EXPLANATION OF PLATES. 
VOL. IIL—PART IL 
816. Mappa MoLUCCANA (Spreng—Ricinus mappa Lin. 
Acalypha mappa Willd.) dioicous ; leaves peltate cordate 
entire acute : spikes panicled : (Roxb.) panicles of male 
flowers axillary: bracteas alternate, sessile, cordate, ۰ 
cave, dentate, ciliate, many flowered : flowers very small ; 
calyx 2 parted reflexed stamens about 8, filaments longer 
than the calyx. Roxb. Fl. Ind. 3 p. 690. 
Amboyna ard Eastern Islands. 
Roxburgh’s description of the flowers of his plant is 
deficient by omitting to notice the stamens and anthers. 
On this account I am unable to identify specimens from 
Moulmain of apparently the same plant, (tho’ differing in 
some respects from his figure) except that in mine the 
calyx is three not two parted: in it also the anthers are 
peltate, deeply divided into 4 globose cells, not mentioned 
here but described under his Osyris peltata. 
817. Mappa? PELTATA (R. W. Osyris peltata Roxb. 
Macaranga ? Pet. Thour.) Arborious, leaves peltate ovate 
cordate entire (Roxb.) male panicles axillary : bracteas 
many flowered : flowers exceedingly minute ; calyx three 
parted ; stamens three ; anthers peltate four celled ; cells 
covered with lids, (Roxb.) female, calyx 8 parted ; ovary 
superior covered with yellow glutinous grains usually (by 
abortion ?) one sometimes two celled ; style short, lateral, 
springing from near the base of the ovary, ending in one, 
sometimes two, long reflexed subulate stigmas ; ovule at- 
tached near the base of the ovəry opposite the insertion 
of the style, ascending : capsule 2 valved, ñeshy, about the 
size of a pea, dehissing vertically’; seed globose ascending : 
integuments three—exterior smooth shining blackish ; 
the middle one nuciform black, thick, hard and rough 
on the outside; between it and the exterior tunic isa 
quantity of soft whitish pulp; the inner one pure white 
and very thin: embryo obliquely inverse, enclosed in a 
copious albumen ; cotyledons foliaceous cordate 3 nerved 
plumula minute ; radicle pointing obliquely upwards to- 
wards the apex of the seed. 
Circars Roxb., Malabar and Eastern, slopes of Neil- 
gherries. 
This extended character is taken partly from my own 
dissections, but principally from Roxburgh’s description 
and is given with a view to showing that the Mappa of A. 
de Jussieu and the Osyris of Roxburgh are generically 
congeners even though in this species the stamens are 
usually only 3 and the ovaries solitary, and further it 
seems probable that they must all be referred to Du Petit 
Thouars’ genus Macaranga between which and Mappa 
the plant now under consideration seems, to me, to form 
the connecting link ; with however the weighty objec- 
tions that in it the ovule and seed are said to be pendul- 
ous from the apex of the cell and the calyx to be 4 
parted while in this the one is ascending and the other 
3 cleft. But even with these differences to be explain- 
ed, I think it probable a careful investigation of all the 
known species of both genera will show that they can 
be reconciled and all brought under one generic denomin- 
ation, the plants themselves being very like. Should this 
not prove the case then, as surmised by Roxb. ina MS. 
note on the drawing, this must constitute the type ofa 
new genus and possibly with the other two form the 
type of a small suborder. 
118, SPINACEA TETRANDRA(Roxb.Steven 2 Moq.Tand.? 
annual erect: leaves variously lobed: flowers hispid, 
sessile; the male ones tetrandrous, the female calyx 2 
parted. Rozb. Fl. Ind. 3 p. 171. 
Hab. much cultivatedin Bengal. 
I have quoted the S. tetrandra of Steven and Moq. 
Tandon with doubt, the character of the latter not agree- 
ing well with Roxburgh’s figure and description. Steudel 
(Nomenclator Botan.) is equally in deubt but he seems 
either not to be aware of the existence’ of Roxburgh’s 
Flora Indica, or if he is, does not quote it,preferring Wal- 
lich's catalogue, as if the one might be safely and satis. 
factorily substituted for the other. Should this be his 
opinion he could not have fallen into a greater error; the 
catalogue being a work not published and of no autho- 
rity, though well adapted to fulfil the end preposed, that, 
namely, of supplying a temporary and convenient expedient 
by which numerous undescribed plants, distributed among 
Botanists, might be distinguished and, thereby, ren- 
dered available to the advancement of Botanical Science, 
pending their more careful determination by numerous 
eminent Botanists who undertook to aid the author 
of the catalogue in carrying out the munificent in- 
tentions of the Indian Home Government, by the pub- 
lieation of descriptive monographs of the different 
natural orders intrusted to their care for that purpose. 
Roxburgh's work on the contrary is one of high authority, 
the result of years of diligent application and careful 
study of the numerous species described, as well as figur- 
ed in his most extensive and unique collection of draw- 
ings: to the general accuracy of which representations 
this work bears most ample testimony. In this point of 
view Dr. Wallich's catalogue was most useful to all who 
received his plants, and is in the hands of but few be- 
sides. The burthening therefore of our Science, already 
overwhelmed with synonyms, by the addition of the nu- 
merous undefined names of that list, was an error scarce- 
ly exceeded by the exclusion of Roxburgh's Flora from 
the list of authorities quoted in that otherwise invalua- 
ble compilation, his names being generally well defined 
and his plants for the most part elaborately described, 
819. ANTIDESMA BUNEAS (Spreng. Stilago Bunias Lin 
Roxb.) Arboreous ; leaves alternate entire, lanceolate ob- 
long polished : spikes axillary and’ terminal : male flowers 
triandrous with an abortive column in the centre. Roxb, 
Fl. Ind. 3, p. 758. 
Nepal, Amboyna, Malabar all claim thisas a native. It 
is a tree of quick growth and particularly beautiful when 
loaded with its numerous bunches of ripe, shining, deep 
red fruit, which are subacid and palatabie.— Roxb. 
820. ANTIDESMA PANICULATA. (Roxb. Willd.) Spikes 
panicled : leaves round oval villous : stigma stellate drupe 
round. Roxb. Fl. Ind. 3 p. 770. 
A smalltree with light ash coloured bark, flowering in 
April Spikes terminal and axillary, panicled ; flowers 
small quinary, male ones with an abortive pistil : ovary 
embraced by a yellow villous disk, stigmas 5 stellate; 
drupe round, dark purple when ripe and of a pleasant 
. 
subacid taste : nut one seeded, embryo inverse enclosed in ۰ 
albumen. Roxb. 
