opposita. Flores ve'tficilluti sessiles. Itisintruth the only
plant of the genus in Ceylon, having sessile verticelled
flowers. In his generic character he describes the anthers,
antherce subrotundee, the pistil germen subrotandum striatum,
stylus, nulus. Stigma quadrifidum persistens, and
finally, the pericarp. Pomum subrotandum octies sulcatum
octoloculare—showing clearly that the character of the
flower and ovary is taken from one species, and of the fruit
from a different, owing to the imperfection of his specimens
and his not being aware that the lobes of the stigma
afford a sure indication of the number of cells of the fruit.
His Cambogia, however, baring this error is certainly the
Gamboge plant of Ceylon, which is further established, as
Dr. Graham, informs us, by the examination of the specimen
in Herman’s.Herbarum, “ which may be considered
the type of Linnaeus’ Cambogia gutta"—If therefore that
plant is to be elevated to the rank of a genus I should
say his name ought unquestionably to be retained with
an amended character, and Botany relieved from the
unseemly allusion conveyed under the new one. If
Murray’s Stalagmitis is on account of priority to supplant
Roxburgh’s Xanthochymus, much more must Lmneeus
Cambogia supplant Graham’s Hebradendron, partly for the
same reason, priority, but principally, because Dr. Graham
knew when he gave the name, that his plant was identical
with that of Linnaeus, while it was almost impossible
that Roxburgh could ever recognize his Xanthochymus
in Murray’s character of Stalagmitis, made up as it is, from
two genera (Garcinia and Xanthochymus) so distract as
not to be referable even to the same natural order. In my
opinion Stalagmitis ought to be suppressed, and Xanthochymus
retained, .
In my collection there are specimens ot 1 minx,
though not without some doubt, a third species, referable
to this section, (fruit sulcated) the fruit is 4-celled, with
four deep abrupt furrows, and of an oblong conical shape.
14. G. conicarpa (R.W.) Fruit conical, 4-seeded, 4-fur-
rowed, furrows angular: leaves sub-spathulate, very
obtuse, longish petioled: flowers sub-sessile in the terminal
axils.: (?) male—stamens few, 8-12, filaments
united into a slender column, equalling the sepals.
Hab. Female—Shevagherry hills in deep mountain,
-ealleys—Male: Ceylon. I have introduced a mark of
doubt before the character of the male, from feeling uncertain,
on account of the very different stations,whether
or not it appertains to the same species.. In the form of
the leaves and position of the flowers they agree.
§ III. Anthers sessile, depressed-flattened above, l-cel-
led, dehiscing circularly, fcircumscissilej. Cambogia-Zira.
15. G. gutta (R.W.) Flowers sessile, aggregated in the
axils of the leaves, apparently verticelled round the
articulations of the branches where the leaves have
fallen, fruit globose, about the size of a cherry, 4-seeded,
leaves from broad lanceolate, to rhomboidal, obtusely
attenuated at both ends. ,
Ceylon frequent, not uncommon about Colombo, and
crenerally on the south-west coast of the island.
° Cambogia gutta Lin. Hebradendron Cambogioides, Graham,
Hooker’s Comp. Bot. Mag. with all his synonyms, including
the above of Linnaeus. Lind: Flor.Med. R. W.
Ill -. Ind. Bot. tab. 44.
16. G. pictoria, (Roxb.) Flowers axillary, solitary, an-
thers of the male flower “ peltate’’ of the female “ 2-
lobed and seemingly fertile” fruit, very slightly furrowed
between the seeds; seeds four.
Hab.—Malabar and Wynaad, jungles.
Though I consider this a distinct species I am unable
from an examination of Roxburgh’s drawing and description,
to assign better character^. The difference of
the anthers of the- female flowers afford the best mane,
which in the former are like the male “ peltate,” in this
2-lobed and 2-celled, (the ordinary structure) and of
course reducing the value of that character as a generic
distinction.
17. G. elliptica ? (Wall.) Leaves large, coriaceous, elliptic,
obtuse, abruptly and shortly acuminated : female-
flowers sessile, axillary, ovary 4-_celled, anthers circum-
sciSsile.
Hab.—Mergui.
My specimens of this plant were communicated by
Mr. Griffith, they are the female only and somewhat
past flower. I was however enabled to refer it to this
section, by the examination of some anthers which were
still attached, and also by the habit, especially the sessile
flowers. The leaves are longish petioled, and at
least three times the size of those of . the Ceylon plant,
of an oval shape, and very little attenuated at either
base or apex. I refer it doubtfully to Wallich’s elliptica,
on the authority of Dr. Graham, who states that it
G. elliptica Wall, agrees in the character of the anthers
with his Ceylon specimens.
Do the following belong to this section; and are they
distinct species ?
18. G. lateriflora, (Blume, Bijd. 1, page 215). Ramuli
roundish, leaves elliptic oblong, obtusely acuminated,
acute at the base, coriaceous: flowers congested, lateral,
sessile—(Calyx 4 sepals, petals 4, stamens monadel-
phous, in a single series; ovary, 4-celled; stigma sessile,
multifid: berry globose, 4-celled—a tree 40-50 feet high.)
Obs.—The female flowe. only o f th is, seems to be
known whence he infers the species is hermaphrodite,
and on that account distinct from.
19. G.javanica, (Blume, 1. c.) Ramuli roundish, leaves
oval, acute at both ends, blunt pointed, coriaceous:
flowers congested, sessile, aggregated, (allied to G.
dioica)—a tree 30 feet high, flowers dioicous, yellowish,
ovary slightly furrowed, 4-celled.
Obs.— The sessile aggregated flowers and 4-celled
fruit of both these plants, leads me to suspect that they
both belong to this section, and that they are but varieties
of the same species.
Species imperfectly known.
20. G. gutta, Roxb. Hort. Beng. Wall, list N. 4868.
21. G. boolncowa, Roxb. 1. c.
22. G. bkumicowa, Wall. 1. 4858'.
- 23. G. fascicularis, Wall. 1. 4853.
24. G. afflnis, Wall. 1. 4854.
25. G. heterandra, Wall. 1. 4856.
26. G. corymbosa, Wall- 1. 4859.
27. G. umbilifera, Roxb. 1. c. and Wall. 1. 4864..
28. G. lobulosa, Wall. 1. 4868..
29. G. elliptica, Wall. 1. 4869.
30. G. Choisyana, Wall. 1. 4870:
31. G. acuminata, Wall. 1. 4871-
32. G. euginifolia, Wall. 1. 4873.
Species excluded'.
G. maldbarica, (Desrous) Lam. diet. Dyospyros species ?.
G.. elliptica, (Choisy). Stamens pentadelphous Xan-
thochymus species ? .. , ,,
? G. longifolia, (Blume). “ Stigmate, sub. 5—radiato
Xanthochymus species ?
A large tree with opposite elliptic, oblong, coriaceous
leaves, acute at both ends. Peduncles congested, axillary,
1 -flowered.
1 . G. axillaris, (Blume). Java on the heights of Salak,
flowers October and May.
This genus seems to form the connecting link between
Guttiferce and Hypericineai, having the quaternary
flowers of the one and the poly3porous cells of the
ovarium of the other. It associates better with Garci-
nieas than Calophyllieae, on.account of the ovules being
attached to the axis, not the base of the cells as in that
sub-order.
SUBORDER—CALOPHYLLIE.3S.
Section I.—Mesue.*»
Mesua.—Lin.
The species of this genus seem to be involved in considerable
obscurity, apparently owing to no one having
had an opportunity of comparing specimens from different:
countries. The original M. ferrea is from Ceylon,
and is well described by Linnseus in his flora Zey-
lanica. He quotes Rheede Mai. 3 t. 53, as a synonym,
and in that, it is my impression he is right, though the
figure represents a specimen greatly exceeding, in the
size of its leaves and flowers, those I have from Ceylon.
This however, Choisy has separated from the Linnaean
plant, and called it M. speciosa, a very appropriate name,
which, until furnished with better materials I shall not
attempt to disturb. He (Choisy) quotes as. an authority
for his M. ferrea, a figure of Rumphius 7 tab. 2. This
figure I have not an opportunity of C®nsulting as my
copy is incomplete, in that part, but I have reason to
believe the synonym erroneous, as I have specimens
from Mergui, communicated by Mr. Griffith, which seem
exactly to quadrate with his character, though quite
distinct from the Ceylon plant. Roxburgh again describes
under the same name a plant differing from both,
and readily distinguished by having its flowers terminal,
rarely axillary, “ solitary or in pairs” a character which
perfectly corresponds with specimens communicated to
me by Dr. Wallich, under Roxburgh’s name, M. ferrea.
The M. ferrea again of our Prodromus appears different
from all the others in the diminutive size of its leaves
and flowers, and in wanting the thick coating of white
bloom on the under surface of its leaves so conspicuous
on the Ceylon plant. The M. ferrea, of Blume, I cannot
with certainty refer to any of the above,' unless perhaps
to my Mergui plant, and that merely on account of
the introduction of the words “ pedunculis axillaribus”
indicative of the presence of a conspichous peduncle, which
it has, while all the others have the flowery nearly
sessile, or on very short peduncles. These various forms
may be thus characterized and designated.
1. M. speciosa, (Choisy D. C. prod. I, page 562).
Leaves very long, linear, lanceolate, acute: flowers sub-
sessile; petals roundish,'regular: ripe fruit 4-seeded.
Rheede, Hort. Mai. 3, t. 53, excluding all other syno- «
nyms.
Woods of Malabar. _ -
2. M. ferrea, (Lin. sp. 734). Leaves lanceolate, acute
at both ends, ending in a long tapering acumen, bright
shining green above, beneath white, from a thickxsh
coating of a pulverulent or scaly incrustation: flowers
axillary, solitary, subsessile.
Ceylon, frequent.
A beautiful tree,with numerous large, yellow, fragrant
flowers, d eb a tin g its slender pendulous ramuli: altogether,
when in flower, one of the most ornamental trees
I hare ever seen.
3. M. Roxburghii, (R. W.) Leaves lanceolate, shortly
acuminate, acute, coriaceous, bright shining green above,
glaucous beneath, flowers terminal, solitary, or paired
(one from the axil of each terminal leaf,) short pedicelled,
petals subunguiculate, obcordate, curled on the margin,
“ capsule about the size of a crab apple, nearly round
with an acute point, 1-celled, 1-4 seeded, the partition
nearly obliterated, 2-valved.”
M. ferrea, Roxb. FI. Ind. 2, page 605.
Bengal about Calcutta.
This is perhaps too closely allied to the former, the
principal difference being in the flower bearing rarnuli,
of this having but one or at most two flowers confined
to the apex, while in the other they occupy the axils of
many pairs of leaves all along the branch. It has besides
the appearance of being a much more rigid plant
than the -Ceylon one. The terminal solitary flowers
mentioned by Roxburgh 30 years ago, is still the same
in my specimens gathered last year, and probably from
very different plants from those which he described, a
circumstance affording considerable collateral support
to the opinion that they are distinct species.
4; M. coromandelina, (R.W.) Leaves narrow lanceolate,
ending in a long tapering blunt pointed acumen, bright
shining green above, paler beneath, but scarcely glaucous
: flowers .axillary and terminal; peduncles shorter
than the petfols.
M._ ferrea, W. and A. Prod.
Courtallum in woods.
A very handsome tree. The very diminutive size of
the leaves and flowers of this, as compared, with those
of all the preceding, not less than the disappearance of
the white glaucous crust so conspicuous on all the
others, lead me to consider it distinct- The leaves
which in these are from 5 to 7 inches long and Id to
1 £ broad, do not in this exceed 2 1 long by about! an
inch in breadth, the flowers are small in proportion.
5. M. pedunculata, (R. W.) Leaves lanceolate, acute,
somewhat abruptly acuminated, glaucous beneath :
flowers axillary, large, frequently paired, peduncles
about twice the length of the petiols.
M. ferrea, ? Choisy, D. C. Prod. Blume, Bijd.
Mergui.-—Communicated by Wm. Griffith, Esq.
The long peduncled twin flowers of this species,
readily distinguish it from all the preceding, and proclaim
the tree a very beautiful one when in full flower.
Section II.—Calophyi.leæ.
; Calophyllum—-Lin.
The very; peculiar venation of the leaves at once distinguishes
this genus, almost without reference to the
fructification, but the discrimination of the species is
by no means so ègsy, indeed the circumstance that marks
them out as members of the same family, a strong family
likeness, equally serves to render difficult their distinction
from each othér. They do however afford some
useful sectional marks in the number of parts composing
the floral envelopes. In all, these parts, whether we
choose to call them calyx or corolla, ar'e petaloid ; to
avoid therefore the inconvenience that might arise from
calling parts sepals, which if removed from the flower
and laid side by side with others occupying thé placé of
petals, could not by external characters, be distinguished,
I shall group the whôle Under the intermediate term
perianth, and subdivide the genus into sections, depending
not on the number of sepals or petals, which
in the estimation of some Botanists, seem, in this genus,
to be convertible terms, but according to the number of
leaves of the perianth, the first section having 12, the