This is the most widely-distributed scaiideut Ficiis in India, and in Japan also it appeai-3
to be verj' common. It has, moreover, a gi-eat altitudinal range, eslonding in the Himalayan
chain from the bottoms of low valleys where the climate is almost tropical, to elevations
where snow lies in winter. Individuals with globular receptacles form the majority, and of
these three varieties may be distinguished, in all three the receptacles being rather small.
Also as very distinct varieties, I separate two forms with large, ovoid, obevoid, or subglobular,
often terminal, receptacles: —
Ilccc^itachs ghlmlar, mutU—
VAE. 1. NIPPONICA. Leaves always glabrous, about 3 in. long; receptacles solitary
or in pairs, almost sessile, glabrous.—1''. wppanica, French, and Sav ;
—Japan.
Yak. 2. IMPEESSA. leaves pubescent when young, glabrous when adult, from
in. to l-7o in. long; receptacles pedunculate, pubescent wlien
ripe.—F. imprma, Benth.;—IIong-Koiig.
YAE. 3. THUi'BIIEGII. Adult leaves very pubescent beneath, deeply areolar on
t h e lower surface, from -75 to l-3o in. long; receptacles pubescent, when
ripe nearly "5 in. across.—-f. Thlinbergii., Maxim.;—Japan.
Ttecspiadcs ovoid, olovoid, or svh-ghhilar, large—
YAE. oLEaspoBjiis. Creeping on the ground or on rocks, never' on trees;
receptacles ovoid, 1 in. long; leaves ohlong-lauceolate; anthers much
longer than perianth of niale ñower. In the Silikira Himalaya, about
4,.500 ñ.—Eing.
YAE. MALiroEMis. Climbing to the tops of trees 60 to 80 ft. high, and fruiting
only near the apex; receptacles obovoiil, sitb-globose, much umbonate,
from 1-5 to 3 in. in diameter; loaves broadly ovate-laneeolate; anthers
much longer than perianth. Sikkim ; Khasi.
The varieties with large receptacles have been confounded by Miquel and others with
y , ,r„la Thunb., with which they have really no affinity. They have also been mixed
n o with F. vmila, Linn. As in the case of F. ,UW.Ua, much light is thrown en the synonymy
„} this species by Maximowic. in his paper in the eleventh volume of the Bulletm of the
S t Petersburg Academy. In that paper the species Nippomea and I/m,hr¡,„ ate founded on
specimens which, on comparison with Wallich's typo specimens of f o v M , I cannot find
to differ even in the details nf the flowers.
The name/™i.i<./«. Wall., is not mentioned by Masimowicn, from which I gather that
specimens of it are not present in the St. Petersburg herbarium. Wallieh's typo speemrens of
h i species Í.Í.V,.» are simply fovMa with the leaves sub-flocculent on the lower surface.
Poamot. Mi , . , is simply this with warted reeeptaeles. Barren branches of tins
s J c i e s wi'h leaves varying a good deal in shape, are numerous m eelleetwns from the
; and .;eeimens rf tlifs kind were issued by Wallieh as No. 4W9 of h i , distrtbufion
under the name Í'. "Wall. .
I think it probable that Roxburgh's species Luducca, of which he g.ves a very impertert
description ( a Indioa, iii. 634), falls here, and sheet D of Wall. Bal. 4433 bears that name n,
ErsrcE.
a handwriting which I believe to be Kexbcrgh's. Were rt abseUttely ee.tain that this is
r r l Ko°b, that name, being the earliest published, wo,.Id stand
•n 1 ,ur species were founded. A^fo.ooM., Wall.; B
w T c J Miq.-, B = r . L o » . Mi,. 1,1,1, apex of a receptacle; 3,3,3 base ot
Wall., C - J ' 4 , a male flower; 5, the same, opened to show
f n"^^ fr om the variety .te/.™«; 7, gall flower, young;
s the °am her advanced; 9 & 10, fertile female flowers : all ..largei.
p Z ier-i-i Wall. Fruiting branches of three varieties t - E t var. 1, Mj,-
„ „ J F vl' 3 «.pr^'»-. O: var. 3, TkanUr,u-aU o, „alural >iu. Apex and base of
r rept^clo I d Stipules of'eaeh variety are also shewn: aUof nalaraUu.
PT Vre 108- - F fivooUta, Wall. Fruiting branehos of two varieties . - I I . var. 4,
„ t e W I var. 5, Lfor,ni,: ./ nalural n-e. 1, male flower in with receptaenlar hans
2, male flower showing the 3 stamens and minute penauth; 3, female flower.
Nos. 1 ¿0 3 ure enlarged.
155. Fions EAMB.TAeeA, M. Ud. iii. 547; Ear. iV. Flora l^iLJSa^^k^
iU.-^Posonotrorke rigida. M i , in Lend. Journ. Bot. vn. ,4; M,,. II. fod
Bat i nt 2 331.—.P. rujeseaa, Mi,. Ami. Mus. Lugd. Bat. iii. 3J.i.
H . mgcns, Wall, (not of Roxb.) 4563.^i'. sub-Hsida, Ml,. Fl. lud.
Bat Siippl. 175, 433.—.'-P. leplomrptl, Stend. Nemeuel. 1336,—i m c r o -
mrpa Bl. Bijd. 443.-^". odhmM, Mi,. PI. Jangh. .35; Fl. Ind. .Bat. i.
pt 3 310. t. 22; Mi,, in Ann. Mus. Lugd. Bat. iii. 380, 294.-
F. ohgosperma, Mi,. PL Jungh. 35 ; Fl . Ind. Bat i. pt. 2. 319.
A powerful epiphytic climber, often becoming an independent tree ; the young branches
Dubernlous, very soon becoming glabrous. Leaves rather shortly petiolate, coriaceous, ovate
io ovate-elliptic; apex aoiito or shortly sub-acmninate ; edges entire, waved, and souiehmes
s l i r f i t l y r e v o l u t e ; base cordate, einarginate, or rounded, 3- to 5-, rarely 7-norvcd (2 licing
m i L t e V lateral primary nerves 5 or 0 paii-s, p,eminent on the tmder surface; imennediate
nerves neariy parallel to each other; retioulatiens suh-areolar, ndnute; under sarfaee glabrous
Bli.'btly ronrfi from the sub-areolate retieolations ; puberulous on the midrib and nerves
when Tonno- ; upper surface pale when dry, glabriuis; length of blade from 2 o to 8, anci in
young sheets even 11 in.; petioles stont, -70 in. to 1-3 in. long, minutely puberulous when
young, afterwards glabrous; stipules ovate-lanceolate, villous or pubescent externally, o le.
iong,°very dceiduoiis. Keeeptaelos shortly pedunculate (sessile in var. adhxrms), axdlary, in
pairs' or solitary, occasionally in fascicles from minutely braeteate, villous tiibereles in the
axils of the leaves, or from the stem bolow the leaves ; depressed-globular, abruptly coutraeted
at the baso into a cylindrical stalk at the junction of which with the short pedicel are
.') small, refioxed, glabrous bracts; slightly nmbonato at the apex ; sparsely hairy when young,
but glabrous when ripe; orange or orange-red in colour, and from -3 in. to "5 in. across;
peduncle proper (below the stalk-Iikc constriction of the receptacle) only about 1 in. long.
Male and gall flowers with similar perianth of 3 narrow pieces; anthers 2, mncli elongate,
narrow, on short filaments; gall ovary obovoid, smooth; the style short, lateral. Perianth
of fertile female flower of 3 pieces, united below; aehene elliptic; style elongate, latcial;
.stigma eylindric.