Page:Illustrations of Indian Botany, Vol. 1.djvu/437

Rh Prodromus. In addition to these I have specimens of what appears to me two new species. The one corresponds with DeCandolle's M. trinerve in having three nerved leaves, but the branches are quite cylindrical, and the leaves in place of being oval and about two inches long are ovate lanceolate, tapering to a point, and from 6 to 8 inches long. This species is allied to M. amplfxicaule and M. Heyneanum, but I think quite distinct from both. The lateral nerves are marginal. The other species, which approaches M. ramiflorum in habit, differs in having long narrow linear lanceolate blunt pointed leaves; about six inches long and scarcely half an inch broad. The inflorescence is so like that of M. ramiflorum, that I doubt whether I ought to give it a different name, but the foliage being so very distinct, leaves but little room for hesitation. Three species have now therefore to be added to the Peninsular flora— namely, M. cordatum and these two new ones. They may be designated and characterized as follows.

Memecylon cordatum, (Lam.) Leaves sessile or sub-sessile, broadly ovate-cordate at the base, very obtuse, or rounded at the apex; peduncles axillary, sub-capitate or corymbose, brunches terete. Lamark Encl. 4 p. 89. HI t, 2S4 f. 2.

Hab.—Malabar.

The leaves are as broad at the base as they are long, sometimes quite sessile, sometimes furnished with a short petiol.

Memecylon jambosioides, (R. W.) Branches cylindrical, glabrous: leaves ovate, lanceolate, acuminated; 3-nerved: 'he Literal pair of nerves sub-marginal, united with smaller transverse parallel veins: flowers numer- ous, forming axillary capituli short pe licelled.

Hab.—Courtallum in sub-alpine jungles.

A handsome species. The leaves are almost entirely the same as those of Jambosa vulga?-is and some of those, on my specimens, are upwards of 10 inches long. The flowers, before expansion, form dense nearly sessile axillary clusters, and the pedicels dp not afterwards materially elongate. The fruit is glabrous, polished, judging from preserved specimens, a dry berrv.—Seed one, exalbuminous, cotyledons foliaceous, exceedingly convoluted.

Memecylon angustifolium, (R. W.) Brandies, terate leaves, confined to the extremities, narrow lanceolate, attenuated below, blunt pointed, one-nerved; peduncles short from the scars of fallen leaves; flowers very numerous, umbellate, or sub-capitate, pedicells small.

Habitat.—Jungles about Courtallum.

This species only differs from M. ramiflorum in the form of the leaves; in that they are broad in proportion to their length say two inches long by one and half broad, or half that size; while in this, they are from three to four inch 's Ion? an I scarcely half an inch broad, tapering to the petiol below, but blunt pointed. The flowers and inflorescence are the same in both.


 * 1. Memecylon ramiflorum, (Lam.) M. tinctorium, (Koen. W. and A.) Flowering branch — natural size.
 * 2. An expanded Mower.
 * 3. Stamens, but the anthers very incorrectly represented, oval, dehiscing their whole length in place of cordate, 2-celled above, the base ending in a membranous prolongation of the connective.
 * 4. A petal.
 * 5. The ovary shortly after the fall of the petals cut vertically, showing the ascending ovules.
 * 6-7. A berry v-ry immature cut transversely, to show the numerous seed.

 

A vast tropical order, containing according to Meisner's list, 100 genera, excluding four of Memecyleae, which he considers a tribe only of Melastomaceae and not a distinct order. This union of these two families is, it appears to me, scarcely authorized by the character of the flowers, and is not supported by the fruit and seed which differ greatly in the two orders. According to DeCandolle's enumeration there are about 800 species, which number, I believe, has been very considerably augmented since the publication of his work. Of that number 620 are from America leaving a comparatively small number for Asia, Africa, and New Holland.

In our Prodromus 1.5 species only are described, a number which my more recent excursions have not materially extended, though they have afforded ample evidence of the difficulty of distinguishing the species of this order, through their tendency to vary their forms. I find for example on comparing many very dissimilar looking specimens, no good marks by which to distinguish them as species. A more intimate acquaintance, however, with growing plants may perhaps furnish us with characters by which to augment the number. In some parts of this 