This tree has a wide distribution; the figure is 

 taken from specimens obtained in alpine forests on 

 the Bolamputty Hills near Coimbatore, but I have it 

 also from Bombay, Ceylon, and Mergui. 



This is a large and complex genus, exhibiting con- 

 siderable differences in the flowers, in different spe- 

 cies. The thii'd or interior series of stamens have 

 generally 2 glands at the base of each ; but in this 

 and some other species the perianth is depauperated 

 and the number of stamens augmented; and the 

 glands of the filaments, in jplace of being, as usual, 

 sessile knobs, are elegant longish pedicelled, little 

 spheres or globules ; in the female the glanduliferous 

 stamens are changed into somewhat strap-shaped 

 staminodes, but retaining the glands, 



1835. Tetranthera ligustrina (Nees), flowers 

 apetalous, umbels axillary, usually solitary : leaves lan- 

 ceolate obtuse, reticulately veined, glabrous, shining. 



Neilgheri'ie*, frequent, Comtallum,8cc. The pedun- 

 cles of the umbels are represented a little too long. 

 Nees assigns to this species solitary peduncles, but 

 the plants from which the drawing was made show 

 a plurality though they, undoubtedly, appear in all 

 other respects the same species. They were obtained 

 from the Neilgherries, and the excess may be the 

 result of excessive luxm-iance. 



1836. Tetranthera Panamanja (Hamilt.), per- 

 ianth six-cleft, umbels axillary and lateral, race- 

 mose : racemes many -flowered, longer than the petiols : 

 leaves oblong, acuminate at both ends : exterior fila- 

 ments strigose. 



Com'tallum. I introduce this species, though the 



six-lobed perianth and 12 ^^^ }? less perfect than I could have wished, as 

 r oTiP« (.l^^^niifpr^^^ ^^ar. pre_sentmg a formvcry different from the_precedmg, 



lobes of the perianth are wanting, and the number 

 of >gtamens proportionably increased. But whUe they 

 thus essentially correspond, they present numerous 

 and interesting variations available for generic cha- 

 racters. For example : In this tribe the rule is for 

 the glanduliferous stamens to have introrse anthers ; 

 CylicodapJine has 6 of them, all extrorse, and is by 

 that single mark thoroughly separated from all the 

 rest. Polyadenia has all its stamens, 6-9, biglandu- 

 liferous and introrse. Laums has a 4-cleft perianth 

 and 2 -celled anthers; and lastly, Lepidadenia^ as I un- 

 derstand the genus, has 6 biglanduliferous stamens, 

 and introi'se anthers which distinguishes it from 

 CylicodapJine. Nees' essential character of Tetrau" 

 thera is to have the 3 interior stamens glanduliferous, 

 introrse, and no staminodes, but from these characters 

 many of his species depart. I would therefore sug- 

 gest that the genus be recast and the species distri- 

 buted into the following groups, premising however 

 that, as I know but few of the species myself, the 

 groups are suggested and limited by characters de- 

 duced from Nees* descriptions. 



1st. All those species corresponding with plates 

 1834-35 in wanting, or in having the number of lobes 

 of the perianth reduced, and the number of stamens 

 proportionably increased, and in having pedicelled 

 capitate glands, I propose uniting into one genus to 

 which Thunberg's original name, Tomex^ might be 

 given. 



2d. Those having a perfect six-lobed perianth, 9 

 fertile stamens, the 3 interior ones glandidiferous, 

 and no staminodes, to be combined under the existing 



name of Tetranthera* 



3d. Those having a 

 stamens, the six interior ones glanduliferous, even 

 although the inner three are imperfect (only stami- 

 nodes) yet, if the filaments are glanduliferous, I would 

 still unite them all (without reference to the form 

 or texture of the appendage) with the genus Lepida- 

 denia — as done in the 4 new species I have added to 

 that genus* 



4th. Roxburgh's T. rmnopetala seems to form the 

 type of a new genus. It has 9 stamens and 12 glands 

 — ^namely, the six exterior stamens (those next the 

 perianth) have each one gland, and the 3 interior 

 ones each two, a little above the base. The interior 

 six are normal, the exterior six so far abnormal as to 

 justify generic value being attached. It is certainly 

 awkwardly placed in a genus whose character is to 

 have the 3 interior stamens, only, glanduliferous. 



Difl5culties unquestionably lie in the way of thus 

 simplifying the distribution of the numerous species 

 ranged under this genus, owing to the tendency to 

 depauperation, or suppression of some of the parts, 

 which some, if not indeed most, of the species ex- 

 hibit ; but still, I think, if the plan was attempted 

 some means of obviating that difficulty might be dis- 

 covered, and greatly lighten the labours of those 





and having the advantage of being named by Nees. 

 The original specimens from which the species is 

 taken up were gathered in Gualpara. Respecting my 

 plant, Nees remarks, " variat foliis supra nitidissimis, 

 racemis feminiis brevioribus (petiolo parum longiori- 

 bus) rachi strictiori crassiorique." The flowers are 

 too young to admit of satisfactory analyses being 

 made from them, but I learn from Nees' description 

 of the species that it will belong to the genus Lepida- 

 denia if modified as above proposed. 



Lepidadenia (Nees). 



Hermapl 

 inner on 



lamiuEe- Anthers 4-celled. Inflorescence umbelled, 

 involucrate. Leaves veined, oblique." Nees- 



When Nees constructed the above character he 

 only knew one species, L. Wightiava. My herbarium 

 furnished me with several others, all agreeing in the 

 essential characters of having umbellate involucred 

 inflorescence, with the two interior rows of stamens 

 glanduliferous, and introrse 4-celled anthers, but 

 wanting the lamellate glands. 



These, whether correctly or otherwise, I have refer- 



'I!^ t^ri^^l"^ .^."^r^Ki^t '^« redto thU genus.^ Of _.ie_propriety 'of thus dis- 



cies or finding a pla<ie for such as might be still 



unpublished. 



figured m Nos. 1839 and 

 inay be entertained as they are dioicous plants, and 



1834. 



ipetalous 



(Roxb.) 



distinct 



account, to form the tyi)e 



is kno" 

 better 



elliptic oblong, somewhat acute at both ends, beneath, 

 with the petiols and young branchlets, whitish tomen- 



tose. 



views explained above than to risk the multiplica- 

 tion of genera in an order where they are already so 

 numerous. The figures, so far as thev 20, will easilv 



( H ) 



