66 From the Journal, Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. LXX, Part ITj 



No. ), 1901. 



V. — Materials for a Flora of the Malayan Peninsula. — By Sir Geokgej 

 King, K.C.LE., LL.D., F.R.S., &c., late Superintendent of the Eoyal 

 Botanic Garden, Calcutta. 



[Eeceived April 2nd ; Read June 5th, 1901.] 



No. 12. 



The present contribution to these Materials is occupied exclusively 

 by an account of the N'atural Order Myrtacese. In the sequence followed 

 in Eooher^s Flora of British India, which has been adopted in these 

 papers, this family ought to have immediately preceded Melastomaceaer. 

 But, for reasons which are of no importance to any one besides the 

 author, the account of the latter order was prepared first and was pub- 

 lished in the eleventh of these papers. In the present paper 122 species, 

 belonging to 11 genera, are described. Six of these genera are re- 

 presented by only a single species ; two of them by 2 species ; one by 5, 

 one by 11, and the remaining one {Eugenia) by no fewer than 96 species. 

 The latter genus is a very perplexing one, from the fact that the specie? 

 resemble each other so closely. It is impossible to limit the genus by 

 really good well-marked characters, and it is equally impossible to 

 divide it into sub-genera by characters which do not break down. 

 Eugenia seems to be essentially a genus in the evolution of which an 

 extraordinary number of the successive forms have been preserved. I 

 liave adhered to the arrangement of the species into the groups Jamhosa 

 and Syzygium, although there are many species which might be referred 

 to either. Nobody can be more dissatisfied than I myself am with the 

 clavis of the species which I have prepared. In fact, while dealing with 

 this genus and with its literature, the belief has been forced upon me 

 that verbal descriptions are of very little use in identifying the species, 

 and that the only safe way of doing so is by comparison with authen- 

 tically named Herbarium specimens. 



Order XLVI. MTRTACEiE. 



Trees or shrnbs, rarely herbs. Leaves opposite, seldom alternate 

 or whorled, petioled, simple, entire, rarely denticulate or crenate, 

 3-nerved or pinnately-nerved and usually with an intramarginal nerve, 

 generally coriaceous, and dotted with pellucid glands. Stipules if 

 present small and deciduous. Flowers regular, very rarely irregular, 

 hermaphrodite, or polygamous by abortion, axillary, solitary or in spikes 

 cymes corymbs or heads, naked or with an involucre, often with 2 bracts 

 at the base, white, pink, purple, or yellow, never blue. Calyx superior 

 or J-superior, limb 4— 5-many-fid or -partite, persistent or deciduous^ 



496 



