199 



Bidktm of the Straits and Federated Malay States, No. ii., vol. vi 

 1907 'which deals with the matter, and in the latter volume ii 

 p. 4o3 is given an abstract of Mr. Wray's observations on the 

 plant and a communication from Mr. D. Hooper drawing atten- 

 tion to an article hv \Tr TT V P,MW ;~ r~.J-_» ^ ., & ™u 



Mitt 



writer refers to t! 



r^Jfyi V™* 09 *! ^orth as being employed in Perak as a 

 remedy for the opium habit. The leaves of an allied species 

 {M. par vi folia) are employed in India as a fodder for cattle, but 

 do not appear to be put to any other use. 



Specimens of Gombretum sundaiciun have also been received 

 at the Herbarium froni Dr. T. B. Sprague of Edinburgh; these 

 came from the Batu Caves Estate, Kuala Lumpur, and were 

 obtained through the kind oliices of Mr. Christopher Meikle 

 whose attention was drawn to the plant by seeing Chinamen 

 carrying off bundles of it to be used as an anti-opium remedy 

 Dor this purpose the whole plant, except the thickest stems 'is 

 chopped up and infused. 



In the Straits Agricultural Bulletin, No. ii., vol. vi., Mr. H. N 

 Kid ley mentions two plants that have been referred to him as being 

 of value in combatting the opium craving. One of these appears 

 to be Gombretum sundaicum ; the specimens came from Kuala 

 Lumpur. The other, which was described as a hi ib from China 

 is a species of Gynura (Compositae), Mr. Ridlev has been 

 to distinguish from G. oralis, DC. 



The specimens are exhibited in Case 52, Museum No. I. 



unable 



J. M. H. 



Presentations.— Garden. A number of living plants exhibited 

 at the South African Products Exhibition were, at its close, pre- 

 sented to Kew. Among these were some fine masses of several 

 species of Lycopodium, from Pietermaritzburg ; Sarcocaulon 

 Burmanni, the torch plant, from Cape Colony; Ornithogalum 

 lacteum and 0. thyrsoides ; also several orchids. Various seeds 

 were also presented ; these included a collection of the varieties 

 of Zea Mays and of Ricinus communis, with seeds of Acacias, 

 of Galodendron capense (wild chestnut), and other trees. 



Museums. At the close of the same exhibition, which was 

 held in London between February 22nd and March 16th, 1907, 

 large and varied collections of Vegetable Economic Products, 

 including food-grains, tanning barks, tobacco, cotton, fruits, 

 medicinal plants, &c, were presented to the Museums at Kew on 

 behalf of their respective Governments by Mr. C. du Chiappini, 

 Trades Commissioner for the Cape of Good Hope, Mr. J. Burtt 

 Davy, Government Agrostologist and Botanist, Transvaal, and 

 Mr. T. K. Sim, Conservator of Forests, Natal. 



The Museums are further indebted to Sir D. Morris, K.C.M.G., 

 Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, West Indies, 

 for an excellent series of miscellaneous vegetable products, pre- 

 pared by Mr. W. Kobson, Curator of the Botanic Station, Montserrat, 



