16,6 Mernll: Philippine Euphorbiaceae, III 563 



MEGISTOSTIGMA Hooker f. 

 MEGISTOSTIGMA CORDATUM sp. nov. 



Herbacea, scandens, partibus junioribus inflorescentiisque 

 exceptis glabra ; f oliis , ovatis, chartaceis, prof unde cordatis, 

 acuminatis, longe petiolatis; inflorescentiis racemosis, axillari- 

 bus, pedunculatis, usque ad 16 cm longis, floribus inferioribus 

 $ , superioribus S , sepalis $ lanceolatis, acuminatis, 6 mm 

 longis. 



A scandent, apparently herbaceous vine, nearly glabrous 

 except the inflorescences and very young vegetative parts. 

 Leaves ovate, chartaceous, 8 to 14 cm long, 6 to 9 cm v^^ide, 

 entire, base prominently cordate, apex acuminate, shining when 

 dry, the upper surface olivaceous, the lower paler; lateral 

 nerves above the basal pair 3 or 4 on each side of the midrib, 

 distinct; petioles 3 to 5 cm long. Inflorescences racemose, 

 axillary, solitary, long-peduncled, up to 16 cm in length, the 

 flower-bearing portion 3 to 5 cm long, the lower flowers in 

 each raceme pistillate, the upper ones staminate. Staminate 

 flowers about 6 mm in diameter, their pedicels about 6 mm long, 

 sparingly pubescent, the calyx-lobes 3, orbicular-ovate, obtuse 

 to acute, 3 to 4 mm in diameter; bracteoles lanceolate, acumi- 

 nate, somewhat pubescent, 4 to 5 mm long, usually hastate-lobed 

 at the base. Pistillate flowers in the lower part of the same 

 raceme as the staminate ones and fewer in number, yellowish- 

 green. Sepals lanceolate, acuminate, about 6 mm long, pubes- 

 cent on both surfaces, somewhat inflated at the base. Ovary 

 subglobose, somewhat 3-lobed, pubescent, 3-celled; style pubes- 

 cent, 2 to 3 mm long; stigma subglobose, obscurely 3-lobed, 

 glabrous, fleshy, about 6 mm in diameter. 



Samar, Mount Canislagan, Bur. Sci. 17591 Ramos, April 3, 

 1914, in dry forests. 



The genus Megistostigma has previously been known from 

 the Malay Peninsula where it is represented by a single species, 

 M. malaccense Hook, f., the type of the genus. The present 

 species diifers radically from M. malaccense in its ovate, cordate, 

 long-petioled leaves and in its very much larger flowers, the 

 staminate and pistillate ones being borne in the same racemes, 

 not in separate racemes as in Hooker's species. In essential 

 floral characters, by which the genus is distinguished, both the 

 starrinate and pistillate flowers conform entirely to those of 

 Megistostigma. 



