rigid subulate: racemes leaf opposed lax about the
length of the leaves : bracts subulate : calyx campanu-
late suboblique slightly 5-toothed : ovary 3-4 ovuled :
legume villous, 2-4 seeded attenuated at the apex
much contracted between the seed : seed 2-4 oval
bright shining red.
Neilgherries, in Jungles below Neddawutem. Flowering
during the rains and maturing its seed in October
and November. The Neilgherry plant differs from the
Ceylon one, in having the leaflets more oblong and
pubescent on the under surface; to neither of which
characters I attach much importance.
The Linnean specimen of this plant seems to have
been a very indifferent one. Arnott's character in his
Pugillus is much more correct.
The above is principally applicable to the Neilgherry
plant and was in great part communicated, along with
the flowering specimen of the drawing, by Captain
Munro who first found it on the Hills. The legumes
were added from specimens I collected in October 1845.
1156. D albergia latifolia (Roxb.)W. and A.-—
arboreous: leaflets 3-7, generally 5, alternate, orbicular,
emarginate ; upper side glabrous; under when
young minutely pubescent: panicles axillary, branched
and divaricating; flowers on short slender pedicels :
calyx-segments oblong, more or less obtuse: stamens
9, (or 10 ?), all united into a sheath open on the upper
side : ovary stalked, about 5-ovuled, glabrous : style
slender, nearly as long as the ovary : stigma small :
legume stalked, oblong-lanceolate, usually 1-seeded.
Paulghaut jungles, flowering during the rainy season.
A most magnificent tree from which the well known
Malabar blackwood is obtained, planks of which £
have seen nearly four feet in breadth, after the removal
of all white wood and these are not the largest obtainable.
My figure differs from Roxburgh's, in the smaller
size and undulation of the leaves, it however seems to
be the same species, only less luxuriant, according to
description it seems to be more justly referable to
Roxburgh’s D. emarginutu than to latifolia, but the
wood of the former is not black, which 1 think fatal to
their identity. It is possible however that the Malabar
tree may be specifically distinct from the Bengal one,
a point which my specimens does not enable me to
determine.
1157. Acacia latronum (Willd.) W. and A.—
somewhat arboreous, armed; thorns numerous, sti-
pulary, very large, terete, tapering, united at the base:
leaves bipinnated ; pinnae 3-5 pair, with a gland on the
petiole ; leaflets 6-15 pair, very small, narrow linear,
obtuse, without any glands between the pairs : spikes
axillary, usually in pairs, peduncled, cylindric, longer
than the leaves, many-flowered : corolla 4-5-cleft:
stamens numerous, distinct: legume flat, thickish, oval-
falcate, 3-4-seeded.
Coimbatore frequent in sterile stony soils and in
such situations always a scraggy thorny shrub. When
in full flower in July and August, it exhales a most
fragrant scent not unlike honey-suckle, quite perfuming
the air for some distance round. In this district
I have never seen it as a tree.
1158. Kalanchoe laciniata (D. C.) W. and A.—
leaves decomposed and pinnatifid, the segments oblong,
acute, coarsely toothed; upper ones nearly entire :
sepals lanceolate, acuminated, spreading, cyme panicled.
Frequent about hedges and low jungle about Oota-
kalmund, near Coimbatore, flowering during July and
August. Tn favourable situations it frequently attains
the height of 3 or 4 feet with large spreading much
divided leaves, the lobes of which are succulent and
nearly cylindrical : flowers yellow. It is the glabrous
form which is principally found here.
1159. Hymenodyction obovatum (Wall, not Wight's
leones, No. 80) arboreous : leaves obovate, abruptly
and shortly acuminate, glabrous, finely reticulated beneath
with coloured veins; thickly congested near the
ends of the branches : stipules ovate glanduliferous on
the margin very deciduous : racemes axillary spicate
with one or two short branches : tube of the corolla
contracted limb campanulate 5 cleft: stamens inserted
on the throat, filaments much longer than the anthers.
In dry and stony soils about Matecarry near Coimbatore,
flowering during May and June, seed ripen about
the close of the year.
This plant agrees so well with Dr. Wallich's description
ofhis, H. obovatum that I cannot hesitate as to the
propriety of giving it to that species, and considering the
plant figured table 80 of this work a new species to which
I have given the name H. utile with reference to its
extensive use, in this neighbourhood, in cabinet making
under the English name of Bastard Cedar. It may be
thus distinguished from the above to which it is closely
allied.
Hymenodyction utile (R. W. B. obovatum.
Wight’s leones No, 80.) leaves roundish ovate abruptly
acuminate, glabrous above, villous beneath:
stipules broad ovate obtuse, glanduliferous on the margin
: panicles terminal loose, branches racemose; flowers
pedicelled, bractiolate, fascicled : corolla subrotate, tube
about the length of the calyx-limb filaments inserted on
the throat a little shorter than the oblong ovate anthers.
—if. excelsum Wight’s Cat. No. 1264 and W. and A.
prod, not of Roxburgh and Wallich.
Common in the Paulghaut jungles, often attaining a
large size. The wood is nearly the colour of mahogany
but of a loose texture soft and very hygrometric.
1160. Argostemma Courtallense (Am.) stem
repent, extremities erect simple pubescent: leaves glabrous
verticelled somewhat irregular, or two approximated
pairs towards the apex : stipules obsolete, umbel
peduncled 2-6 flowered shorter than the larger leaves :
pedicels and calyx pubescent: flowers quaternary : filaments
bent, anthers distinct, dehiscing by a double pore
near the apex. Arnott. Annals of Natural History,
vol. 3. p. 22.
The drawing was made in 1835 at Courtallum; where
only I have met with the plant. Limb of the corolla
white, tube yellowish green.
1161. Greenia Wightiana (W. and A.)—leaves
almost quite glabrous on both sides except on the
midrib and nerves.
Mergui—The specimens represented were received
from the late Mr. Griffith and quite correspond with
our original specimens, whence I suspect this is not a
Peninsular but Tenasserim plant.
1162. Ophiorrhiza Harrisonii (Wall.) stem, petioles,
peduncles and nerves, the underside of the leaves
pubescent : leaves ovate or roundish ovate acutish :
glabrous and green above, pale beneath : peduncles
terminal corymbose, and dichotomously branched at
the apex.—Root creeping—G. Don, diet; 3—523.
Courtallum—Flowering during the rainy season.
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