Dr. W. Arnott on some new or rare Indian Plants, 23 



corolla ; here they are white and veined, and during agstivation 

 quite inclose the corolla : in Argostemma the peduncles are 

 either single-flowered, or bear an umbel or corymb ; here the 

 flowers form a loose simple raceme. In none of the specimens 

 which I have examined, (and in some the seeds appeared per- 

 fectly ripe) did the fruit present the least appearance of dehi- 

 scence ; as, however, the structure of the ovarium and disk is 

 very similar to that of Argostemma, it is not improbable that, 

 as described in that genus, the fruit may open in a radiating 

 manner at the apex, which renders it doubtful whether it 

 ought to be considered capsular, as DeCandolle, or baccata, 

 as Dr. Wallich views it. 



Since the above characters were drawn up. Sir W. J. Hooker 

 has described this genus and figured one of the species in his 

 valuable ^ Icones Plantarum^ : he, however, has mentioned, but 

 with doubt, the fruit as a 5-celled capsule, and in the plate 

 traces of five dissepiments are represented. As this is the 

 principal point of difference between his observations and mine, 

 I have re-examined both flower and fruit of N. Wightii, and 

 an ovarium of N. ceylanicus, but I cannot perceive more than 

 the two cells which I have noticed. 



In the same part of the ^ Icones^ two Ceylonese species of 

 ElcBocarpus are figured ; of these E, pubescens (tab. 155.) is 

 an excellent representation of my E, subvillosus, and E. coria- 

 ceus (tab. 154.) of my E. obovatus, pubHshed in the ^ Nov. Act. 

 Acad. C. L. Nat. Cur.^ xviii. p. 322. Allied to Elceocarpus I 

 possess a new genus, also from Ceylon, of which the petals 

 are exactly as in Elceocarpus, the filaments long as in Grewia, 

 or rather Tilia, the anthers short and considerably different 

 from those of either ; the leaves^ with nearly the structure of 

 some species of Capparis, are opposite and quite entire ; the 

 calyx has a valvular ccstivation, and when in bud is globose 

 and inclosed w ithin two rounded concave bracteolae ; it may 

 be Elceocarpus integrifolius of Moon's ' Catalogue of Ceylon 

 Plants.' I have seen neither fruit nor seed. 



[To be continued.] 



