THE PHILIPPINE 



Journal of Science 



Vol. XV AUGUST, 1919 No. 2 



ON THE APPLICATION OF THE GENERIC NAME 

 MELODORUM OF LOUREIRO 



. By E. D. Merrill 



Botanist, Bureau of Science, Manila 



The genus Melodot-uvi was proposed by Loureiro ^ in 1790 

 for two species from Cochinchina, Melodorum fruticosum Lour, 

 and M. arboreum Lour., of which the first is manifestly the type 

 of the genus. While the description is not very definite, and 

 .^while manifestly the fruit characters are based on material from 

 some plant different from the type and in all probability not 

 congeneric with it, it seems to be distinctly advisable to in- 

 vestigate the status of the genus in view of the misinterpre- 

 tation of it in all modern botanical literature. 



Fortunately for the purpose of this investigation Loureiro's 

 type of Melodorum fruticosum is preserved in the herbarium of 

 the British Museum, and through the kindness of Dr. A. B. 

 Rendle and Mr. J. G. Baker I have been supplied with a sketch 

 of it with certain notes regarding the specimen. The material 

 consists of a leafy branch* with the broken pieces of a flower, 

 from which it was possible to sketch an entire petal. 



After receiving the sketch mentioned above it was matched 

 by material in the herbarium of the Bureau of Science and 

 in order to verify my interpretation of Loureiro's species frag- 

 ments of several specimens were forwarded to the British Mu- 

 seum for purposes of direct comparison with Loureiro's type. 

 In reference to this material Doctor Rendle notes under date of 

 July 3, 1919: 



Loureiro's plant is very much like the one labeled Polyalthia siamensis 

 Boerl., cult. Hort. Bog.; the large petals seem identical in form but the 



^Fl. Cochinch. (1790) 351. 



166470 125 



