MyristicaJ] cxxvi. MYRISTICE^;. (J. D. Hooker.) 103 



elougate-urceolate or ellipsoid, in. long, 3-toothed ; bracteole orbicular ; connective 

 apiculate; fern, urceolate ; ovary stipitate strigose, stigma oblong. Fruit 2| iu. 

 long, oblong, glabrous ; " aril blood-red laciniate," Maingay. I have seen no Anda- 

 man specimens, and Kurz's description is quite ab variance with Wallich's plant in 

 the scurfy tomentose inflorescence (see M. andamanica). Wallich's " 6798 B ? fructu 

 is doubtful. 



2. P. laurifolia, Hook. f. $ T. Fl. Ind. 163 ; glabrous except the 

 inflorescence, leaves 6-9 in. shortly petioled very coriaceous linear-oblong or 

 -lanceolate obtuse or subacute glaucous beneath, nerves 12-20 pair, male fl. 

 bracteolate tomentose densely crowded in a very short stout axillary 

 peduncle. Alph. DC. in Prodr. xiv. 1. 191 ; ? Beddome Fl. Si/lv. t. 267. M. 

 diospyrifolia, Alph. DC. 1. c. M. tornentosa, Thwaites, fid. Alph. DC. I.e. 



DECCAN PENINSULA; on the Western Ghats from Canara to Cape Comorin, from 

 the plains up to 5000 ft., Beddome, &c. CEYLON, Central Province, alt. 1500-4000 ft., 

 Walker, &c. 



Branches moderately stout. Leaves variable, shining above with impressed nerves, 

 pale brown or whitish beneath, base acute rounded or cuneate ; nerves sometimes 

 very faint; petiole 1-1|. Peduncle very stout indeed, in. long or less; flowers 

 densely crowded, sessile or stoutly pedicelled, nearly \ in. long, silkily pubescent, 

 shortly 3-lobed. Beddome's figure represents a much more slender plant than any of 

 the specimens I have seen, with slender petioles and pedicels, the latter loosely clustered 

 on an almost obsolete peduncle. Fruit in Beddome's figure 2| in. diam., globose, apicu- 

 late, with a deep longitudinal furrow ; aril deeply cut into linear lacerate lobes, nearly 

 enclosing the seed. Alph. De Caudolle gives M. totnentosa, Thwaites (not H. & T.), 

 as a synonym of M. diospyrifolia, but I do not find that name of Thwaites, and 

 as the plant is glabrous, I suspect some error of citation. 



Var. lanceolata; leaves lanceolate 6 by 1| in., petiole very stout, nerves very faint. 

 S. India, Beddome. 



Var. zeylanica; leaves linear-oblong obtuse 7-8 by 2-2| in., petiole more slender, 

 pedicels longer. M. ceylanica, Alph. DC. in Ann. So. Nat. Ser. 4, iv. 29, and in 

 Prodr. xiv. 1. 190. M. zeylanica, Thwaites Enum. Hand 399. Ceylon, Thwaites. 

 Beddome's figure more resembles this than it does the other Ceylon form of the 

 species, which is identical with the peninsular Indian. 



3. IKE. andamanica ? SooTc.f. ; glabrous, leaves petioled membranous 

 elliptic-oblong subacute not glaucous beneath, nerves 12-15 pair very 

 slender, male flowers in sessile or peduncled clusters on the branches very 

 shortly pedicelled, bracteole large, perianth globose 3-lobed, staminal column 

 oblong obtuse. ? M. elliptica, Kurz For. Fl. ii. 282 (not of Wall.}. 



ANDAMAN ISLANDS ; Herb. Hort. Bot. Calcutta. 



Branches slender, quite glabrous, youngest shoots rustily hoary. Leaves almost 

 membranous, 3-4 in. diam., pale brown when dry on both surfaces, base acute, nerves 

 spreading ; petiole f-li in., slender. Clusters of flowers sessile or on a thick 3-6 fld. 

 peduncle \-\ in. long; pedicel f in., stout, rather scurfy; perianth quite glabrous 

 and smooth, \-\ in. diam. Apparently a very distinct species, but approaches M. 

 malabarica. 



4. BE. malabarica, LamJc. in Act. Par. 1788, 162 ; nearly glabrous, 

 flowering branches slender, leaves 4-8 by 1^-4 in. linear-oblong or elliptic- 

 'lanceolate subacute glaucous beneath, nerves 8-14 pair, male fl. in sub- 

 cymose panicles bracteolate, peduncles and pedicels slender, perianth glo- 

 bose, anthers 10-15, fruit narrowly oblong pubescent. Blume Rumph. i. 

 185; Hook.f. $ T. FL Ind. 163; Alph. DC. in Prodr. xiv. 1.195; Dalz. <$f 

 Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 4 ; Beddome Fl. Si/lv. t. 269. P M. tomentosa, Grah'. Cat. 

 Bomb. PI. (not H. f. fy T.). M. dactyloides, Wall. Cat. 6786 (hardly of 

 Gartner}. M. notha, Wall. Cat. &1$7.Rheede Hort. Mai. iv. t. 5. 



