stalks, from which the genus can be ascertained, as was done by Dr. Wight some years before
the publication of Mr. Royle’s catalogue. The name used in Hindoostan has been introduced
into Arabic, Persian, Teloogoo, and Tamul. A tree called by the Mahrattas “ malkanee,” the
seeds of which afford an oil, grows in the forest of Dongatal, north of Nagpore, but I did not
see the tree nor am I sure that it is the same.151 T he seeds differ in quality, sometimes from
age, but I have seen very fresh ones of inferior quality, apparently from their being pulled too
soon. When new, the seeds are partially surrounded by a yellow unctuous tasteless farina, and
when they are reduced to powder they form a paste from which a yellow oil, having in some
degree the qualities of the seeds, may be expressed. These have a hot biting taste, permanent
in the palate, and if many of them are masticated, a sense of giddiness and a peculiar slight
sensation extending over the face and brow are felt«. A very slight taste and no acrimony is
given to water distilled from them, and the oil on the surface of the residuum is bland. The
seeds retain their taste. It was evident from this, that their virtues did not reside either in a
fixed or volatile oil. Some of the seeds were coarsely powdered, and alcohol rubbed up with
them and afterwards filtered; it had acquired a light yellow tinge. On this being dropped into
water, an immediate separation of the resin it held in solution took place, in a white flake,
which had a strong biting acrid taste exactly like that of the seeds, but much more powerful,
and in which it appears the virtues of the plant reside. T he alcoholic solution evaporated,
leaves a beautiful yellow resinous paste which also possesses the qualities of the seeds. The
black oil itself is a thick deep brown fluid, burning with a white flame and not acted on by
acids. Its specific gravity is, at ninety, 1097,5, which is higher than any of the fixed oils; its
taste is rough, bitterish and acrid, its smell empyreumatic and peculiar. Water distilled from
it is limpid, but has a good deal of the taste of the seeds, and the oil floating on the water in
the retort is tasteless. The oil when rubbed up with alcohol forms a deep olive brown partial
solution, and there is only a thick oily matter left on the filter, which has much less taste than
the oil itself or the oily tincture. This last, on being dropped into water, separates into a white
flake sinking in the water and of the same quality as that obtained from the alcoholic solution
of the seeds, and a fixed black oil having a slight bitter oily taste. On the mixture of the'-oil
and alcohol standing for some time, the fixed oil partly separates from the tincture ; and seems
to pass through the filter with, but not dissolved by it. From these observations it appears,
that the resin is combined with the oils existing in the-ingredients employed, which are partly
converted into an empyreumatic compound, and thus acquire the property of partially dissolving
the resin.”
R em a r k s o n G e n e r a a n d S p e c i e s . Five genera only of this order had been met with in
this country at the time we published pur Prodromus, since then I have added one (leones Plant.
No. 162) intermediate between Celastrus and Euonymus. Of these I find Meisner proposes
to change the name of one, substituting Schrebera for Elceodendron. Our Elceodendron being
in truth Retz’s Schrebera but not Linnaeus’, I confess I am not prepared to coincide with him in
this alteration, for so far as I can see, he has not afforded satisfactory reasons for doing so: the
characters of his genera Elceodendron and Schrebera, with the exception of the seed, being in effect
the same. It appears to me, he has been induced to change our name, partly by a remark of ours to
the effect that “ if Gmrtner be correct in describing the fruit of El. orientate, the type of the genus,
as a 3-celled drupe, the seeds with a fleshy albumen, and remarkably thin membranous -cotyledons,
then the Indian species must be removed.” This passage is guarded by an i f—and not without
reason, since it does not appear by any means certain, that Gaertner’s E. indicum, is identical with
Jacquant’s E. orientate, on the contrary, he (Jacquant) particularly mentions the 2 -celled
nut, which renders their identity very doubtful. With reference to the only other distinction
assigned, viz. the seed being exalbuminous with thick cotyledons in the one; and sparingly fur-
nished with albumen and having thin foliaceous cotyledons in the other; I consider it a mark of
inferior importance, and object to it the more, as being in this instance a very unnecessary refinement,
and but little applicable to general practice, where we have so often to distinguish genera
from flowering specimens only. For these reasons I cannot with my present information adopt
the innovation. A curious blunder of Meisner’s may be here noticed, as it seems not improbable
it had some influence in leading him to make two genera, where I think one might have
served—He says, “ Obs. Schrebera stamina apud Schreb. (gen. 446) et Juss. 1. c. (gen. plant)
decuntur basi inlus squamulis minutis ciliatis prcedita, quarum vero nulla facta est mentio in
char-generico apud. W. and Arn.” The error here is, in supposing the Schrebera of Linnaeus
and Betz the same—the Linnaean plant to which the squamulis minutis ciliatis belongs, is a
species of Cusuita—and the Linnaean S. schinoides was Cuscuta Africana growing on a Myrica.
In the Schrebera of Betz no such character exists, and as already remarked, I think it an
unnecessary genus, and regret to see it taken up anew, by so excellent a Botanist as Meisner,
in a work so likely from its general accuracy to have an extensive circulation and to be looked
up to as one of considerable authority.
The genus Lophopetalum is characterized by having a 5-lobed calyx: 5 petals, each furnished
with a crest, inserted under the margin of the torus : 5 stamens inserted on the surface of the
disk; a broad 5-lobed disk covering the whole hollow of the calyx, the lobes opposite, covering,
and adnate with the base of the petals, and a 3-celled superior ovary with two rows of ascending
collateral ovules in each cell.
This genus is exactly intermediate between Celastrus and Euonymus, having the 3-celled
ovary and quinary petals of the former combined with the insertion of the stamens on the face
of the disk the cymose inflorescence and opposite leaves of the latter. It differs from
Celastrus in habit and in the insertion of its stamens; and from Euonymus in the unequal
number of the cells of its ovary and petals, and in the cells being polysporous. Adopting
these last as the essential characters of the genus, the crested petals, from which it takes its
name, and the lobed disk may be viewed as characters of secondary importance, and thus a
third species, of which 1 have specimens, partaking of the essential characters but wanting the
others, might be introduced. Dr. Arnott proposes to add as a fourth species Wallich’s Euonymus
grandiflorus, which I cannot adopt, owing to its having 4 petals, 4 stamens, and a 4-celled
ovary, thus virtually destroying what I consider the essential character of the genus, namely,
the inequality existing between the floral envelopes and cells of the ovary. That plant ought
perhaps to form the type of a genus, distinct from Euonymus, depending on its numerous ovules
and seed but ought not to be allowed to mar the uniformity of this, by combining under one
name, plants having symmetrical and insymmetrical flowers.
The genus Euonymus though not very extensive will I suspect require revision, but this
cannot be undertaken until we are better acquainted with the fruit. Some new species of it are
found on the Neilgherries of which I have specimens communicated by Mr. Gough, an enterprising
young Botanist, who explored much of these elevated regions, but who is, unhappily for
science, forced by bad health to leave the scene of his usefulness. Two of these can be readily-
defined, the rest cannot be satisfactorily made out and must be left for future investigation,
since, it is worse than useless to name plants which we have not the means of describing with
sufficient precision to admit of their being afterwards recognized from the description.
Judging from a solitary not very perfect specimen in my herbarium of the Eu.fimbriatus
Wall, a native of the Himalayas, communicated by the late Countess of Dalhousie, it appears,
that that species belongs to the genus Pterocelastrus of Meisner, one hitherto only found at the
Cape. My specimen is not in fruit' but the ovaries, shortly after the fall of the flowers, show
the wings of the carpels already well formed; The specimen is from Masoori, and has much
the habit of an Euonymus. This plant along E. japonicus, equally a native of Nepaul and
Japan, adds another to the, already existing, numerous links, between the floras of these
remote countries.
LOPHOPETALUM, (R. W.)
Calyx scutelliform, 5-lobed, lobes rounded, short.
Petals 5, sessile, orbiculate, expanding, usually, furnished
with a crest, and covered near the base with
the projecting lobes of the disk. Torus discoid, 5-lobed,
or angled, thick, fleshy^ covering the whole cavity of
the calyx, the lobes adnate to the base of the petals.
Stamens 5, alternate with the petals, inserted on the
disk, anthers versatile, ovate, 2-celled, dehiscing longitudinally,
ovary free, 3-celled, ovules in a double series,
4-12, inL each cell, ascending, style short, persistent,
stigma obtuse, capsule — /s e ed—.
Glabrous trees; or shrubs, leaves opposite, petioled.
Flowers numerous, oh large spreading terminal cymes:
Petals sometimes without a crest and the disk not
lobed.
In the construction of this character, which is considerably
altered from that published in the leones I have
availed myself both of a more extended acquaintance
with the .order, derived from recent study, and of Dr.
Arnott’s character, which reached me as this article
was passing through the prtsss, to improve it to the utmost,
and at the same time, so to fix its limits as to
prevent them interfering with those of Euonymus,which