213 



oblong-obovoid or club-shaped. Branches gray or brownish, terete, the 

 branchlets sharply 4-angled. Leaves 4.5 to 9 cm. Long, 1 to 1.5 cm. wide. 

 shining above, paler and dull beneath, narrowed above to the acute or 

 blunt apex and below to the narrow acute base, the margins somewhat 

 recurved; primary nerves about 10 on each side of the midrib, distant, 

 irregular, spreading, not prominent, anastomosing and forming a mar- 

 ginal nerve, the reticulations evident, netted: petioles 2 to 4 nun. long. 

 Flowers usually in groups of threes at the tips of the branchlets of the 

 inflorescence, the lower bi-ancb.es sometimes .'5 to 4 cm. long, the flowers 

 including the stamens 10 to 12 mm. long, narrow, the buds about. 8 mm. 

 long. Calyx truncate about -1 mm. in diameter at the mouth, cup-shaped, 

 narrowed below into a I to •"> mm. long pseudostalk, glabrous. Petals 4, 

 free, orbicular. 2.5 to 3 mm. in diameter, caducous. Stamens indefinite; 

 filaments about 4 mm. long: anthers 0.3 mm. long. Frail oblong-ovoid 

 to ellipsoid, glabrous, dark purple when mature, about 1 cm. long. ] to 

 S mm. thick; crowned by the persistent calyx rim. with a single huge seed. 

 the pericarp thin, crastaceous when dry. 



Luzon, Province of Rizal, Montalban (5034- Merrill) March 8, 1906; (.'S4. - 51 



[hern's collector) November, 1!)0>">. 



A shrub growing on dill's and boulders along the river at an altitude of about 

 4() in., associated with and similating in habit Atakmtia linearis (Blanco) Merr. 

 Like Atakmtia linearis and Homonoya riparui, tins species is often found on 

 ledges and boulders subject to overflow in times of high water, and like the 

 former species is abundant along the river at Montalban in the limestone region, 

 hut is found only immediately bordering the stream. So close is the resemblance 

 in habit and leaf characters between this species and AtaUtntia linearis that 

 Ahern's collector. Ramos, brought in both under one number as being the same 

 species. 



MELASTOMATACE^E. 



ASTRONIA Blume, 



Astronia lagunensis Merrill sp. nov. 



A shrub -J to (> m. high, nearly glabrous throughout except the in- 

 florescence, with oblong-elliptical, acuminate, 7-nerved leaves, and fur- 

 furaceous inflorescence, the orbicular petals about 5 mm. in diameter. 

 Branches rather stout, obscurely 1-angled, brown, glabrous. Leaves 

 subcoriaceous, glabrous and green on both surfaces, not furfuraceous, 

 1 I to IS cm. long. I to 8 cm. wide, equally narrowed below to the acute 

 base and above to the acuminate apex, the transverse nerves numerous, 

 prominent beneath; petioles stout, 3 to (i cm. long, when young slightly 

 furfuraceous, becoming quite glabrous. Panicles pyramidal, 5 to ", em. 

 long. 5 to S cm. wide below, the axis and opposite brandies brown fur- 

 furaceous. the lower brandies spreading. I cm. long or less, the upper 

 ones gradually shorter. Flowers yellowish white and w<\. Calyx broadly 

 funnel-shaped, about I mm. long. 5 to (i nun. in diameter above, slightly 

 furfuraceous, with 5 broad acute teeth less than 1 mm. long. Petals 5, 



