122 cxxvin LAUBINE^E. (J. D. Hooker.) \Beilsclt 



2 in. long cylindric-oblong. Meissn. in DC.'Prodr. xv. 1. 63 (excl. /3) ; Wight 

 Ic. t. 1828 ; Kurz For. Fl. ii. 293 ; P Brandis For. FL 378 ; Gamble Man. 

 Ind. Timb. 309. Laurus bilocularis, Roxb. Fl. Ind. ii. 311. 



ASSAM; at Negrigam, &c., Griffith. TIPPEEA, Roxburgh. TENASSEBIM, Heifer 

 (Kew Distrib. 4335). 



A deciduous tree, branches woody. Leaves 2 J-3 in. broad, firmly coriaceous ; 

 nerves 10-12 pair, slender and prominent on both surfaces ; base acute, rarely rounded, 

 sometimes unequal-sided ; petiole -! in. Panicles 1-1 J in., subsilkily tomentose ; 

 bracts small, broad, caducous j pedicels as long as the flowers. Perianth in. diam. ; 

 segments linear-oblong obtuse, hairy on both surfaces. Stamens pubescent ; stami- 

 nodes conical, tomentose. Ovary glabrous, stigma simple. Fruit pruinose, purple. 

 Wight's figure, copied from Roxburgh's drawings, represents the sepals as acute. 

 Brandis and Gamble give Sikkim, ascending to 8000 ft., as its locality, and Kurz 

 adds the Andaman Islands ; the latter is likely, but not the former ; and these Lau- 

 rinecB are so very difficult of discrimination, that I suspect all unlikely habitats, to 

 which may be added those of the Forests of Kumaon, Oude, and Nepal, mentioned by 

 Brandis. (See B. sikkimensis.) 



2. B. fagrifolia, Nees in Wall. PL As. Bar. ii. 69, and Syst. Laur. 

 200 ; terminal buds and inflorescence pubescent, leaves 3-4 in. elliptic or 

 elliptic-lanceolate obtusely acuminate, panicles very sbort crowded sub- 

 sessile, young flowers enclosed in broad silky caducous scales, fruit \ in. 

 ellipsoid- oblong. Meissn. in DC. Prodr. xv. 1. 64. Tetrantliera fagifolia, 

 Wall. Cat. 2539. 



SILHET, De Silva. ? ASSAM, Jenkins. DISTEIB. ? Munnipore. 



A little known tree, very closely allied to B. Roxburghiana, but it has smaller 

 more elliptic leaves on shorter petioles, very small panicles, and the bracts are ap- 

 parently much larger and broader. The Silhet specimens are in flower only, they have 

 very glabrous shining leaves 2-3 in. long ; the Assam ones are in fruit only, they have 

 leaves 3 4j in. long, sparsely puberulous beneath ; the Munnipore ones (in flower) 

 have more lanceolate shining glabrous leaves with shorter thicker petioles. The fol- 

 lowing variety strengthens my suspicion (shared by Kurz), that fagifolia and Rox- 

 burghiana are forms of a wide-spread Indian forest tree. 



Var. ? Dalzellii, Meissn. in DC. 1. c. {excl. the Assam plant) ; leaves 4-7 in. 

 oblong or lanceolate very coriaceous and shining, base acute or obtuse, nerves more 

 numerous, fruit 1-1| in*, ellipsoid-oblong or globose. B. fagifolia, Beddome, Forest. 

 Fl. t. 263. B. Roxburghiana, Dalz. fy Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 222. Deccan Peninsula, in 

 forests of the Western Ghats from the Concan southwards. The flowers of this are 

 identical with those of B. fagifolia, but if the Assam specimens of the latter plant 

 are true, the fruit is considerably larger and broader. Dalzell describes it as a large 

 forest tree. The Assam plant referred here by Meissner, is, I think, ' 



3. B. Clarkei, HooJc.f.; terminal buds and inflorescence tomentose, 

 leaves 5-7 in. subopposite membranous elliptic-lanceolate acuminate not 

 shining reticulate on both surfaces, panicles 3-4 in. peduncled lax-fld. 



SIKKIM HIMALAYA ; Reinak, alt. 4500 ft., Clarke. 



A tree, 80 ft. ; branches slender, rough, tips tomentose ; bud-scales lanceolate, in. 

 long. Leaves thinner in texture than in any other Indian species, l-2 in. diam., 

 very acute at both ends, beautifully reticulated with 10-12 pairs of nerves, dull 

 green when dry; petiole - in., slender, pubescent. Panicles 12-20-fld., suberect, 

 not densely tomentose ; peduncle short and branches rather stout ; flowers pedicclled. 

 Perianth cup-shaped, \ in. diam., cleft nearly to the base ; segments oblong, obtuse. 

 Filaments broad, hairy; staminodes ovate-hastate, glabrous. Fruit not seen. 



4. B. sikkimensis, King in Herb. Hort. Gale. ; terminal buds 

 pale tomentose, leaves 3-4 in. opposite elliptic oblong obtuse or subacute 

 base obtuse or rounded opaque above, nerves strong beneath, fruit ellipsoid. 



