142 FETCH : 



" The re-examination of all the available material, which is 

 by no means good, has resulted in the recognition of nine 

 Sinhalese species of Strychnos, five of which are endemic. 

 Two of these are represented in S. India by closely alUed, but 

 easily distinguished, species, and three appear to be peculiar 

 to the Island. 



" Particulars are set out in tabular form : — 



Ceylon. Southern India. j, , 



Endemic Species. Representative Species. 



S. Benthami Clarke and vars"^ 



S. coriacea Thw. . . >None. 



S. tetragona A. W. Hill 

 S. micrantha Thw. 

 S. trichocalyx A. W. Hill 

 S. cinnamomifolia Thw. 



S. colubrina Linn. . . — 



S. Dalzellii Clarke . . • — 



S. cinnamomijolia Thw. S. tubiflora 



var. Wightii A. W. A.W.Hill 



Hill 



Species common to Oeylon and India : — 



S. lenticellata A. W. Hill . . S. lenticellata A. W. Hill — 



S. Nux-vomica Liiun. ■ .. S. Nux -vomica 'Lirm. .. — 



S. potatorum Linn. . . S. potatorum Linn. ... — 



" Of the species common to Ceylon and India, three {S. 

 Nux-vomica, S. potatorum, and S. lenticellata) are dry coimtry 

 plants, and their occurrence in the drier parts of Ceylon, which 

 may be considered both from the physical and geographical 

 standpoint to be part of India, is to be expected. S. cinna- 

 momifolia is a moist country plant of the tropical forests, and 

 occurs in India in the forests of Travancore, &c. Here, again, 

 physical conditions are very similar, and the floras of the two 

 regions show many species in common. It is interesting to 

 notice that a species apparently closely allied to S. cinna- 

 momifolia is found in the Andaman Islands, but it is sufficiently 

 distinct to be raised to specific rank, and has been described 

 under the name S. tubiflora A. W. Hill. There is also some 

 evidence that S. cinnamomifolia may occur in the tropical 

 forests of Silhet, and S. Pierriana A. W. Hill from Annam 

 appears to be a very closelj' allied species. 



