b ANNALS OP THE BOYAL BOTANIC GAEDEN, CALCUTTA.
sub-acute, the base sub-cuiicate or rounded ; upper surface sliiiiing, the lower dull,
puler, the midrib puberulous; main nerves 10 or 13 pairs, spreading, very faint;
length 4'5 to 10 in., breadth 1'5 to 3 in.; petiole '25 in. Flowers -3 in. in diam,,
yellow, bisexual, solitary, or iu fascicles of 2 to 10 on small woody tubercles on
the branches below the leaves; pedicels ••4 or -5 to 1 in. long -witla numerous
scaly bracteoles at the base. Sepals orbicular, connate for half their length, glabrous,
ciliate on the margins like the petals. Petals very concave, orbicular; the outer
"3 in. long, larger than the inner. Stainens 13 to 18; the outer row sometimes
imperfect; connective very broad, projecting above the dorsal anthers. Ovaries 3 to 5,
oblong, haiiy; ovules about 12 in 3 rows; style short, lateral, glabrous; stigma small,
capitate, entire. Eipc. carpels sub-scssile, globose, glabrous, 1 in. in diam. Dalzoll
Giòson, Bomba!/ Flora 2; Hook. fil. <.y Thorns. Fl. Ind. 93.—S. Dalzclli, Bedd. Ic.
PI. Lid. Or., t. 42.—Guatteria laurifolia, Graham Cat. Bombay Plants 4.—Bocagea
Dalzelli, nook. fil. ^ Thorns. Ft. Br. Ind. i. 92.
Western Peninsula: in the Concan,—Lato, Graham, Stocks. Travancore,—Beddome,
P L A T E 35B. Sagersea laurina, Dalzell. 1, Flowering branch; 2, fascicle of flowers
from an old branch—o/ natural size; 3, flower-bud; 4, flower dissected; Ó, ovaries and
calyx—enlarged; 6 &• 7, anthers; 8, pistil; 9, section of pistil—much enlargtd. {Nos. 2
and 3 ¿0 10 are copisd from Beddome Ic. PL Ind. Or., t. 42.)
3. Griffithia, J
Trees or shrubs. Flowers bisexual, rather large, axillary, solitary or in pairs.
Sepals broad, short, much imbricate. Petals 6, imbricate in 2 series, ovate; the inner
row smaller and mucli thickcr than the outer, excavated at the base. Stamens numero\
i8, flattened, elongate; the connective truncate, not produced; anther-cells long,
linear, dorsal. Ovaries numerous; ovules solitary or a pair, basal; style iiliform; stigma
broadly clavate. liipe carpels ovoid, stalked, with a single ovoid, smooth, furrowed
seed. Four species—all Malayan.
This genus was originally founded by Maingay for the reception of the plant
which appears in the Flora of British India as Pohjalthia mngnoUaifiora, and which
difiers notably from typical Pohjalthia in having imbricate petals. Since Maingay's
time good specimens of two closely allied plants possessing similar characters have
been collected in Perak. These all have the single or paired ovules, the seed and
the general fades of Pohjalthia, but they have the imbricate sepals of Sagercca, the
imbricate petals of Guatteria, the style and stigma of Goiiiothalamus and Gyathocahjx,
and the stamens of Uvaria. With so many aberrant characters, it appears advisable to
re-establish Maingay's unpublished genus. It is unfortunate that the name Griffithia
has already been applied to a group of Rubiaceous plants, which is, however, now
a section of the genus Randia.
Leaves glalirous or glabrescent beneath.
Flowers 2'5 to 3 in. long I. G. magnnlixpetala.
Flowers 1 in. long 2. G. cupukris.
Leaves sol'tlj pubescent beneath 3, G.fusca.
Q
AKOiiiACEiE OP BBITISH INDIA.
1 G M R F I T E I A MAGNOLI.EPETALA, Mahigay M.B. A tree 30 to 40 feet Idgh; young
branches msty-tomentose. Leaves thinly coriaceous, obovate-oblong, shortly acummate,
the base rounded or niinutely cordate; upper surface glabrous, the nerves and miclnb
minutely tomentose; under surface at first pubescent, ulthnately glabrous or glabrescent;
main nerves 15 to 20 pairs, rather straight, oblique, prominent beneath, the transverse
veins sub-horizontal, distinct; length 8 to 12 in., breadth 2-5 to 3-5 m.; petiole "¿o
in., stout, tomentose. Flowers large, shortly pedunculate, solitary, axillary, 2-y to 3
in.' long; peduncle '3 in. long, tomentose, with a sub-amplexicaul bract. Sepals
coriaceous, connate to the middle, short, broadly ovate, acute, spreading, tomentose.
PetaU more or less imbricatc, coriaceous, white, oval or ovate-lanceolate, sub-acute,
tomentose. Torus conical. Ovaries hirsute. Carpels 1 5 in. long, shortly stalked, oblong,
tapering at cither end; the apex mucronate, pubescent. Seed wth smooth slunmg
testa. Polyalthia magnoliaiflora, Hook. fd. Fl. Br. Ml. i. 64; Ki^g in Journ.
Bengal 61, pt. 2, 54.
M a l a c c a , — V e v s k . — K i n g ' s Collector No. 10039.
Evidently a rare species. Sir J. D. Hooker states {F B. Ind. I. c.) on
authority that the flowers have the colour and odour of those of a Magnolia.
PLATE 218. Griffithia magnolicepetala, Maingay. 1, Branch with flower-bud ; 2,
flower; 3, flower-bud with the outer petals removed; 4, calyx; o, view of concavc surface
of outer petal; 9, transverse section of flower-bud a little below the apex; 10, a similar
section on a level with the apices of the sepals; 14, immature carpel; 15, section of
the same showing the smgle seed; 16, ripe carpel-o/ natural size; 6, inner aspect of
inner petal; 7, inner petal in profile; 8, the same seen in vertical section from base
to a p e x — e n l a r g e d ; 11, stamen; 12, pistil; 13, vertical section of ovary—
enhrged. [I^. 1 is copied from Maingaifs specimen in the Kew Herbarium {Keto Disirih.
No. 93). NiiS. 2 to 16 are copied from Maingay's original drawing {made from fresh
flowers) deposited in the Kew Herbarium.']
3. G B I F F I T H I A CUPULAEIS. King n. sp. A shrub or tree; young branches pubescent,
ultimately glabrous, cinereous and striate. Leaves membranous, oblong, som<itiuies slightly
obovate, shortly acuminate, slightly narrowed to the rounded, sometimes sub-oblique,
base; upper surface glabrous, shining, the midrib pubescent; lower surface paler,
glabi-ous,. slightly shining, the midrib and 12 to 14 pairs of oblique, puberulous main
nerves nou-interarching ; length 6 to 9 in., breadth 2 to 3 in.; petiole. -25 in. Flowers
solitary or in paii-s, axillaiy or extra-axillaiy; buds sub-globose; the fully developed
flower about 1 in. long; pedicels tomentose with several large, sub-orbicular, and sheathin"
bi-acteolcs, one close to the flower. Sqmls much imbricate, broadly scmi-orbiculai-,
veiy obtuse, tawny-tomentose outside, sub-glabrous inside, completely enveloping the petals
in bud, but only about a quarter of their length when fully developed. Petals imbricate,
concave, thick, coriaceous, tawTiy-tomentose on both surfaces, but especially on the outer,
with a glabrous patch at the base of all on the inner surface; outer row broadly ovate,
obtuse, when fully grown about 1 iu. long; inner petals shorter and much thicker,
the base excavated. Stamens veiy numerous, compressed; the filaments veiy short, the
connective truncate and not produced above the long, linear, dorsal anthers. Ovaries
about 12, oblong, oblique, villous, with 1, sometimes 2, basal ovules; style lateral.
ANN. EOY. Eoi'. GARD. CALCUTTA VOL. IY.