OF BRITISH INDIA. 



27 • 



Wherever it occurs the genus is a tropical one; but I feel convinced that many 

 species remain still to be discovered, and I consider it would be premature to attempt 

 to trace the geographical distribution of the known species more minutely than ha* 

 already been incidentally done. 



I have not found Myristica an easy genus. The difficult) that beset the inlent 

 of it are of two sorts— natural and adventitious. Chief amongst the former sort are 

 the dioecious arrangement of the flowers ; the scantiness of the female flowers ; the 

 succulence of the fruit, which makes its preservation in good condition for i minati* 

 an uncommon occurrence ; and finally the similarity in the form and texture of the 

 leaves of species not very closely allied in other respects. The adventitious difficulties 

 lie in the brief and insufficient accounts of their species given by all the earlier writ i>. 

 and in the loose, though often lengthy, descriptions (often found* 1 on the most 

 imperfect materials) of the numerous species of which the lato Prof r Miquel is 

 the author. I have little doubt I have blundered sadly in the account of the 

 British Indian species which I now venture to publish. I would toe blundered 

 much more had it not been for the help of Sir Joseph Hooker, whose k» In ess 

 I have acknowledged above. To my friend and colleague Dr. D. Prain I am also 

 beholden for many sagacious suggestions, and to his pencil I owe the drawings oj 

 the analyses of the flowers of most of the species. Dr. Bocrlage, Conservator of the 

 Royal Herbarium, Leiden, has, in the most friendly way, compared for me most of 

 my new species with the type specimens of Blumc and Miquel which are deposited, 

 respectively, in the collections at Leiden and Utrecht, and to him my warmest thanks 

 are also due. My best acknowledgments are also due to Dr. 11. Triineo, 

 Director of the Botanic Garden, Peradeniya, Ceylon, who gave me much information 

 about the Ceylon species, lent me his Herbarium specimens and drawings, and 

 permitted me to copy several of the latter. To Mr. H. M. Ridley, IJ S Director 

 of the Botanic Garden, Singapore, I am indebted for much invaluable material, and 

 for the loan of the suite of specimens belonging to the Singapore Herbarium. Dr. M. 

 Lawson, Director of the Botanical Department, Madras, also was kind enough to lend 

 me the' only specimens which I have ever seen of Myriiti* magnified, Beddome. 



I ought perhaps to explain that, in the measurements given in the following pages, 

 the length of the leaf means the length of its blade only, the measurement of the 



pe 



aiole being given separately; that the breadth of a leaf is taken at its broadest 

 part; and that by " andrcecium " I mean to include the staminal column as well an 



the anthers. 



