flora of seychelles and aldabra 15 



Myrtace^. 



Eugenia species, foliis brevissime petiolatis crassis coriaceis 

 ellipticis vel nonnunquam fere orbicularibus 3-5 cm. longis apice 

 emarginatis basi rotundatis margine plerumque supra medium 

 obscure crenulatis creberrime venosis. Florum frustra tantum 

 adsunt. 



Mahe : Plateau above La Mare aux Cochons, G. de I'lsle. 

 This was received at Kew after the pubHcation of Baker's Flora. 



Begoniace^. 



Begonia seychellensis Hemsl., sp. n. ; species -S. aptercE Roxb. 

 arete affinis, a qua differt imprimis omnibus partibus majoribus, 

 foliis amplis latioribus quam longis et floribus utrinque sexus 

 apetalis. 



Frutex carnosus, nonnunquam usque ad 1*2 m. altus (Home), 

 omnino glaber, caulibus crassis ramosis. Folia longe petiolata ; 

 lamina valde oblique rotundato-elliptica, interdum usque ad 3 dm. 

 lata sed ssepius in ramis fioriferis 1-1-5 dm. lata, basi cordata, 

 paucilobata, lobis latis brevibus, margine simul obscure denti- 

 culata, utrinque viridia vel subtus rubra. Inflorescentia axillaris, 

 2-3-chotoma, quam folia brevier ; pedunculi saepius triflori, flore 

 central! S ebracteolato, lateralibus $ bibracteolatis, bracteoHs 

 ovarium vestientibus. Flores albi, baud numerosi. Sepala 2, 

 orbiculari-cordata vel elliptico-cordata, circiter 1 cm. diametro. 

 Stamina circiter 20, filamentis liberis brevissimis. Styli 3, bifidi, 

 ramulis semitortis. Fructus baccatus, oblongo-ellipticus, circiter 

 2 cm. longus, compressus, apterus ; placentas 3, parietales, 2-lamel- 

 latae, lamellis utrinque polyspermis. Semina numerosissima, sub- 

 quadrata, vix 0*5 mm. longa, cristata, lineolato-canaliculata. — B. 

 aptera var. Baker, Flora, 129. 



Mahe : Common above 360 metres, Gardiner ; original forests, 

 Neville. Silhouette : Common by streams above 450 metres, 

 Gardiner, 111 ; Neville. 



" Common in moist, shady forests in all the islands." Home. 



The Seychelles specimens are uniformly different from typical 

 B. aptera, both from Mauritius and Bourbon. The leaves of B. 

 aptera are obliquely lanceolate and almost caudate-acuminate, and 

 the female flowers have petals. 



Araliace^. 



Gastonia sechellarum Harms in Engler & Prantl Natlirl. 

 Pflanzenf. iii, 8, p. 43. Pohjscias sechellarum Baker, Flora, 128. 



Mahe : A tall, slender tree found in mountain forest, Cascade 

 estate, Thomasset, 175. Ternue ; tree in dark jungles, at 360 

 metres, Gardiner. Silhouette : La Beserve, Gardiner. 



Baker reduced Gastonia to Polyscias, but the inarticulated 

 pedicels and other characters of the former are generally regarded 

 as of generic value. Balfour (Bot. Rodriguez, 44) discusses 

 the question and restores Gastonia, and Harms in the place cited 

 above follows him. I had arrived at the same conclusion inde- 

 pendently. Home's specimen on which this species was established 



