avight's botanical letters. 191 



and sepals. In P. laxa they are nearly equal : in P. spicata 

 the petals are minute and subulate : in P. aurea about half 

 the length of the calyx, obtuse, and as long as the capsule : 

 in P. corymhosa and P. spadicea they are as in P. aurea ; I 

 thought at first that I could distinguish these two by the re- 

 lative length of the petals and capsule, but further examina- 

 tion shows these proportions to vary in different flowers, and 

 to depend on their stages of growth, and I have found no 

 other fixed characters. I send you specimens of four forms, 

 and perhaps my P. aurea ought to form a fifth, as its mark 

 of distinction consists only in colour. Hapalosia is too much 

 allied to Polycarp(Ba : the only difference being in the number 

 of stamens, 3 versus 5 : the capsule and attachment of the 

 seeds are the same in both genera ; that is, they are fixed by 

 podosperms to the bottom of the capsule, and not to a raised 

 placenta. 



Ibth July — I have been half this morning examining and 

 describing the Celastrineous plant which I formerly mentioned 

 to you (see p. 169,) as remarkable for having several super- 

 posed ovules; I consider it a new genus, and shall send you 

 specimens, and perhaps a drawing of it : it approaches Eleso- 

 dendron in having opposite leaves and a large discoid torus, 

 but is yet very different; I have called it Lophopetalum on 

 account of the curious crest with which its petals are orna- 

 mented.* .... In the present despatch you will find a con- 

 siderable ntimber of ScitamiyiecB. I am truly sorry that the 

 flowers are not better preserved ; I never before had to do 

 with them to any extent, and did not know the difficulties 

 attending their management : in future I shall endeavour to 

 determine their genera before drying them, and, when I can, 

 the species also, as they are troublesome things to examine 

 afterwards. The Co7?imelinecB is another tribe that has an- 

 noyed me not a little, and I presume might be treated in the 

 same way. When among the Scitamine(B, which abound in 

 Malabar, I had not with me any book except Persoon, to 



* To this n. gen. belongs Euonymus grandiflorus, Wall, or E. lucidus, 

 Hon — Ahn. 



