EXPLANATION OF PLATES.
VOL. III.—PAKT II.
816. Mappa MottJCCANA (Spreng—Ricinus mappa Lin.
Acalypha mappa Willd.) dioicous j leaves peltate cordate
entire acute : spikes panicled : (Roxb.) panicles of male
flowers axillary: bracteasalternate, sessile, cordate, con*
cave, deutate, ciliate, many flowered : flowers very small;
calyx 2 parted reflexed stamens about 8, filaments longer
than the calyx. Roxb. FI. Ind. 3 p. 690.
Amboyna and Eastern Islands.
Roxburgh’s description of the flowers of his plant is
deficient by omitting to notice the stamens and anthers.
On this account I am unable to identify specimens from
Moulmain of apparently the same plant, (tho’ differing in
some respects from his figure) except that in mine the
calyx is three not two parted : in it also the anthers are
peltate, deeply divided into 4 globose cells, not mentioned
here but described under his Osyris peltata.
118. SpinAcea TETBAtfDEA(Roxb.Steven ? Moq.Tand.?)
annual erect: leaves variously lobed: flowers hispid,
sessile; the male ones tetrandrous, the female calyx 2
parted. Roxb. FI. Ind. 3 p. 771«
Ilab. much cultivatedin Bengal.
I have quoted the S. tetrandra of Steven and Moq,
Tandon with doubt, the character of the latter not agreeing
817. Mappa ? peltata (R. W. Osyris peltata Roxb.
Macaranga ? Pet. Thour.) Arborious, leaves peltate ovate
cordate entire (Roxb.) male panieles axillary : bracteas
many flowered : flowers exceedingly minute ; calyx three ■
parted ; stamens three ; anthers peltate four celled ; cells
covered -with lids, (Roxb.) female, calyx 3 parted ; ovary
superior covered with yellow glutinous grains usually (by
abortion ?) one sometimes two celled ; style short, lateral,
springing from near the base of the ovary, ending in one,
sometimes two, long reflexed subulate stigmas ; ovule attached
near the base of the ovary opposite the insertion
©f the style, ascending : capsule 2 valved, fleshy, about the
size of a pea, dehissing vertically'; seed globose ascending :
integuments three—exterior smooth shining blackish ;
the middle one nuciform black, thick, hard and rough
on the outside; between it and the exterior tunic is a
quantity of soft whitish pulp; the inner one pure white
and very thin : embryo obliquely inverse, enclosed in a
copious albumen ; cotyledons foliaceous cordate 3 nerved
plumula minute ; radicle pointing obliquely upwards towards
the apex of the seed.
Circars Roxb., Malabar and Eastern, slopes of Neil-
gherries.
This exlended character is taken partly from my own
dissections, but principally from Roxburgh’s description
and is given with a view to showing that the Mappa of A.
de Jussieu and the Osyris of Roxburgh are generically
congeners even though in this species the stamens are
usually only 3 and the ovaries solitary, and further it
seems probable that they must all be referred to Du Petit
Thouars’ genus Macaranga between which and Mappa
the plant now under consideration seems, to me, to form
the connecting link ; with however the weighty objections
that in it the ovule and seed are said to be pendulous
from the apex of the cell and the calyx to be 4
parted while in this the one is ascending and the other
3 cleft. But even with these diffeiences to be explained,
I think it probable a careful investigation of all the
known species of both genera will show that they can
be reconciled and all brought under one generic denomination,
the plants themselves being very like. Should this
not prove the case then, as surmised by Roxb, in a MS.
note on the drawing, this must constitute the type of new genus and possibly with the other two form the
type of a small suborder«
well with Roxburgh’s figure and description. Steudel
(Nomenclator Botan.) is equally in deubt but he seems
either not to be aware of the existence of Roxburgh’s
Flora Indica, or if he is, does not quote it,preferring Wal-
lich’s catalogue, as if the one might be safely and satisfactorily
substituted for the other. Should this be his
opinion he could not have fallen into a greater error; the
catalogue being a work not published and of no authority,
though well adapted to fulfil the end preposed, that,
namely, of supplying a temporary and convenient expedient
by which numerous undescribed plants, distributed among
Botanists, might be distinguished and thereby, rendered
available to the advancement of Botanical Science,
pending their more caieful determination by numerous
eminent Botanists who undertook to aid the author
of the catalogue in carrying out the munificent intentions
of the Indian Home Government, by the publication
of descriptive monographs of the different
natural orders intrusted to their care for that purpose.
Roxburgh’s work on the contrary is one of high authority,
the result of years of diligent application and careful
study of the numerous species described, as well as figured
in his most extensive and unique collection of drawings
: to the general accuracy of which representations
this work bears most ample testimony. In this point of
view Dr. Wallich’s catalogue wa9 most useful to all who
received his plants, and is in the hands of but few besides.
The burthening therefore of our Science, already
overwhelmed with synonyms, by the addition of the numerous
undefined names of that list, was an error scarcely
exceeded by the exclusion of Roxburgh’s Flora from
the list of authorities quoted in that otherwise invaluable
compilation, his names being generally well defined
and his plants for the most part elaborately described.
819. AntideSma uuneas (Spreng. Stilago Bunias Lin
Roxb.) Arboreous; leaves alternate entire, lanceolate oblong
polished : spikes axillary and, terminal : male flowers
triandrous with an abortive column in the centre. Roxb.
FI. Ind. 3, p. 758.
Nepal, Amboyna, Malabar all claim this as a native. It
is a tree of quick growth and particularly beautiful when
loaded with its numerous bunches of ripe, shining, deep
red fruit, which are subacid and palatable.—Roxb.
820. Antidesma paniculata. (Roxb. Willd.) Spikes
panicled: leaves round oval villous : stigma stellate drupe
round. Roxb. FI. Ind. 3 p. 770.
A small tree with light ash coloured bark, flowering in
April. Spikes terminal and axillary, panicled; flowers
small quinary, male ones with an abortive pistil: ovary
embraced by a yellow villous disk, stigmas 5 stellate;
a
drupe round, dark purple when ripe and of a pleasant
subacid taste : nut one seeded, embryo inrerse enclosed in
albumen. Roxb.