58 NEILGHERRY PLANTS. 
many of which discovered for the first time during that ered with short adpressed capitate es bearing, a 
excursion, will embellish this work, and also to my tuft of long bristles at the apex ; ace™s 5 decidu- 
high estimation of his great Botanical attainments. ous; appendages deciduous, cover with ‘bri stles : 
Bight wae (Benth.) shrubby: anthers 10, linear-oblong, scarcely baked style cla- 
branches herbaceo cabrous with short bristles: vate.— — nd A. Prod. p. 323. 
leaves nearly benetl ‘Ovaeh, slightly acute, quite entire, This species is rare about peace aes 5 but abou 
5-7 nerved; upper side covered with a pressed, some- Coonoor rou Kaitie Falls, it is comm It is re adily 
what shining hairs; under hirsute on the , and distinguished fone the preced g, by “the short ridged 
ortly tomentose between them: flowers (large) ter- shining adpressed hairs with which the 5 to 7-nerved 
minal, at first erent capitate and bracteated, after- leaves are covered, and by the calycine bristles being 
wards often solitary: calyx campanulate, densely co- nearly white, while in it they are a deep brownish red. 
XXIX.—MYRTACEZ.—MYRTLE TRIBE. 
This is a family of great extent, and has engaged much of the attention of Botanists in 
elucidation of its connections, its genera, and towards the discrimination of its numerous 
species; much however is still required, as up to the present time, it seems a very hetero- 
genous assemblage, and apparently one of the most difficult to define. 
It includes some very interesting plants; such as the clove tree, the Jamaica pepper 
tree or All-spice, the Rose-apple, the Guava, and a host of others; and generally its species 
are remarkable for their handsome flowers, and the aromatic odour of their foliage when 
bruised ; owing to their containing in numerous little cells, a quantity of an aromatic essea- 
tial oil, which can be seen collected ia transparent vesicles when held between the eye and 
the light,in the common myrtle they are easily seen. 
This is one of the best distinguishing marks of the family. Any one finding a plant 
with opposite leaves and calyciflorous flowers, that is, the stamens and petals growing from 
the cup of the calyx, may feel almost certain it belongs to this family if the leaves have 
transparent dots. Care, however must be taken not to confound them with the Hyperi- 
cums or the Rutaceous family, which differ in haying a superior ovary, while the Myrtles have 
an inferior one, that is, in other words, the young fruit is seen below the flower. 
The dotted leaves though general, are not universal: they are wanting in the guava 
and some others, and in many, areso minute as to require the aid of a magnifier to see 
them. In the Myrtus tomentosa, they are also wanting, which circumstance induced me care- 
fully to compare this plant with Myrtus communis, the type of the genus, when I ascertained, 
that they could net be associated as true congeners, and that the former must be separated 
to form the type of anew genus. Salisbury long ago suggested their separation, and DeCan- 
dolle has partially accomplished it, by placing this along with Myrtus spectabules, (the type 
of another genus,) in a distinct section, under the name of Rhodomyrtus, with the character, 
‘© Flores rosei. Semena compresso-plana in loculis biseriata.” This name I therefore adopt for 
the genus. It isallied on theone handto Myrtus, by its 3-celled ovary and osseous seed, 
but differs in their simple double series compressed form, horizontal position, even in the 
ovary, and in habit. On the other, it approaches the Guava (Psidium,) in habit, its im- 
punctate leaves and succulent fruit; but differs in its 3-celled ovary, its flattened seed, not 
nidulating in pulp, and its 3-nerved leaves. It seems to form the transition from the 
one to the other, agreeing with neither, but largely partaking of the characters of both. 
The order is very widely distributed, but greatly predominates within the tropics oF 
in the warm latitudes immediately adjoining on either side. Numerous species are natives 
