vipes, Benth., all natives of the Bight of Benin. Mr. Ben- 
tham also indicates three insufficiently known species, M. 
angolensis, Welw. (Journ. Linn. Soe. vol. iii. p. 151); a 
second from the Niger river ; and a third from the Zambesi. 
Mr. Bentham doubted whether his M. grandiflora, of 
which he had seen only Herbarium specimens, might not 
be the same as M. Myristica ; and Professor Oliver has, in 
the Flora of Tropical Africa, placed it as a variety under 
the latter. A comparison of the plates 7260 and 3059 
would seen to negative this, for if Dr. Bancroft’s figure is 
to be trusted, the flowers of M. Myristica are not half the 
size of those of grandiflora, the proportions of the outer 
and inner sepals differ greatly, as does their colouring, and 
the position of the bract on the peduncle of the flower. 
On the other hand, Dr. Bancroft says that the flowers vary 
much in size, and the position of the bracts in the genus is 
far from constant. Beauvois’ figure is too bad to admit of 
its being identified with M. grandiflora ; and he represents 
as actually growing from the stem, the fruit of a totally 
different genus. Nor must it be overlooked that 
Gaertner’s fruit of M. Myristica is not half the size of that 
of M. grandiflora, its seeds are much smaller, and the 
pericarp is comparatively thin. 
I have only further to remark that the corolla of the 
genus has not hitherto been accurately described; the 
petals are completely confluent below; and the base of the 
hence gamopetalous corolla is raised in the centre of the 
flower forming an erect columnar tube that supports the 
torus ; this column is nearly terete in the newly opened 
flower, as represented at fig. 2, but becomes at length 
grooved, as shown. at fig. 1. ; 
M. grandiflora has been long cultivated at Kew, having 
probably beg sent by Mr. Mann about the year 1860. 
It has attained in the Palm House a height of fifteen feet, 
where it flowers in spring. Mr. Watson informs me that 
it loses its leaves in autumn, and forms new ones in 
spring of a glossy rose purple when young, turning to a 
glossy green when mature.—J. D. H. 
Fig. 1, Base of corolla, showing the erect columnar portion stamens and ovary, 
backed by an inner petal ; 2, column from a newly expanded flower; 3 and 4, 
anthers; 5, transverse section of ovary; 6, ovule :—all but fig. 1 enlarged. 
