Marlea. octandria monogvnia. 261 



A native of Pulo Pinang. 



Leaves opposite, sessile, half stem-clasping, ovate 

 cordate, smooth, shining, entire, of a firm texture, and 

 veinless ; from four to six inches long. Flowers numer- 

 ous, very small, collected in round, sessile heads, in the 

 axills of the leaves, or below them. Bractes two at the 

 base of each pedicel. Ca/yx four-toothed. Petals orhi- 

 cular, sessile. Stamens, length of the petals. Berries a- 

 bout the size of a gooseberry, dry. Seed solitary, round. 



MARLEA. R. 



Calyx from six to eight toothed, superior. Petals from 

 six to eight. Germ inferior, two-celled ; cells one-seeded; 

 attachment superior. Drupe with a two-celled nut. Em- 

 bryo inverse, furnished with a perispenu. 



M. begonifolia. R. 



Marlea is the vernacular name in Silhet, where, it is 

 indigenous and grows to the size of a small tree, yield- 

 ing timber w^hich is employed by the natives in the con- 

 struction, of their houses. Flowering time the month of 

 April ; the seed ripens in July. 



In its natural character it approaches near to Alan- 

 gium ; the number of stamina, and the internal structure 

 of the germ and drupe, however, are so different, as to 

 induce me to consider it sufficiently distinct to form a 

 separate genus, which I do under its vernacular name 

 of Marlea. 



Leaves alternate, petioled, unequally cordate, as in 

 Begonia, entire, or lobate, acuminate, smooth, five, or 

 more-nerved ; from four to eight inches long, by from 

 three to five broad. Petioles round, a little villous, about 

 an inch long. Stipules none. Peduncles axillary, the 

 length of the petioles, dichotomous, many-flowered. Flow- 

 ers of a middling size, short-pedicelled, petals white. Ca- 



