MB. J. MIEHS ON THE SYMPLOCACEJE. 289 



Pbotoiiopea. 



The genua Hopea of Linnaeus was incautiously repudiated by 

 most botanists, who made it a section of Symplocos. Boxburgh, 

 therefore, to preserve the memory of his friend Dr. Hope, applied 

 this name to a genus of Dipterocarpece ; and this is now too firmly 

 established to allow of the correction of the error. Gaertner first 

 described the peculiarities of this genus, which render it distinct 

 from all others of the family, if we exclude from it all the Asiatic 

 species referred to it by DeCandolle. 



Thus restricted, the younger G-aertner gave an excellent ana- 

 lysis of this Linnean genus 1 , demonstrating the unusual features 

 that will prevent its fusion with any other member of the family. 

 In order to prevent any misunderstanding, I propose to name it 

 Protolwpea, thus maintaining its prior right over the genus of 

 Roxburgh. 



Its generic diagnosis is here remodelled in the following 

 manner. 



PiiOTonopEA, nob, — Hopea, Linn. — Symplocos, sect, iv., A. DC. 



(exclus. sp. Asiat.). — Hopea, Gaertn.fil. 



Flores parvi. Calyx camparmlatus, semisuperus, limbo 5-dentato, den- 

 tibus oblongo-ovatis. Petala 5, oblonga, concava, imo connata. 

 Stamina numerosa, petalis longiora, pentadelpha ; jilamenta setacea, in 

 phalangibus 5 imo petalorum affixa ; antherce subglobosae, quadrangu- 

 lares. Ovarium semiinferum, in parte superiore lobis calycinis abs- 

 conditum, 3-loculare, loculis uniovulatis. Ovula pendula. Stylus 

 tenuis, superne crassior ; stigma incrassatum. Drupa parva, ovata, 

 vel elliptica, semiinfera, inferne pericarpio tenuiter carnoso tecta, ver- 

 tice tantum dentibus calycinis circumdatis. Nux elliptica, crassius- 

 cula, ossea, 3-locularis, loculis 2 saepe abortientibus ; dissepimenta 

 membranacea, persistentia. Semen in loculo solitarium, guttiforme, 

 apice acuto suspensum, imo rotundatum, lateribus planiusculis,' 

 dorso convexum, pro majore parte arillo carnoso saccato laxe vestitum ; 

 integumentum proprium tenuissime membranaceum. Embryo tereti- 

 cylindrieus, in albumine carnoso difformi oblongo centralis, curvulus ; 

 radicula longa, supera ; cotyledones 2, brevissima?, obtusae, accum- 

 bentes, ad basin spectantes. 

 Arbuscula; in Carolina et America centrali vigentes, ramosa ; folia o/- 

 terna elliptico-oblonga, utrinque acuta, serrata, petiolata ; flores parvi, 

 in racemis novellis axillares, crebre spicati, evolutione pracoces. 



Observation. — It is right to mention here that Jussieu in his 



1 Fruct. iii. p. 140, tab. 209. fig. 2. 



