RECENT REVISIONS OF CEYLON BOTANY. 141 



are also quoted by Hooker and Engler imder N. ColebrooJciana. 

 An examination of the plate, of Beddome's South Indian 

 specimens and of Thwaites C. P. 1260, shows that the plant 

 figured has oblong, long — but not always abruptly — acuminate 

 thin leaves, to 5 in. long by 1 to 1*5 in. broad, very slender 

 flower panicles, and a transversely oblong vertically more or 

 less striate drupe with thin pericarp. It is quite unlike 

 Wight's plant, and is distinct, in my opinion, from it. It 

 differs less, perhaps, from N. Dalzellii, but the thin narrow 

 leaves, nearly glabrous inflorescence, and striate fruit separate 

 it, and I propose to call it N. Beddomei." 



(5) Hill, A. W. The genus Strychnos in India and the 

 East. Kew Bulletin, Nos. 4 and 5, 1917. 



This thorough revision of the genus Strychnos in India and 

 the East effects several changes in the nomenclature of the 

 Ceylon species, and the number af Ceylon species is raised 

 from seven to nine, three new names being proposed. The 

 plant hitherto known as S. coluhrina var. zeylanica is made a 

 different species imder the name S. tricliocalyx, a plant included 

 by Thwaites under S. micrantha is separated as S. tetragona, 

 and another as 8. lenticellata, while S. coriacea Thw. is restored. 



Hill's remarks on the relationships and distribution of the 

 Ceylon species of Strychnos are of interest. 



" The Flora of Ceylon has recently been examined with 

 regard to its endemic constituents, and as Trimen's Flora has 

 been taken as the basis from which deductions have been 

 drawn, it is worth while to inquire whether this re-investigation 

 of the genus Strychnos affects the discussion to any extent. 



" Trimen catalogues seven species, three of which he con- 

 siders endemic in Ceylon ; one of these three, however, S. 

 cinnamomifolia, is represented in Travancore by so closely 

 allied a variety that the plants from the two localities might 

 almost be considered to be identical. Two varieties, S. 

 coluhrina var. zeylanica Clarke (= S. trichocalyx A. W. Hill), 

 and 8. Beddomeii var. coriacea (= S. coriacea Thw.), which he 

 places with the plants common to India and Ceylon, have been 

 wrongly assigned to their respective species by C. B. Clarke, 

 and each is now found to be a good species. 



