FLORA VITIENSIS. 129 
obpyramidato, limbo brevi obsolete dentato. Corolla infundibuliformis, tubo subtereti, limbo 5-lobo 
v. rarissime 4-lobo, patente. Stamina 4 v. 5, inclusa v. rarissime exserta ; filamenta brevia ; antherz 
erectee. Ovarium inferum, 2—4-loculare. Ovula in loculis solitaria, e basi erecta, anatropa v. semi- 
 anatropa. Stylus filiformis, exsertus v. interdum inclusus; stigma 2-fidum, rarius indivisum. 
Baccæ 9—4-pyrens, pressione mutua angulate, sepius in syncarpium carnosum calycum vestigiis 
areolatum concrete, pyrenis l-spermis. Semina erecta, raphe interdum fungosa. Embryo in axi 
albuminis carnosi orthotropus; cotyledonibus semicylindricis, radicula tereti, infera.— Frutices v. 
arbores, stantes v. scandentes ; foliis oppositis v. 8-4-natimve verticillatis; stipulis intrafoliaceis sæ- 
pius obtusis membranaceis; pedunculis axillaribus v. terminalibus, simplicibus v. ramosis ; floribus 
supra receptaculum subglobosum nudum sessilibus, dense aggregatis, albis v. flavis.—Spherophora, 
Blume.  Renellia, Korth. Tribrachya, Korth. 
1. M. citrifolia, Linn. Sp. 250; arborea, glabra; ramulis 4-gonis; foliis ovalibus utrinque at- 
tenuatis lucidis; stipulis membranaceis obtusis ; capitulis brevipedunculatis oppositifoliis ebracteatis ; 
floribus 5-meris (albis) ; syncarpio ovato (albo) in massam ovatam concreto. Parkins, Drawings of 
Tahit. Plants, (ined.) t. 21—M. quadrangularis, Don, Gard. Dict. vol. iii. p. 545; Benth. Niger 
Flora, p. 406. Nomen vernac. Vitiense, “ Kura;" Tahitense et Hawaiiense, ** Noni.’—Common 
throughout Viti, and often cultivated (Seemann! n. 225; Milne!). Also collected in the Sandwich 
«Barclay! Seemann! n. 1716; Nuttall! Macrae!), Marquesas (Barclay !), Society Islands (Banks 
and Solander! Forster! Barclay !), and Tongan Islands (Harvey !), New South Wales (J. Banks !), 
Bow Island, Dangerous Archipelago (Barclay !), Indian Archipelago (Horsfield !), Ceylon (Koenig ! 
Seemann !), and west coast of Africa (Don! Smeathman ! Afzelius !). 
I do not think that M. quadrangularis, Don, differs from M. citrifolia. The flower-heads are usually 
oppositifolious, but sometimes short compressed branchlets bearing flower-heads and a few leaves, issue 
from the axils of the leaves. That is the case in Don's specimens, and imparts to them a somewhat strange 
look. 
The “Kura” (or * Noni," or “ Nono," as M. citrifolia is more commonly termed by the Polynesian 
races) is a tree of middle size, the root of which yields a yellow, the bark a red dye, used by the natives 
to colour their dresses,—hence the Vitian verb * kurata,” to stain with Kura. The leaves are used 
medicinally. The fruit, though rather insipid, is eaten, either raw or after undergoing some kind of cook- 
ing process. ; 
9. M. Forsteri, Seem. ; fruticosa v. subarborea, glabra ; ramis teretibus; stipulis in vaginam 
brevem connatis; foliis ovato-oblongis, ovatis v. ellipticis acutis v. acuminatis nitidis, subtus ad axillas 
venarum glandulosis, glandulis solitariis foveolatis; pedunculis plurimis in umbella terminali ; capi-. 
tulis plurifloris; corolla 4—5-mera (viridi-flavescente) ; syncarpio subgloboso (Pisi majoris magni- 
tudine).—M. umbellata, Forst. Prodr. n. 99, (non Linn.) Sol. Prim. Fl. Ins. Pacif. (ined.) p. 229, 
excl.syn. Rheed.; Parkins. Drawings of Tahit. Plants, t. 22 (ined.). Rather common throughout 
Viti (Seemann! n. 222). Also collected in the Society (Forster! Nelson!) and Tongan Islands 
(Sir E. Home !). eae 
At the British Museum there is the authentic specimen amongst Hermann’s — Plants, with 
Linnsus's mss. name, upon which Linnsus founded his M. umbellata ; and this has enabled me to clear up 
the doubt about Forster's M. umbellata from the Society Islands. Linneus’s M. umbellata is an entirely 
different plant from Forster's; its leaves are obovate-oblong, abruptly acuminate, and have little tufts of 
hair in the axils of the veins of the under side of the leaves, whilst the flowers are always terminal, as far a8 . 
can be seen from the specimens. The specimens of Ceylon plants distributed by Thwaites under n. 1669, 
agree with the typical one, as does also a specimen of Konig's, collected in Malaeca. I do not hold 
M. tetrandra, Jack, to be either synonymous with M. umbellata, Linn., or M. Forsteri, Seem. 
- 8. M. myrtifolia, A. Gray in Proceed. Amer. Acad. vol. iv.; fruticosa, scandens; ramis tere- 
tibus gracilibus; stipulis in vaginam truncatam brevem ‘connatis; foliis sublonge petiolatis sub- 
coriaceis nitidulis lanceolato- seu elliptico-oblongis obtusis nunc obtuse acuminatis, venis primariis 
[PUBLISHED APRIL 2, 1866.] WES no EP s 
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