1851. BX.ACKWEX.MA TETRANDRA (R. W.), leaves
ovate, bluntly serrated, abruptly sub-acuminate:
spikes about the length of the leaves, erect: limb of
the perianth 8-parted, the interior lobes larger, intermediate
glands sessile on the throat: stamens four,
exserted, stigmas 4, filiform.
The station whence my specimens were obtained
is not mentioned, but I have it from several stations;
the Pulney Mountains, I think, one of them. In the
analysis the artist has represented a 3-carpelled ovary
and four stigmas. This I find an error, as on reexamination
I can easily find 4-placentas, not three,
as shown in the plate. _ As however his skill in
making these dissections is gi*eater than mine, and his
sight better, I hardly feel myself at liberty to set this
discrepancy down as an error, since it seems possible
he may have stumbled on an accidental variety.
According to theory, there should either be 2 or 4,
not three; the latter I found in several instances.
1852. Thesium Wightianum (Wall.), sufiruti-
cose, diffuse, procumbent: leaves narrow linear or
somewhat subulate: flowers terminal, solitary on the
points of the young shoots, 5-cleft, minute; lobes of
the perianth ciliate. Anthers roundish, glabrous.
Neilgherries, frequent in grassy pastures. A very-
inconspicuous plant, but from its abundance not likely
to be overlooked. This, so far as I am aware, is the
only species of the genus found in Southern India.
One species is described by Mr. Edgeworth from the
Himalayas, but it is very different from this, having
K racemose flowers.
In this species the flowers are usually solitary,
surrounded with a whoii of 4 leaves, the outer pair
I larger; sometimes there are two flowers from the
I same branch, but so far as I have noticed this is
I rather rare.
| The hairy anthers which have accidentally found
R then’ way into the upper comer of the plate do not
I belong to this plant.
I 1853. Ostris Wightiana (Wall.), shrubby, very
ramous, everywhere glabrous; young shoots 3-sided,
with prominent sharp angles: leaves from oblong
elliptico-lanceolate to elliptic obovate, mucronate:
male flowers umbellato-capitulate, peduncles axillary,
shorter than the leaves, 6-8-flowered, female peduncles
axillary, 1-3-flowered, lengthening as the fruit
advances: ovary conical, limb of the perianth 3-
lobed, spreading: anthers often pollenifei-ous, style
short, stigma 3-lobed.
An alpine plant, found on almost every high range
or hills. I have specimens from all quarters, Ceylon,
Ckauts near Bombay, Pulneys, 3STeilgherries, Belgaum,
&c- Rdoefc not however seem to extend so far north
as the Himalayas. Among my specimens I find some
or the male flowers covered with short thick hairs
as shown in the plate, others perfectly smooth. The
r itterence I think accidental, and not of specific value.
are usually paired, axillary, very long, interrupted ;
the flowers forming numerous sessile fascicles, not
properly capitulate, as represented in the figure, but
side by side on the rachis, without the least appearance
of pedicel. The fruit is an oval somewhat flattened
nut, about an inch long, and half an inch broad,
the seed exalbuminous, filling the whole cavity. The
stamens shown in the figure are rudimentary, without
pollen.
1855. H ernandia sonora (Linn.), leaves peltate.
. The specimen from which the drawing was made
I received from Ceylon. I do not know whether it
is indigenous there, but it is so in the Eastern Islands,
and is figured by Rumphius in his Herbarium Amboi-
nense. I t is introduced here with a view to giving
Indian Botanists the means of determining by comparison,
any new genus referable to this order. The
glanduliferous stamens, similar to those of Lauracea,
furnish a generic, not an ordinal, character. The
other species have ovate leaves; hence the present is
distinguished by the brief character given above.
1856. E laeagnus latifolia (Linn.), leaves ovate,
oblong or elliptic, acute: flowers axillary, solitary or
two or three together, fruit drupaceous, succulent, redl
Common in alpine forests, very abundant on the
Neilgherries where it forms a large almost arboreous
climbing shrub. I do not know in what respect this
differs from Roxbui’gli’s E . conferta, which, so far as
I can judge from description, it greatly resembles.
Possibly his plant is not distinct from the Linnman
one. The species of Elaagnus are now numerous,
but the distinctive characters not always very obvious
as the species seem variable. The one here
represented certainly is so. The fruit is edible, and
moreover forms a good taxi; fruit.
1857. P yrrhosia IIorsfeeldii (Blume), leaves
alternate, oblong, acute, veined, rusty pubescent
beneath: flowers capitato-panicled. Spreng.
Ceylon. I am- indebted to Mrs. Col. Walker for
the veiy perfect, drawing from which this plate is
taken. The male branch is somewhat reduced, the
female one, fig. 10, about the natural size, as are figs.
1, 2, and 3 ; from 4 to 9 are all magnified; 4, female
flower opened, 5, in its usual state, 6, germen and
stigma, 7, group of female flowers, 8, male flower
opened, 9, the same in its usual state.
This plant has thrice passed through the ordeal of
naming. First, Willdenow called it Horsfieldia odorata.
Sprengel reduced that name and called it Myristica
Horsfieldii, which name I a t first adopted; and then
Blume gave it its present, which I hope may now be
permanent, even though the distinction seems to be as
much due to habit as to structural characters, which
seem barely sufficient to keep the two genera distinct.
The seed of this genus want the aromatic properties
of the true nutmeg.
I 1854. Sarcostigma R leinu, (W. & A .)
I i« 4^way in Malabar (near Cochin). This
mniT<i y sPecies yet known of the genus, and the
■ intr V . kas yet to be discovei’ed. I t is a -climb-
l iJL Bra , y shrub with alternate short petioled, ob-
The °V • acyra^nate, coriaceous, glabrous, leaves.
venation in the dried specimen appears raised
nnroi^k111*6^ reticulate from the shrinking of the
jMrencnymatous matter of the leaf. The racemes
1858. A ristolochia lanceolata (R. W .), leaves
short petioled, sub-cordato-truncated at the base,
tapering to the point, glabrous : flowers axillary, solitary,
or paired, pedicels exceeding the petiol : lip of
the calyx linear obtuse, somewhat calcarate at the base.
Ho station is mentioned, but I think I obtained
the specimens from the Balaghaut Mountains near
Madras. As a species it is nearly allied to A. Indica,
but I believe quite distinct.
E
( 17 ■
*