ; often accompanies D. Embryopteris and D. quæsita 
in moist low-country. 
Endemic. 
The habit of D. Moonii is very different from that of 
D. hirsuta or D. Thwaitesii, and in this respect greatly 
resembles D. Embryopteris ; the fleshy leaves resemble 
those of D. acuta ; the flat relatively thin fruiting calyx 
and the large globose fruits are widely different from 
anything met with in D. hirsuta or D. Thwaitesii. D. 
Thwaitesii resembles D. hirsuta in many features, but can 
always be distinguished from it in virtue of its 4-celled. 
ovary, larger number of stamens, thinner and smaller leaves. 
