MUDILLA Barringtonia speciosa Forest.

(Order: Myrtaceae), Berringtonia is derived from the name Barrington in whose honour it was named, an English naturalist and antiquary. Speciosa refers to the beauty of the large flowers. Description: An evergreen tree with large leathery foliage attaining a height of 40 to 60 ft. Leaves 10 to 14 in. long by 4 to 7 in. wide, leathery, shining obovate, narrowed into the petiole, tip rounded. Flowers, large, in bunches at the ends of the branches. Calyx dividing into two, petals 4, surrounding the dense tuft of thread-like stamens. Fruit bluntly four-angled, pendulous, crowned with the persistent calyx and the remains of the style, fibrous, containing a single seed. Distribution: India, near the sea. Gardening: Propagated by seed. It grows into a handsome tree, and is sometimes planted along roadsides. Uses: None known, Note: As the Mudilla generally grows on the banks of rivers and lagoons its fruit is specially adapted for transport by water it is a good example of a water-dispersed seed. The flowers appear from July to September.