ON THE IDENTITY OF AEGIPHILA VIBURNIFOLIA 



JUSSIEU 



By E. D, Merrill 

 Director and Botanist, Bureau of Science 



ONE PLATE 



In 1806 Jussieu ^ described as new a supposedly Philippine 

 species which he called Aegiphila viburnifolia, the genus ap- 

 pertaining to the Verbenaceae, and all its species being confined 

 to tropical America. No attempt seems to have been made to 

 determine the identity of the species until 1911, when at my re- 

 quest the late Dr. C. B. Robinson, in passing through Paris, 

 looked up Jussieu's type and supplied me with a few. notes re- 

 garding it and also a photograph of it. Both he and Dr. Gagne- 

 pain failed to recognize the genus to which it really belonged, 

 although both agreed that it appertained to the Celastraceae. 

 From a not very critical examination of the photograph in 

 1914, I determined Jussieu's species as being the same as the 

 Philippine one described in 1908 as Euonymics philippinensis 

 Merr. & Rolfe, and erroneously adopted the binomial Euonymus 

 viburnifolius Merr. for the Philippine form. A reexamination 

 of the photograph, the description, and Dr. Robinson's notes 

 shows clearly that this disposition of Jussieu's species is erro- 

 neous, but that it is clearly the Malayan form described by King 

 in 1896 as Elaeodendron subrotimdum. An adjustment of the 

 synonymy follows: 



ELAEODENDRON VIBURNI FOL! UM (Juss.) comb. nov. Plate 1. 



Aegiphila viburnifolia Juss. in Ann. Mus. Paris 7 (1806) 76; Walp. 



Repert. 4 (1844-48) 124; Schauer in DC. Prodr. 11 (1847) 655. 

 Elaeodendron subrotundum King in Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 65' (1896) 



356; Merr. in Journ. Str. Branch Roy. As. Soc. 76 (1917) 93. 



I have examined the following material representing the 

 species : "Philippines," Sonnerat, photograph of the type ex Herb. 

 Jussieu. Malay Peninsula, Selangor, Burkill 12.'i8; Johore, Rid- 

 ley 12481. Singapore, Baker 5850. Borneo, Sarawak, Fox- 

 ivorthy 119; British North Borneo, Foxworthy 623. 



'Ann. Mus. Paris 7 (1806) 76. 



449 



