2 EPILOBIUM NOTES FOR 1889. 



Cocos Islands, in the Indian Ocean, and this collection contained 

 both the true Trium/etta procumbens and T. subpalmata.* 



I accordingly requested Mr. E. G. Baker, of the Botanical 

 Department, British Museum, to examine the original specimens 

 conserved there, which he did, and also kindly furnished me with 

 tracings of original drawings ; and I have since had the oppor- 

 tunity of comparing them myself, with the result that there is no 

 doubt that two very distinct species have been confused under the 

 name of T. procumbens. They may be defined briefly as follows : — 



1. Trium/etta procumbens Forster Prodr. Fl. Ins. Austral, p. 35 ; 

 Hook, et Arn. Bot. Beech. Voy. p. GO (non Benth. PI. Austral, i. 

 p. 273, nee auct. alior., saltern pro maxima parte). Syn. T. cram- 

 folia Solander ; Seem. Fl. Vit. p. 2G, et forsan T. Fabreana Gaud. 

 Bot. Voy. Freyc. t. 102. Folia longe petiolata, molliter tomentosa, 

 rotundato-ovata vel cordata, indivisa vel trilobata, simul crenata. 

 Fructus longe flaccideque multiaculeatus, aculeis phimosis. 



2. Triumfetta subpalmata Solander, Herb. Mus. Brit, et 

 in Icon. Park, in Bibl. Mus. Brit, ined., syn. T. procumbens Benth. 

 Fl. Austral, i. p. 273, prreter specimen a A. Cunningham lectum. 



Folia breviter petiolata, rigida, scabrida, alte 3-5-lobata, simul 

 argute dentata. Fructus breviter rigideque aculeatus, aculeis 

 glabris. 



There are slight differences in the flowers of these two species, 

 but I have limited the diagnoses to their striking characteristics. 

 The first is apparently much the more widely spread, ranging from 

 Seychelles, Diego Garcia, and the Keeling Islands, through the 

 Malay Archipelago, and all over Western Polynesia ; and A. Cun- 

 ningham collected it in Fitzroy Island, off the coast of Queensland. 



The second is known to inhabit Java and Borneo, several 

 islands off the coast of Cochin China, the Keeling Islands, and the 

 Northumberland, Howick, Frankland, and other groups of islands 

 off the coast of Queensland. 



The accompanying figures are from the original drawings by 

 Sydney Parkinson in the Department of Botany of the British 

 Museum. 



EPILOBIUM NOTES FOR 1889. 



By the Rev. Edward S. Marshall, M.A., F.L.S. 



During the past season, I have examined many thousands of 

 living specimens, chiefly in W. Surrey, paying special attention to 

 hybrids. The result has been gratifying, as several combinations 

 new to the British Flora have been obtained (marked below with 

 an asterisk), and two of these had not been previously observed 



* It may be mentioned in connection therewith, that the Keeling Islands 

 are about 600 miles from the nearest land, and were first botanically and other- 

 wise explored by Darwin ; and Dr. Gappy went thither to investigate more fully 

 the composition and origin of the flora and other phenomena, the results of 

 which have not yet, I believe, been published. 



