1963. P lecospermum spinosum (Tricul, Batis
spinosa, Roxb., Trophis spinosa, Willd.), sub-arboreous,
diffuse, branches armed with long, sharp, somewhat
reflexed spines: leaves obovate, oblong,glabrous,
shining : male flowers capitate, distinct ; female ones
aggregated, immersed in a fleshy head : styles long
filiform: cotyledons unequal, folded, the larger one
enclosing the smaller.
A rather common plant in thick jungles near the
coast, it also occurs in the interior, but less frequently.
1964. Dorstenia Indïca (R. W.), herbaceous at
first, procumbent and rooting, afterwards ascending,
erect : stem and petiols pilose : leaves penninerved,
elliptic or elliptico-lanceolate, unequally serrated towards
the apex, sparingly hairy above, jnore thickly
on the veins beneath : peduncles axillâry, solitary,
cernuous or drooping : receptacle peltate, variously
lobed on the margin.
In moist shady woods on the Pulney Mountains,
Courtallum, Neilgherries.
The plant found in these various localities seems
to be quite the same species, though it varies a little
in its habit and aspect ; in some specimens the fruit
is more erect than those shown in the figure, which
seem to me rather too decidedly drooping as if the
drawing was made from plants beginning to soften
and wither ; but with that exception, the figure correctly
représents a rather luxuriant form of the
species.
1965. P ogonotrophe macrocarpa (Miquel), arboreous,
climbing : rarnuli, petiols and under surface
of the young leaves pubescent: leaves long petioled,
ovate-equal, or somewhat unequal-sided, abruptly
narrow acuminate, rounded at the base, 3-5-nerved,
2-3, costulate, fugaciously puberulous above : receptacles
glomerate, globose, pubescent, spotted. Fruit
green, white spotted, size of an orange.
Pulney Mountains, in woods climbing on other
trees, in fruit during October..
Miquel, when he referred this plant to his genus
Pogonotrophe, had not seen the drawing of the fruit,
nor had he dissected it, whence I infer his reference
of this plant to that genus is a mere guess. The
drawing from which my plate is taken was made on
the spot, but most unfortunately without an analysis
of the contained flowers, whence I am unable to determine
with certainty its genus, but infer from its habit
and general aspect that it is more properly referable
to Covellea than Pogonotrophe and, as such, seems
very nearly allied to the following.
1966. Cove Elia guttata (R. W.), arboreous, scandent,
the branches afterwards ascending: branches
glabrous and smooth, young rarnuli pubescent : leaves
ovate cordate, acuminate, 3-nerved, entire, smooth
and glabrous above, villous beneath : receptacles glomerate
on the older branches, pubescent: perianth
six-lobed, lobes lanceolate, equaling or exceeding the
length of the ovary : stigma dilated, ciliate, umbilicate.
Orange Valley near Kotergherry, Neilgherries, on
the banks of the stream, flowering August and September.
In the receptacles, cut for examination, no
male flowers were found, hence this appears a dioi-
cous species. I t seems very distinct from all ' those
defined by Miquel.
1967. U rostigma religiosum (Gasparrini, Miq.),
leaves long petioled, ovate cordate, narrow acuminate
(acumen £ the length of the leaf) entire, or repandly
undulate towards the apex: sinus.at the base broad
or truncated.
A common tree all over India, and so much respected
by the natives that they will not willingly
injure or cut it down, even to clear a line for a road,
and I have known them rather work round one than
cut it down. There are two nearly allied species
with which it is liable to be confounded, but I believe
the one represented is the genuine form.
1968. H oloptelea integrifolia (Planch. Annal.
des Sciences, Nat. Ser. 3. v. 10, Ulmus integrifolia,
Roxb.).
A considerable tree not uncommon along the foot
of the Hills and pretty generally, though sparingly,
distributed over the Coimbatore district. Leaves distichous,
entire, alternate, ovate, or cordato-ovate, obtuse,
shining: flowers fascicled, appearing during the
spring months when the tree is nearly destitute of
leaves, male, female and hermaphrodite flowers, mixed
in the same fascicles. Calyx 4-8-parted, h airy :
stamens 7-9, scarcely longer than the calyx: ovary
pedicelled, oval, compressed; styles two, nearly as
long as the ovary, fruit compressed, winged all round,
seed----- •?
The specimens represented are too young to show
the mature fruit, to do justice to which would require
a separate plate, neither were the available fruit sufficiently
mature to admit of the seed being properly
analysed.
This tree has been removed from the old genus
Ulmus, by M. Planchon, principally on account of its
polygamous flowers and deeply parted calyx, added
to some differences in the structure of the seed. As
yet it stands alone in the genus. The analyses of the
ovary and fruit are less perfect than I could have
wished, but in other respects the figures are good.
1969. Celtis W ighth (Planchon, 1. c. p. 307),
leaves oblong, abruptly acuminate, somewhat acute
at the base, quite entire, 3-nerved; lateral pair of
nerves extending from the base to the apex : stipules
produced below their point of insertion (that is, somewhat
peltate): cymes polygamous (male and hermaphrodite),
about the length of the petiols or sometimes
twice as long: berry ovate; shortly rostrate,
smooth.
An extensively distributed small tree or large shrub;
frequent in the sub-alpine jungles covering the slopes
of the hills, and on the Neilgherries ascending to an
elevation of from 4000. to 6000 feet. Flowers pale
bluish, flowering September and October, or probably
nearly throughout the year.
1970. Celtis serotina (Planch. 1. c. p. 301), leaves
obliquely ovate, acuminate, acute at the base, serrated
from the apex to below the middle, glabrous; inflorescence
axillary or from the axils of fallen leaves:
fructiferous pedicels usually 3 together, one free the
other two united at the base: berry nearly oval,
glabrous.
A considerable, and when in full leaf, a handsome
tree, flowering during the spring months while the
young leaves are developing. I t is extensively distributed
over the plateau of the Hills, but some of
the finest specimens I have seen of it are growing
on the bank in front of Stonehouse. The specific