30 NEILGHERRY PLANTS. 
which is his due, but arose from the circumstance of his having loosely quoted a figure which 
he thought belonged to the species which he was describing from specimens in hand, but 
which in truth belonged to a totally different plant, as has since been discovered, and 
because he quoted the plant figured, under a wrong name, it has been assumed that it was 
his plant (though totally different) and his genus altogether suppressed and a new one set up 
in its place. 
Dr. Arnott when recently in London and having an opportunity of examining 
Linneus’ original specimen, was enabled to trace the history of the error through its whole 
course and restore the Linnean Samara to its place in the Botanical system, but to the 
exclusion of Alph. D. C.’s Choripetalum which is in fact identical with the older genus. 
This family is widely but very unequally distributed, apparently, preferring those 
countries enjoying a rather high but equable temperature. They most abound in the 
Islands of the Indian Archipelago, next to which ranks Bengal, Burmab, and the Tenas- 
seram Coast. The Indian Peninsula and Ceylon are placed low in the scale, whether 
owing to these possessing fewer in proportion, or to their being less known, I am unable to 
say, but I do know that I have nearly twice as many in my own collection as D. C. assign- 
ed to both countries in 1833, when his very excellent paper was read to the Linnean 
Society. 
MASA. 
Calyx bibractiolate, 5-lobed, estivation quincuncial, 2 exterior, 3 interior. Coralla 5-cleft subcam 
panulate, lobes obtuse; in estivasion one lobe exterior another interior, the three middle ones imbricately 
convolute on the margins, all obtuse inflexed on the margin. Stamens 5, free, incluse, filaments filiform. 
Anthus ovoid sperical, cordate, shorter than the filaments. Pollen (dry) ellipsoid. Ovary adnate to the calyx 
sometimes half superior in the flower, the placenta at the base within the tube of the calyx. Style short. Stig- 
ma capitate often obsolately 3-4-5-lobed : sometimes the lobes 5, distinct, opposite the lobes of the calyx. 
Berry covered by the calyx, ovoid. Ovules numerous immersed in depressions of the central placenta. Seeds 
numerous, turbinate, angled, flattened above. Embryo cylindrical, the commissure of the colyledous towards 
the hilum.—Shrubs or trees of Asia or Africa usually hermaphrodite : leaves alternate sometimes pellucido- 
punctuate : racemes axillary or terminal simple or compound at the base : flowers small white : bracts at the 
hase of the pedicels persistent minute narrower than the bractiols: bractiols addressed to the flower. The 
essential character of this genus is simply; Corolla superior 5-lobed. Stamens 5 opposite the lobes of the corolla. 
Ovary 1-celled with numerous ovules attached to a free central placenta. Fruit baccate many seeded 
The genus was published in 1775, under the name here given and again in 1776, under that of 
Beobotris and, for a long time, both were retained, until at length it was ascertained they were the same, when 
of course the older of the two took precedence. This will explain the cause of its appearing in Roxburgh’s Flora 
Indica under the latter, he not being aware of the other belonging to the same plants. It now includes about 
30 species, 24 of which are natives of India, the Eastern Islands and China, the rest are of African origin. 
The admitted species seem to me to run so much into each other, that I greatly doubt whether a more extend- 
ed and intimate acquaintance will not tend to reduce the number, some of them appearing to be varieties 
taken up from imperfect specimens, of other species. Indeed I can scarcely help thinking that varieties 
of the species here given form the basis of several of those defined by Alph. D. C. but of that I cannot feel 
certain without authentic specimens to compare with it. 
