102 cxxvi. MYRISTICEJE. (J. D. Hooker.) 



with Wallich's in the endeavour to unravel the intricacies of the genus and limit its 

 species. The arrival of Maingay's splendid Malay Peninsular Herbarium, and his notes 

 on this genus, have enabled me in the present work to correct several erroneous 

 determinations of the " Flora Indica," and to approach nearer to a satisfactory de- 

 scription of the species ; but much still remains to be done, which can only be accom- 

 plished by a study of living specimens at different times of the year. For every 

 species, flowers of both sexes and ripe fruit are all absolutely necessary for its exact 

 limitation, and the knowledge of its affinities, as well as for establishing sections of 

 the genus. Hitherto for the latter purpose most importance has been given to the 

 structure of the staminal column, which from its minuteness (in most of the species) 

 is difficult of analysis, in dried specimens especially ; and I am inclined to think that 

 this organ is more variable than has been supposed, and that some sections founded 

 on it by Alph. De Candolle and others must be abandoned. In the following descrip- 

 tions, that of the colour of the foliage applies only to dried specimens. This genus 

 affords a fine field for study, but to do this effectually requires a careful comparison of 

 the materials in the Herbaria of Holland, Florence/and Kew. Until this is done, it 

 will be impossible to say which of many of the Indian species are natives of the 

 Malay Archipelago. 



ZKYRXSTXCA, Linn. 

 Character of the Order. 



Sect. I. Eumyristica. Male flowers racemed or panicled ; perianth 

 with a persistent scale-like bracteole at its base. Anthers elongate, firmly 

 connate in a shortly stipitate or sessile column. 



UK. fragrans, Houtt. Hist. Nat. ii. 3. 233 ; glabrous, leaves 3-3J in. 

 elliptic-oblong or -lanceolate acuminate glaucous beneath, nerves about 8 

 pair slender, flowers bracteolate males in lax slender supra-axillary racemes. 

 4lph. DC. in Prodr. xiv. 1. 189 ; Blume Rumph. 180, t. 55 ; Miquel Fl. Ind. 

 Sat. i. 2. 53 ; Sentl. $ Trim. Med. PL iii. t. 218. M. officinalis, Linn.f. Suppl. 

 265 ; Gcertn. Fruct. i. 194, t. 41 (excl. syn. Rumph.} ; Hook Exot. Sot. 

 t. 155, 156, and .Bo*. Mag. t. 2756, 2757; Spach Suites Buff. t. 143. M. 

 moschata, Thunb. ; Wall. Cat. 6785; Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 843 ; Reichb. Ic. 

 Exot. t. 276, 277 ; Woodv. Med. Sot. iv. t. 238 ; Hayne Arnz. Gewachs. ix. 

 t. 12 ; Nees PI. Med. t. 133 ; Guimp. Sf Schl. t. 73, 74. M. aromatica, 

 Lamk. in Act. Par. 1788, 155, t. 5-7, and III. Gen. t. 832 ; Roxb. Cor. PL 

 iii. 267. Rumph. Herb. Amb. ii. 14, t. 4. 



Cultivated in the MALAYAN PENINSULA, PENANQ- and the MALAY ISLANDS ; 

 native of the Eastern Moluccas. 



A lofty tree ; branches slender. Leaves coriaceous, sometimes oblanceolate, and 

 tip caudate, base acute, pale yellow brown, paler with red-brown nerves beneath ; petiole 

 |- in. Male racemes 1-2 in.; flowers | in. long, ellipsoid or urceolate, nodding; 

 bracteole a scale under the glabrate perianth ; anthers 9-12, connate in a cylindric 

 stipitate column. Fruit ovoid, subglobose or pyriform, 1^-2 in. long. Alph. DC. 

 describes the perianth as strigose with appressed hairs, but I find them to be nearly 

 or quite glabrous ; Blume says very sparsely strigose. 



1. UK. elliptica, Wall. Cat. 6798 A; glabrous, leaves 8-10 in. linear- 

 oblong subacute subglaucous beneath, nerves about 12 pair slender, male 

 fl. in_short axillary racemes bracteolate urceolate, fern. fl. few fascicled on 

 short supra-axillary peduncles. H. f. & T, Fl. Ind. 162 ; Alph. DC. in 

 Prodr. xiv. 1. 190; ? Kurz For. Fl. ii. 282. 



PENANG and SINGAPOEK, Wallich. MALACCA, Maingay (Kew Distrib. 1296). 

 ? Andaman Islands, Kurz. 



A tree ; branches stout. Leaves very pale ; petiole ^-1 in., stout. Male perianth 



