HOWARD AND HOWARD. 19 



of the types are to be found in the collection at the Indian 

 Museum but they are designated H. cannabinns with no comment, 

 except in one case when there is a note on a specimen with a 

 purple stem and divided leaves to the effect that " green and 

 intermediate coloured plants are intermixed. In fact there is no 

 distinction into two races." 



It appeared at first probable that the spechnen referred to 

 by Hooker as H. Wightianiis might prove to be either type 1 

 or type 2 and, through the kindness of Major Gage, herbarium 

 specimens of the tjq^es isolated by us were despatched to Kew 

 for comparison with this specimen. The following reply was 

 received : — 



H. 330-10 Royal Botanic Gardens, 



Kew. 



The Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, presents 

 his compliments to Major A. T. Gage, i.m.s., and begs to inform 

 him that the specimens of Hibiscus received are not identical with 

 H. Wightianiis, Wall. The leaves of Wallich's 2695 are nuich more 

 coarsely and deeply serrate and their petioles are much shorter 

 than those of the specimens received. The stem of //. Wightianus, 

 it may be added, is whitish." 



In 1910, while on special duty in England, we had the o])por- 

 tunity of examining Wallich's specimens at the Linnean Society. 

 In addition to the information in the above letter it was observed 

 that the epicalyx of H. Wightianus is of a very different form to 

 that of any of the types isolated by us. It is nuich longer, rounder, 

 more spreading and covered with hairs while all the Piisa types 

 have short stiff glabrous epicalyces. It is evident, therefore, that 

 types 1 and 2 are not referable to H. Wightianus which, indeed, 

 appears to dift'er so materially fiom //. cannabinus as to deserve 

 recognition as a separate species. Another specimen from the 

 same collection, namely. Wall. No. 1898, which was referred by 

 Masters to H. Wightianus, differs still more markedly in the form 

 of its epicalyx, the lobes of which are expanded at the apex and 



