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Notice of Plants which have Flowered recently in the Jioyal 

 Botanic Garden, and other Gardens near Edinburgh. By 

 J. H. Balfour, M.I)., F.L.S., Professor of Botany in the 

 University of Edinburgh. Communicated by the Author. 



LiviSTONA CIIINENSIS, Martins. — Nat. Ord. Palmre. Tribe 

 Coryphinse, Mart. — Hexandria Monogynia. 



Generic Character. — Flores hermapliroditi in spadice spathis 

 pluribus incompletis basilaribus cincto sessiles, bracteati. Calyx 

 trifidus. Corolla tripartita. Stamina sex ; Jilamenta in discum 

 hypogynum coalita; antherm caudato-oblongae. Ovarii carpidia 

 tria, intus colia;rcntia ; styli coalescentes ; stigmatibus connatis 

 vel distinctis. Bacca plerumque unica, monosperma. Albumen 

 cavitate ventrali testae radio horizontal! runiinatum. Embryo dor- 

 salis. — Palmse in Nova Hollandia et in Asia tropica ohse>-vatai ; 

 caudice mcdiocri, frondiiim. basibus persistentibus squamato, 

 frondibus flabclUformUms, laciniis apice bifidis scepe pilis inter- 

 jectis, distinctit:, Endlicher. 



The genus was named by Brown (Fl. Nov. IIoll., p. 267) in honour 

 of Patrielc Murray, Baron of Livistone, who had a botanic gar- 

 den on his estate in which more than 1000 plants were culti- 

 vated, and which he handed over to the Edinburgh Botanic Gar- 

 den at its first foundation, towards the end of the seventeenth 

 century."" 



Specific Character. — Caudice mediocri, petiolis lamina; diametrum 

 subcequantibus a basi ad medium usque aculeatis, laminae laciniis 

 longe bifidis interdum fills interjectis, baccis olivasformibus, ellip- 

 ticis olivaceo-viridibus. 



Latania chinensis, Jacq. Fragm. Bot., p. 16, 1. 11, f. 1. 



Latania borbonica, Lavi. Encyclop. III., p. 411. Willd. Spec. 

 Plant. IV., p. 878. Spremj. Syst. Yeg. II., p. 623. 



Livistona chinensis, 3Iart. Palm., HQ. 



Livistona Mauritiana of Wallich, according to Martins. 



This pabu is a native of Southern China. It is cultivated under 

 the name of " Latanier de la Chine" in the IMauritius, whence 

 it was introduced into the Garden at Schoenbrunn. It grows also 

 in the Calcutta Garden. 



The plant in the Palmhouse of the Botanic Garden has attained 

 the height of 25 feet, the stem at the lower part having a dia- 

 meter of 22 inches. The caiuhx or stipe is covered with the 

 persistent bases of the leaves and their reticulum, except at the 



* Jlemoria Balfouriana, p. 69, ct seg. 



