THE TONGA PLANT (ePIPREMNUM MIRABILE, SCHOTT). 335 



of patience and no little skill to arrive at a correct conception of their 

 structure and contents. 



As there can be no doubt the plant upon which Hasskarl 

 founded his genus Bhapliidojjhora is identical with Epipremnum 

 mirahile, Schott, and as Rhaphidophora is the older name by fifteen 

 years, having been made in 1842, wdiilst Epipremnum was not 

 characterised until 1857 (see ' Bonplandia,' v., p. 45, the type 

 being E. yiyanteum, Schott), therefore on the one hand, according 

 to the rule of priority, the name Bhaphidophora should take the 

 place of Epipremnum, and a new generic name be given to those 

 plants which Schott erroneously called Rhaphidophora ; but on the 

 other hand, as Hasskarl was wrong as to the most important 

 character for his genus, and wrong as to synonymy, and as Schott 

 did correctly characterise the genera Epiprevinum. and Rhaphido- 

 jyhora as he understood the latter, and the generic name Rhaphido- 

 phora is now so well known in connection with those plants which 

 Schott placed in it, that after taking counsel of Mr. Bentham and 

 Sir Joseph Hooker, who has recently worked up the genera of Aroids, 

 for the ' Genera Plantarum,' it has been decided all round that it is 

 better to keep the generic names as they at present stand in our 

 books (except that Schott should stand as the authority for the 

 genus Rhaphidophora, and Hasskarl's Rhaphidophora be placed 

 as a synonym of Ejnpremmim), rather than change the generic 

 names now, since no good purpose would result from such a 

 change, but merely more lengthy synonymy, and possibly more 

 confusion. 



The Tonga plant itself is an ornamental climber of rapid 

 growth, with bold dark green pinnatisect leaves in the adult stage, 

 and large inflorescences, resembling those of a Monstera or PJia- 

 phidophora. It is a very suitable plant for trailing up pillars, 

 trunks of palms, tree-ferns, &c., or the back wall of a stove ; and 

 besides its ornamental character it is specially interesting for the 

 manner in which the plant changes in appearance as it develops 

 from its juvenile state with small entire leaves, to its adult flower- 

 ing state with large pinnatisect leaves ; as well as for its medicinal 

 qualities, which appear to have long been known to the natives of the 

 countries the plant inhabits, since Eumphius, in his ' Herbarium 

 Amboinense,' v. p. 489 (where at t. 183, f. 2, a very good figure 

 of the plant is given), states that the natives of Java and Baly 

 cook " the horns " (terminal buds of flowering stems) a little over 

 a fire, bruise them and squeeze out the juice, which is given to 

 lean and feeble horses and cows, and it is said to cure them and 

 bring them into a fat and healthy condition. The internal 

 substance is pounded and used in the form of a poultice as a 

 remedy for sprains. It is also used as a dentrifice to whiten the 

 teeth, the heart or internal substance being chewed with pinanga 

 and chalk. Cows feed upon the leaves, especially during the hot 

 months when the fields are destitute of grass ; they seem to be 

 very fond of them, and also of the stems, as they are not acrid. 

 Altogether the Tonga plant appears to be a rather useful one, all 

 the more so considering the order to which it belongs, whose 



