58 Sir G. King — Flora of the Malayan Peninsula. [May & Jdne, 1901.] 



4. Materials for a Flora of the Malayan Penhisitla, Ko. 12. — By 

 Sir George King, K.C.I.E., LL.D., F.R.S., &c., late Superintendent of 

 the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta. 



(Abstract.) 



The paper contain.s desciiption.s of all the species of the Natural 

 Order Myrtacex known to be indigenous to the Malay Peninsula, to the 

 Straits Settlements and to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands ; nnd it 

 has been prepared after examining the rich collections contained in the 

 Herbaria of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew and Calcutta and of the 

 Government Gardens at Singapoi-e and Penang. The .species described 

 in it amount to 122 and these are distributed among.st 11 genera. 

 Tliis proportion closely resembles that obtaining for the same family 

 in Sir Joseph Hooker's Flora of British India, in which there are des- 

 cribed 157 species belonging to practically the same genera, for Psendo- 

 Engenia (the additional genus given here) has been carved out of 

 Eugenia since Hooker's Flora was completed. In both Floras the 

 largest genus is Eugenia, of wliich there are 131 species given in 

 Hooker's work as against 96 in the present paper. Of these 96 no 

 fewer than 50 are here described for the first time. And, as the Malay 

 i^eniusula and the adjacent islands fall within, the limits of British 

 India (as understood by Hooker, the Engenise of British India now 

 stand at 181. Besides the 50 new species of Eugenia, there are des- 

 cribed in the paper 4 new species of the beautiful littoral genus 

 Barringtonia — plants which, in addition to possessing handsome flowers, 

 are remarkable for their curious fruits. Novelties are also described 

 under the genera Tristania, Pseudo- Eugenia and Planchonia. 



The total known number of species of Myrtacese is very great, 

 being estimated at about 2,800. These are distributed chiefly over 

 the warm parts of Asia, Australasia, Africa and America, only one 

 (the common Myrtle) being indigenous in Europe. 



The Myrtacese are most abundant in South America, and they make a 

 large proportionate part of the vegetation of Australia in which island 

 very large and important forests consist for the most part of species of 

 Encalyptns. 



