986. SmithiA blandA (Wall) Buffruticose, diffuse,
every where except the upper surface of the leaves and
corolla hairy : leaves abruptly pinnate 3 paired ;
leaflets linear; elliptic, obtuse, mucronate ; glabrous
above, hairy beneath : racemes, axillary and terminal
: flowers congested towards the apex : calyx
2-lipped, upper lip bifid, under 3 cleft ; without
pellucid glands or dots. R. W. MSS.
Pycarah in wet swampy ground rare. In the accompanying
figures, No. 3 showing a magnified view of
the bracts, calyx and stamens, is from a flower picked
from the specimen represented. No. 6 showing the
calyx and pod belongs to another species, and is in troduced
partly to show the form of the pod of the
genus,partly to indicate a specific distinction, the one
being perforated with transparent glands which are
wanting in the other. The glandular one is probably
S. racemosa but of this I am uncertain, as I have not
authentic specimens of either it, or of S. b/anda for
examination, and the character under consideration is
not indicated in the published definition of either
species.
987. F lemingia procumbrns(R.W.) herbaceous,
diffuse, procumbent, hairy: leaves palmately trifolio-
late; middle leaflet obovate, lateral ones ovate,
slightly unequal at the base, hairy above, nearly glabrous,
except the veins, beneath : peduncles longer
than the leaves; flowers capitate: calyx deeply 5*
cleft, divisions linear, lanceolate, acute, about the
length of the corolla : ovary two-seeded : stigma capitate
hairy: legume shorter than the calyx usually,
by abortion, one-seeded : seed oval.
Pycarah in pastures, frequent. A very diffuse plant
lying flat on the ground and spreading all round, extending
from 12 to 18 inches from the root, leaves
about an inch long and 8 lines broad, under surface
sprinkled with minute garnet coloured glandular
points, flowers dark dull purple.
988. F ragaria elatior (Ehrh.) leaflets somewhat
Coriaceous: hairs on the petioles, peduncles,
pedicels and calyx widely spreading: calyx in fruit
reflexed : bracteolcs similar to the calycine segments.
— W. and A. Prod. p. 300,
Avery common plant about Ootacamund,producing
abundance of fruit in May and June, but not limited
to these month*. The fruit is about the size of the
wood strawberry of Europe, of a pale yellowish white,
except the side exposed to the sun which is generally
tinged with a pale rose blush. It is rather insipid,
but when seasoned with a little lime juice and sugar,
is much relished by some persons.
989. F ragaria I nDica (Andrews) leaflets obovate;
peduncles axillary, solitary, 1-flowered: bracteoles
patulous, cuneate, much larger and broader than the
entire calycine segments, deeply S-5-toothed at the
apex.— W. and A. Prod. p. 300.
Frequent in shady woods where the soil is somewhat
moist. Unlike the rest of the genus the flowers
are yellow. The fruit is a bright red, very tempting
to the eye, but watery, mawkish and disagreeable
to the taste.
990. P otentilla L eschenatjltiana (Ser.:)
covered all over with silky long hairs: stems decumbent
at the base : radical and lower leaves pinnated,
longish petioled; leaflets 5, cuneate-obovate, obtuse,
incise-toothed, the lower pair smaller than the others :
upper stem leaves palmately 3-5 foliolate; leaflets
about equal and similar to the larger leaflets of the
radicle leaves; stipules large, ovate-lanceolate;
lower ones often entire; upper toothed or deeply
cut; flowers in terminal forked panicles, or corymbose
: calyciue segments and bracteoles about equal,
oblong-lanceolate, more or less obtuse : petals (yellow)
slightly obcordate, about equal to the calyx:
receptacle villous: carpels slightly wrinkled.— * ;
stems sh o rt; panicles small, corrymbiform.— W.
and A . Prod. p. 301.
• Every where .common by road sides and ditches,
sometimes erect, but oftener diffuse with the ends of
the branches only ascending. The fruit of this
species approaches more nearly to that of the strawberry
than is usual in the genus, but still it is a true
Potentilla.
991. Photinia Notoniana (Wall. ?) leaves from
cuneate-lanceolate to oblong, acute, quite entire or
with a few inconspicuous scattered teeth : panicles
large, very compound; ramifications puberuleus:
pedicels much shorter than the calyx : cells of the
ovary spuriously semi bilocular: fruit glabrous, 2-
seeded.— W. and A. Prod. p. 302.
A considerable sized tree, abundantly distributed
over the Hills, flowering during March and April,
and is then a beautiful object. In June and July
the fruit ripen and then are of a dull reddish brown
colour. They possess in a remarkable degree the
peculiar taste and flavour of those of the mountain ash.
The figures 8, 9, 10, and 11 of this plate, through
a blunder of the draftsman, not detected until after
the impression was printed off, are inverted. The
radicle should in all have been inferior not superior
as here shewn.
992. Cotoneaster buxifolia (Wall. List) shrubby
erect, very ramous: leaves oval or subobovate,
pointed, glabrous above, tomentose beneath;
corymbs few flowered, peduncles and calyx tomentose.
Frequent about Ootacamund, Kulhutty, Orange
Valley near Kotergherry &c.
This is a small,rigid,scraggy looking very ramous
shrub, rarely attaining the height of six feet. De
Candolle doubtfully refers thjs to his C.affinis aHima-
layan plant, with what justice, I am unable to say.
Making use of his doubt and the wide geographical
difference, I have adopted Wallich’s name. A more
‘minute description is given in the second part of my
Neilgherry Plants. A plant of what I suppose to
be C. affinis, in Lord Elphinstone’s garden at Kaitee,
differs toto caelo in habit, the latter being very
diffuse, spreading flat on the ground, while this is
always ereet.
993. P ygeum acuminatum (Colebrooke) arboreous
: leaves alternate, oblong, acuminated, entire,
glabrous : racemes axillary shorter than the leaves :
Sowers yellowish: calyx lobes and corolla indistinguishable,
clothed with rusty coloured pubescence:
filaments attached to the edge ef the tube inflexed
in aestivation : ovary ventricose, stigma dilated, two
lipped,drupe dry friable,transversely oblong, glabrous.
A large tree of rather rare occurrence, The specimens
fiora whieh the drawing was taken, were
found on the Neilgherries at Kaitee Falls and in the
woods about the Avalanche Mr. Gardner and I found
it abundantly, in fruit, in February : 1 do not recollect
any other station in which I have observed it.
I am uncertain about the species, because it seems to
me,had this been the species from which Colebrooke’s
description is taken,he would have described the flower
as apetalous with a 12-lobed calyx limb. In this
respect, if the dissection of my figure of Polydontia
Ceylanica, No. 256 is correct, and I believe it is,
this can scarcely be considered a true congener, as it
is represented with distinct calyx and petals, but I
have not now the specimens to re-examine. Specimens
of a Ceylon species which I have, correspond with
this.