1915-] H. N. Ridley: Botany of Gnnong Tahan. 



187 



altogether towards the tip, 12 inches long, 5 inches wide, or in 

 younger plants smaller. Panicle terminal, 3 to 6 inches long, 

 sessile {i.e., there is no bare peduncle as in the other species) ; 

 branches immerous, 3 inches or less, with lax secondary 

 branches, 'elongating in fruit to half an inch long. Bracts at 

 base of primar}' branches leaf-like, lanceolate, broad. Brac- 

 teoles small, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, papery. Flowers 

 white, on short pedicels, a quarter of an inch long. Sepals 

 oblong-obtuse, tip rounded, 3-nerved. Petals nearly as long 

 but wider, 5-nerved. Stamens shorter ; filaments linear, rather 

 thick, flat, half as long as the elongate linear obtuse anther ; 

 base of anther shortly bifid, yellow. Ovary small, ovoid. 

 Style cylindric, fairly stout, as long as the petals. Stigma 

 small, capitate. Berry oblong, half an inch long when dry. 

 Seeds 4 in each cell, ellipsoid, slightly flattened towards the 

 base, jj inch long, black, shining. 



On rocks in the Teku River and its affluents, occasionally 

 on banks, altitude 5,600 to 6,000 feet. 



I have also fruiting specimens from Mohammed Aniff, of 

 the Penang Gardens, from Gnnong Kerbau at 7,000 feet 

 altitude. Of flowers I have only seen one spray, and those 

 not opened. They differ from those of Dianella in the linear 

 filaments not swollen at the top and the elongate anthers. 

 The fruit, too, with its more numerous and small ellipsoid 

 polished seed is quite unlike that of Dianella. From Stypandra 

 it mainh' differs in its glabrous stamens and its baccate fruit. 

 The perianth dries over the fruit and is not twisted. 



This distinct plant was referred to the genus Dianella by 

 Kunth under the name of D. javanica, and to D. ensifolia, Red. 

 by Baker. It occurs also in Java and Borneo; on Gunong 

 Kerbau, Perak, 4,500 — 5,000 feet and on Koh Pennan off the 

 coast of Bandon, Siamese Malaya. 



249. Smilax peguana, DC. 



Unarmed; stem smooth, brown, wiry, ^ inch across. 

 Scales at" the base of the branches oblong, truncate, or 

 lanceolate. Leaves coriaceous, ovate with rounded base, 

 occasionally cuneate-acuminate or, more rarely, lanceolate, 

 occasionally narrow-oblong, 3 inches long by 2 inches wide or 

 less, above bright green (olivaceous when dry), beneath white, 

 drying glaucous; nerves 5, conspicuous on" both surfaces, 

 reticulations conspicuous; petiole half an inch long, with a 

 pair of short tendrils. Peduncles axillary, a quarter of an 

 inch long in flower, bearing an umbel of 5 or 6 flowers on 

 pedicels as long. Sepals rather coriaceous, ovate obtuse. 

 Petals much smaller, lanceolate, obtuse, narrow. Stamens 

 shorter, on very short filaments. Anthers broadly elliptic. 

 In fruit peduncles elongated, i inch long ; pedicels \ inch long. 

 Berry (nearly ripe) globose, green, J inch through. 



Common in the woods in the Padang, but out of flower at 

 the time of our visit. I have not seen this before from the 

 Malay Peninsula, but have exactly the same plant from Matang 

 collected by Hullett and from Mt. Serapi collected by Haviland, 



October, 1915. 9 



