VIII, C, 5 
Merrill: Philippine Melastomataceae, II 355 
it may be recognized is the dense pale indumentum on the lower surface 
of the leaves in contrast to the dark brown-lepidote midrib, nerves, and 
nervules. The leaves are always very definitely 3-nerved, not at all 3-pli- 
nerved as in most of the material I have referred to Astronia cumingiana 
25. ASTRONIA GLAUCA Merr. in Govt. Lab. Publ. (Philip.) 29 (1905) 31. 
Luzon, Subprovince of Benguet, Baguio, Elmer 62H: Province of Nueva 
Vizcaya, For, Bur, 1^86^ Darling, 
This species has been reduced by me ^ to Astronia pulchra Vid., to which 
however, it is really not closely allied. It may be distinguished by the 
very scanty indumentum, on its leaves, which are more or less glaucous 
on the lower surface, the lepidote scales being minute and indistinct 
arid not at all ferruginous. The dark-brown calyces are characteristic. 
Mr. K. A. Rolfe has re-examined the material in the Kew Herbarium, and 
m a memorandum supplied on the subject states that while Vidal 3^5 the 
type of Astronia pulchra Vid., could not be found in the Kew Herbarium 
that Vidal 3516 had been identified with A. pulchra, and that it is a species 
quite distinct from A, glauca Merr. 
26. ASTRONIA PLATYPHYLLA sp. nov. 
Arbor circiter 12 m alta, ramulis subtus foliis paniculisque 
dense pallide brunneo-lepidotis; foliis oblongo-ellipticis, usque 
ad 25 cm longis, utrinque angustatis, apice acutis vel leviter 
acuminatis, basi acutis, distincte 3- vel 5-plinerviis, nervis exte- 
rioribus tenuibus; paniculis solitariis, pedunculatis, circiter 18 
cm long-is, pyramidatis, multifloris; floribus $ confertis, 5-meris, 
calycibus cupulatis, circiter 4 mm diametro, obscure 5-dentatis. 
A tree about 12 m high. Branches nearly terete, stout, gla- 
brous, the ultimate branchlets very obscurely 4-angled, densely 
pale brown-lepidote, 5 to 7 mm in diameter. Leaves oblong- 
elliptic, coriaceous, 20 to 25 cm long, 8 to 11 cm wide, about 
equally narrowed to the acute or obscurely acuminate apex and 
to the acute base, the upper surface greenish-olivaceous, glabrous, 
shining, the lower very densely lepidote with pale-brownish, small, 
appressed scales; nerves 5, the interior pair very prominent, 
leaving the midrib 5 to 7 mm above the base, extending to the . 
apex, the outer pair slender, at most 5 mm from the margin, very 
filig'htly arched between the ends of the lateral nervules, leaving 
the very base of the leaf and there very close to the margin, 
the transverse nervules between the midrib and the interior 
nerves about 25, nearly straight, prominent; petioles 4 to 5 cm 
long, densely pale brownish-lepidote with small scales. Panicles 
terminal, solitary, the peduncles about 4 cm long, the whole 
* Philip. Journ. Sci. 3 (1908) Bot. 117. 
