МБ. J. MIERS ON THE BARRINGTONIACE.E. 51 
embryone dicotyledoneo generis. In insulis Societatis, Amicorum, et Nova Cale- 
donia : v. pl. s. in herb. Mus. Brit. Tahitia, Tonga (Forster, pl. typica); fructus non 
vidi. 
The above imperfect specimen from the Banksian collection is fortunately preserved 
in the British Museum. 
The leaves in this specimen and in Forster's drawings are 7-103 in. long, 99-5 in. 
broad, and almost sessile, are crowded at the end of the branches, scarcely 3 lines apart. 
The terminal raceme is from 6 inches to near a foot long; its thiek erect rachis bears 
from 3 to 20 flowers successively developed, the upper ones (in bud) being only one third 
of the size of the lower or full-grown ones; the pedicel when full-grown is 5 in. long, 
14 line thick below, increasing to 3 lines in thickness, at the base of which is a foliaceous 
bract 2 іп. long, 1 in broad. The limb of the calyx in the full-grown bud, is quite closed 
at the summit, is 4 in. long, 9 lines in diameter, and splits open into two large concave 
expanding lobes, which are marked by strong parallel nerves, and, with the style, are per- 
sistent on the fruit; the petals are pure white, 14 in. long, 1 in. broad, and reflected ; the 
Stamens are 3 in. long, united at their base into a tube 4 lines long, 6 lines in diameter ; 
the style is the length of the stamens; the turbinated 4-celled ovary is 6 lines long; the 
epigynous disk, crenulately pulvinate, is 6 lines in diameter, bearing on its outer margin 
the staminiferous tube, while its inner margin is prolonged into an erect tube 2 in. high, 
narrowing upwards into a pluridentate open mouth, thus concealing the lower part of 
the style, a section of which is shown in Miller’s drawing. The fruit, exclusive of the 
calycine limb, is 4 in. long and 34 broad below the middle. Тһе ovate nut is 4-celled, 
each cell eontaining a single seed, which in Forster's drawing is 8 lines long, 6 lines 
broad, showing a terete radicle of its whole length, turned up at base to support two - 
erect fleshy plicated cotyledons, as I have seen in Planchonia. 
This plant (which is here shown in Plate X., taken from Forster's drawings) must not 
be confounded with Solander’s species, nor with that of Linnzus, as it has hitherto 
been. The fruit is called Futu by the natives, and, like many others of the same family, 
is poisonous and used to stupify fish in order to catch them. 
Seemann mentions (Pl. Vit. p. 83) the fruit of a similar kind, and probably another 
species, called in Fiji Vutu-dina (genuine Vutu). He did not see it; but it was said to 
be larger, its exterior portion soft, containing а nut so hard as to require a sharp instru- 
ment to open it in order to get to the seeds, which are edible, thus differing from Forster's 
species. This may probably be the species described by Montrouzier under the name 
of Barringtonia speciosa, which he found in the island Art, near New Caledonia. 
Although he mentions nothing of the shape of the leaves nor the ; character of its 
inflorescence, he gives a full account of its floral structure, which is similar in general 
details to Forster’s plant, but differsin its petals, which are not longer than the calycine 
lobes; the stamens, too, are shorter; the petals, though white, have a roseate hue, with 
their margins revolute; the inner margin of the disk seems to differ in being shorter 
and more urceolate in form, and fimbriate (not dentate) on its margin; the ovary is 
t-locular; and he noticed at the base of three of the cells 4 ovules. 
To the plate of Barringtonia speciosa in Miller's showy book no information is attached, 
