338 swingle: new citrous genus, pamburus 



Pamburus missionis (Wight) Swingle, comb. nov. 



Limonia(?) missionis Wall. Cat. No. 6358. 1832 (nomen nudum). 



Limonia missionis Wight in Hook. Bot. Misc. 3: 291, pi. 38. 1833. 



Atalantia missionis Oliv. Journ. Linn. Soc. 5 (suppl. 2): 25. 1861. 



A much-branched shrub or small tree, armed with stout straight 

 spines, these 2-3 cm. long, arising singly (or rarely in pairs?) on the 

 side of the bud in the axils of the leaves. Leaves oval, oblong-obovate 

 or elliptical, 6-10 cm. long, 2-A cm. broad, very thick, coriaceous, glan- 

 dular-punctate, the tip rounded, sometimes slightly emarginate, the 

 base narrowed rather abruptly into the petiole, the margin entire, 

 becoming gray and apparently crenate in drying; lateral veins incon- 

 spicuous, tertiary ones not apparent, the two faces very similar in 

 appearance, drying to velvety gray-green unlike those of any other 

 member of the subfamily Citratae. Flowers 12-20 mm. in diameter, 

 fragrant, with small pointed sepals and 5 or 4 white obovate caducous 

 petals about 1 cm. long. Pistil about 1 cm. long. Fruit about 2.5 

 cm. in diameter, orange-colored when ripe, with a thick peel dotted 

 with oil-glands, 5-4-celled, the cells containing 1 or 2 seeds surrounded 

 by a sticky gum. 



Type locality: Tanjore District, Madras Presidency, Southern 

 India. 



Distribution: Southern India and Ceylon, in low flat country near 

 the coast. 



The writer has had opportunity to study authentic cotypes, collected 

 by Dr. Wight, in the Kew Herbarium, as well as other material from 

 India and Ceylon. 



POSSIBLE UTILIZATION OF PAMBURUS 



It is possible that Pamburus is closely enough related to the 

 true citrous fruits to serve as a stock upon which they can be 

 grafted. The peculiar leaves of this species, unlike those of any 

 other member of the orange subfamily, make it probable that it 

 will be found to possess climatic or soil requirements different 

 from those of related genera. This species has not yet been 

 introduced into the United States, but it is hoped that it may be 

 secured soon. It is native to southern India and Ceylon and, 

 according to Trimen, 6 is rather common in the low country, 

 chiefly in the dry region of Ceylon. 



« Trimen, H. Handbook Fl. Ceylon, 1: 228. 1893. 



