BY THE REV. J. E. TENISON-WOODS. 103 



I'pomcea batatas, L., is the well-known sweet potato belonging 

 to the order of Convolvulace^, largely cultivated amongst the 

 Malays, likewise in all countries within or near the tropics. The 

 Malay name is Ubi, which is also applied to the common potato ; 

 Keledek is the common Malay name for the sweet potato. The 

 origin of this plant, universally cultivated in the tropics, is 

 extremely doubtful. The whole question is given in De Candolle 

 op. cit. He gives the Chinese name as Chu ; in Punti I find it 

 is Fan-shu ; in Japanese it is called Satsuma-imo, and common 

 potatoes Riukiu-imo. 



Lichens. — In a moist climate and amid such shady forests as 

 those of Malaysia it may be readily imagined how rich the harvest 

 of lichens ought to be ; but very little has been done towards 

 their determination. I made no collection except a few speci- 

 mens which have not been determined. I give here therefore 

 the list of genera of those enumerated by Nylander and Crombie 

 from Vol. XX,, p. 48, of the " Journal of the Linnean Society/' 

 (Botany), London. These were collected in the Straits Settle- 

 ments by Dr. Maingay about twenty years previously, or between 

 1861 and 1865. Amongst them was a number of new species. 



Family Collemacei : Collema 2 species, DichodiuTii 1, Lep 

 togiujti 2. 



Fam. Lichenacei : Ramalina 1, Usnea 2, Parmelia 10, Physcia 

 1, Pyxine 2, Pannaria 1, Lecanora 5, Thelotrema 2, Ascidiuin 1, 

 GocGocarpia 5, Lecidea 10, GyrostomiMii 1, Graphis 8, Medusula 1, 

 Opegrapha 1, Arthonia 4, Glyj)his 4, Ohiodecton 1, Verrucaria 15, 

 Trypethelium 4, Endococcus 1. 



This collection can only be considered as an instalment of the 

 lichen flora of the region, but it is interesting as affording a good 

 specimen of its character. It will be observed also that amongst 

 them common and well-known species of commercial value such 

 as Parmelia tiiictorum, Despr., and other world-wide species were 

 found. The largest number of species came from about Malacca 

 and Singapore. 



