102 CXXVI. MYRISTICEE. (J. D. Hooker.) 
with Wallich's in the endeavour to unravel the intricacies of the genus and limit its 
species. The arrival of Maingay's splendid Malay Peninsular Herbarium, and his notes 
on this genus, have enabled me in the present work to correct several erroneous 
determinations of the “ Flora Indica,” and to approach nearer to a satisfactory de- 
scription of the species ; but muclí still remains to be done, which can only be accom- 
plished by a study of living specimens at different times of the year. For every 
species, flowers of both sexes and ripe fruit are all absolutely necessary for its pp 
limitation, and the knowledge of its affinities, as well as for establishing sections 0 
the genus. Hitherto for the latter purpose most importance has been given to the 
structure of the staminal column, which from its minuteness (in most of the species) 
is difficult of analysis, in dried specimens especially; and I am inclined to think that 
this organ is. more variable than has been supposed, and that some sections founded 
on it by Alph. De Candolle and others must be abandoned. In the following descrip- 
tions, that of the colour of the foliage applies only to dried specimens. This genus 
affords a fine field for study, but to do this effectually requires a careful comparison of 
the materials in the Herbaria of Holland, Florence, and Kew. Until this is done, it 
will be impossible to say which of many of the Indian species are natives of the 
Malay Archipelago. 
MYRISTICA, Linz. 
Character of the Order. 
Sect. I. Eumyristica. Male flowers racemed or panicled ; perianth 
with a persistent scale-like bracteole at its base. Anthers elongate, firmly 
connate in a shortly stipitate or sessile column. 
M. fragrans, Houtt. Hist. Nat. ii. 3. 233; glabrous, leaves 3-93 1n. 
elliptic-oblong or -lanceolate acuminate glaucous beneath, nerves about 
pair slender, flowers bracteolate males in lax slender supra-axillary racemes. 
Alph. DC. in Prodr. xiv. 1.189; Blume Rumph. 180, t. 55; Miquel FT. Ind. 
Bat. i. 2.53; Bentl. & Trim. Med. Pl.iii.t.218. M. officinalis, Linn. f. Suppl. 
265; Gertn. Fruct. i. 194, t. 41 (excl. syn. Rumph.); Hook Exot. Bot. 
t. 155, 156, and Bot. Mag. t. 2756, 2757; Spach Suites Buff. X. 143. M. 
moschata, Thunb.; Wall. Cat. 6785; Roxb. Fl. Ind. ii. 843; Reichb. lc. 
Exot. t. 276,277; Woodv. Med. Bot. iv. t. 938; Hayne Arnz. Gewachs. iX. 
t. 12; Nees Pl. Med. t. 133; Guimp. & Schl. t. 73, 74. M. aromatica, 
Lamk. in Act. Par. 1788, 155, t. 5-7, and Ill. Gen. t. 832; Roxb. Cor. Pl. 
ii. 267.— Rumph. Herb. Amb. ii. 14, t. 4. 
Cultivated in the MALAYAN PENINSULA, PENANG and the Marav ISLANDS; 
—native of the Eastern. Moluccas. 
A lofty tree; branches slender. Leaves coriaceous, sometimes oblanceolate, and 
tip caudate, base acute, pale yellow brown, paler with red-brown nerves beneath ; petiole 
1-1 in. - Male racemes 1-2 in.; flowers i in. long, ellipsoid or urceolate, nodding ; 
bracteole a scale under the glabrate perianth; anthers 9-12, connate in a cylindre 
stipitate column. Fruit ovoid, subglobose or pyriform, 14-2 in. long.—Alph. DC. 
describes the perianth as strigose with appressed hairs, but I find them to be nearly 
or quite glabrous; Blume says very sparsely strigose. 
1. M. elliptica, Wall. Cat. 6798 A; glabrous, leaves 8-10 in. linear- 
oblong sulacute subglaucous beneath, nerves about 19 pair slender, male 
fl. in short axillary racemes bracteolate urceolate, fem. fl. few fascicled on 
short supra-axillary peduncles. H. f. & T. Fl. Ind.169; Alph. DC. i^ 
Prodr. xiv. 1.190; ? Kurz For. Fl. ii. 282. 
Penang and SINGAPORE, Wallich. MaraccA, Mai Kew Distrib. 1296) 
? Andaman Islands, Kurz. » Maingay (Kew Dis 
A tree; branches stout. Leaves very pale ; petiole 4-1 in, stout. Male perianth 
