cimens, the rest from dried ones. Roxburgh calls it 

 " a small shrub a native of cultivated land, among 

 other shrubs on the coast of Coromandel." 



This plant seems so very distinct in its characters 

 from Phyllanthus that I ahnost wonder at Roxburgh's 

 passing it as such, and can only account for it on the 

 supposition of his believing it Willdcnow's P. rham- 



noides^ Roxburgh's P, vitis idma. 



Since writing the above I have seen recent spe- 

 cimens of a new species but not in good state. They 

 have however enabled me to verity the view taken 

 in the character of Roxburgh's nectaries, which he 

 describes as being " six scales on the middle of the 

 leaflets of the calyx, pointing inwards, before the 

 flower expands, these cover the anthers like so many 

 hoods," but Avhich are simply the free margins of the 

 large disk which lines the bottom of the calyx. 



Macr^a (R. W.). 



Gen, Char. Monoecious. Male, perianth 6-parted, 

 forming a double series. Corolla none. Six glands, 

 alternate with the sepals. Stamens 3, free to the 

 base ; anthers extrorse, opening longitudinally. Fe- 

 male. Calyx as in the male. ^No corolla or glands- 

 Base of the ovary bound by an annular disk. Ovary 

 3-celled 6-ovuled ; styles 3, deeply 2-cleft ; stigmas 

 reflexed. Capsule 3-cellcd, six-seeded. Suffi^uticose, 

 straggling plants, often, when supported, two or three 

 feet long : leaves alternate, stipulate, stipules mem- 

 branous, peltate : flowers axillary, several aggregated 

 in each axil ; usually 1 female and 3 or 4 males. 



This genus is perhaps scarcely sufficiently distinct 

 from Phyllanthus^ the principal diflference being the 

 free stamens of this, as opposed to the united ones of 

 the other. 



The genus Macrcea of Lindley, an orchid, being 

 reduced, I have dedicated this genus to that active 

 Botanist. It is the more appropriate as several of 

 the species are natives of Ceylon, the pi'inclpal field 

 of his labom's. 



1901. Mace^a Rheebh (R. W^ Niruri^ Hort. 

 MaL 10, 27.) Suftruticose, decumbent, straggling, 

 glabrous : leaves sub-sessUe, oval, obtuse at both ends : 

 stipules peltate, orbicular below, ending in a longish 

 tapering acumen: male flowers short pedicelled: fe- 

 male pedicels about the length of the leaves, ovary 

 rough. 



Pulncy Mountains, September and October* 



I look upon this plant as being undoubtedly Rheede's 

 Nirurij vol. 10, tab. 27. That plate has been quoted 

 by mistake, perhaps indeed a mere typogi'aphical 

 error, by Roxburgh for his Ph. muUiflorus. The 

 plant here represented is somewhat more compact 

 than Rheede's, but I have other specimens loose 

 enough to bear comparison with his plate. 



1902-1. Macb^a oblongifoi-ia (R. W.), suflfru- 



ticose, diflnse, ramous : branches ascending : leaves 

 linear oblong, obtuse at both ends, mucronate : stip- 

 ulary scales broad ovate, acuminate, peltate : male 

 flowers shoi't pedicelled, female pedicels equaling the 



leaves. 



Station uncertain, but I think the Pulney Moun- 

 tains. The leaves in the figure are a little too broad 

 in proportion to their length. They diminish pro- 

 gressively toAvards the apex, giving the whole branch 

 a tapering aspect. 



1902-2. Macr^a myrtifolia (R. W., Ph. myrti- 



foUus^ Moon's Cat.), shrubby, erect, ramous branches 

 slender ; leaves single or two or thi-ee, fascicled, ob- 

 long lanceolate, acute, mucronate: stipulary scales 

 cordato-ovate, slightly fringed : flowers fascicled, axil- 

 lary, pedicelled, shorter than the leaves : glands of tlie 

 calyx globose, rough, — Leaves about an inch long 

 and from 1 to 2 lines broadi 



Ceylon. 



1902-3. Macr.^a Garbneriana (R, W.), suffi'U- 



ticose, diff'use : leaves sessile, ovate, obtuse at both 

 ends, revolute on the margin, pale glaucous beneath : 

 stipulary scales deeply sinuato-cordate, ovate, acu- 

 minate, sub-dentate on the margin : fllaments cla- 

 vate : cells of the anthers diverging from the point : 

 glands small, smooth. — The leaves are sometimes 

 nearly round and occasionally, but rarely, at least in 

 the dried specimen, scarcely revolute on the edge. 

 Ceylon, jS"euera EUia, Gardner. 



1892-4. Macr^a ovalifolia (R. W.), suffi'uti- 

 cose, ramous ; branches long, slender, diffuse : leaves 

 sub-sessile, oval, obtuse at both ends, paler beneath : 

 stipulary scales irregularly augular, peltate, acuminate 

 at both ends : calyciue glands large, globose: anthers* 

 cells sliglitly divaricated below. — Larger leaves about 

 an inch long and 4 lines broad : flowers fascicled, 

 male and female mixed. 



Eastern slopes of the IN'engherries, abimdant, ascend- 

 ing to the elevation of about 6000 feet, very diffuse, 

 branches often from 2 to 3 feet long. This species 

 seems very nearly allied to the preceding, but is, I 

 think, distinct. 



Reidia (R. W.). 



Gex. Char. Monoecious. Male. Calyx 4-sepaled, 

 equal, imbricating in festivation. Corolla none, 4 large 

 glands alternate with the sepals. Stamens 2, fila- 

 ments united below into a column two-lobed at the 

 apex ; each bearing a large 2-ceUed anther ; cells 

 widely divaricate, nearly horizontal (resembling 4 

 anthers), dehiscing transversely to the axis of the 

 flower. Female. Calyx six sepals in two rows, per- 

 sistent. Corolla none. Disk annulai', fleshy, six-lobed, 

 embracing the base of the ovary. Ovary 3-celled 

 with 2 pendulous ovules in each ; styles three, deeply 

 2-parted ; divisions subulate, stigmatose. Capsule 3- 

 celled: cells 2 or, by abortion, 1 -seeded. Seed obo- 

 vate, 3-angidar. 



Shrubs, branches ascending : floriferous branclilets 

 slender, spreading : leaves alternate : stipules minute, 

 flowers axillary, male and female fascicled : females 

 usually solitary, long pedicelled with several smaller 

 short pedicelled males. 



This genus is dedicated to Lieut. Colonel Francis 

 A. Rcid, the talented Secretary to the Madras Horti- 

 cultural Society, and indefatigable director of its 

 garden. Under his guidance a very general taste 

 for Botanical pursuits has been established, leading 

 to the rapid advancement of Indian Botany, by the 

 introduction into cxUtivation of numerous hitherto 

 imperfectly known Indian plants. Within the last 

 few years the Society's garden, under his super- 

 intendence, has become a well-stocked Botanic 

 garden. 



( 27 ) 



