ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 9 



partaking more of the character of Memecijlon than of Myrtm. Turning next to Evgenia, 



which in its more obvious characters, those namely taken from the cilyx and flower, does not 

 differ materially from Alyrtus but is separated by its 2-ceIled ovary and very different seed. 

 These, which in Mj/rt^s, are compressed reniform enclosing a terete curved embryo in a hard 

 bony testa, are, in Eugejiia globose, with thick soft and fleshy cotyledons; forming an excellent 

 distinction between these often, otherwise, closely allied genera. 



When we next proceed to compare Eugenia with its off* sets, Jambosa and Syzyghiin^ per- 

 manent distinctions are not so easily found. All three have a 2-celled ovarium with numerous 

 ovules, all have a more or less succulent fruit, all have fleshy seed. The distinctions, therefore. 



attempted to be established rest on Jamhosa having a turbinate somewhat elongated calyx tube, 

 a grumous edible fruit and a lobed seed, in place of a globose calyx tube and conferruminate 

 seed. The first of these can scarcely be admitted if W' allich's E. formosa and E, bifaria are 

 to be considered genuine species, sinc3 both have the turbinate calyx and general habit of Jam- 

 bosa and, in my opinion, are both more justly referable to that genus, as it now stands, than to 

 Ei/ge?7ia. The character taken from the cotyledons being lobed or conferruminate, does not 

 appear a more satisfactory one and must, as in the instance just quoted, be received with cau- 

 tion, as both seem to have conferruminate cotyledons though that is not mentioned in the des- 

 cription. Syzygiv77i is said to be distinguished from both, by the petals cohering, forming a 

 calyptra or lid and falling off either in that state or immediately after expansion, thus making the 

 essential character of the genus rest on its having caducous petals ; the seed being the same as in 

 Jambosa, This seems to me at best a very artificial character and, if not taken along with habit, 

 is altogether nullified by several species in my collection, which have the habit of the most per- 

 fect forms of the genus, but want the deciduous petals. To establish generic characters on 

 such distinctions, which are barely sufficient to supply very secondary sub-divisions, is altogether 

 to banish from natural history the axiom that — the genus gives the character not the character 

 the genus. 



When we extend our comparison a step further and compare the distinctions taken from the 

 calyx tube in these two genera Syzyghtm and Jambosay we find them equally at fault. Syzygivm 

 is said to have the calyx tube obovate, while in Jambosa it is turbinate and attenuated at the 

 base. In S. Zeyianicum D.C. and S. fVightiannm WalL it is described as elongated and 

 clavate, while in both, the inflorescence is racemose, the flowers springing from the naked 

 branches, as in Jambosa malaccensis and some others, in place of forming umbelliform cymes, the 

 usual form in the genus, thus corresponding in habit as well as structure with Jambosa. P'or 

 these reasons I cannot consent to separate Syzygiwn and Jambosa. Eugenia it seems to me 

 must equally be united, if we would form a natural association. 



Let us next consider Caryophylliis, the oldest genus of the group. It is characterized by 

 having a cylindrical calyx tube and 4-lobed border, the petals coliering into a lid,as in Syzygivm^ 

 and the stamens free, forn^ing 4 tufts with a slight almost inconspicuous interval l)etween : the 

 inflorescence is corymbose. Here again we have the identical structure mentioned as belonging 

 to S, Zeylanicum and aS. Wigklianum, with the exception of the 4dobed limb of the calyx and 4 

 tufts of stamens, the fruit and seed are much the same in all — but surely the limb of the calyx be- 

 ing a little more or less divided can never be received as a generic character being, in truth, only 

 fit to be employed as a specific one. For these reasons I propose to reunite these four genera 

 EugOMia^ CaryophylluSy Jambo%a and Syzyghtm into one, and use those characters which have 

 hitherto been employed as generic ones, for its subdivision into sections, it being quite impos- 

 sible they can ever furnish good generic ones : genera which are made to depend on such char- 

 acters as a greater or less development of any single organ, such as in the elongated calyx of Ca- 

 ryophyllus and oi Jambosa, in contradistinction to the short one of Syzygium, or on the more or 

 less deciduous petals of species, cannot benaturaL Neither can we get good artificial genera, by 

 the combination of these characters, unless we are prepared to multiply them beyond mea ure. 

 In that case it might be easy enough to construct generic characters — for one genus might have 

 a short calyx tube and petals that expand before falling— another might have an elongated tube 

 and similar petals — a third might have a long tube with deciduous calyptrated petals — a fourth 

 a short one, and so on and if rigidly adhered to, might facilitate the determination of spe- 

 cies, but while the ovary, ovules, and fruit are nearly the same in all, the general habit the 



