OF BEITISH INDIA. 



309 



slender, spreading; length 5-5 to 8 in., breadth 1-7 to 25 in.; petiole about -35 in. Jlfefc 

 panicles axillary, 2-5 to 4 in. long, glabrous or often minutely rufous-pubescent towards 

 the apex, much-branched, many-iiowered, the flowers glomerulate. Flowers -05 in. in 

 diam., sub-globose, or sub-obovate, slightly or much com pressod, usually glabrous; pedicels 

 as long as the flowers; perianth thin, 2-valved; androecium broadly obovate, flat-topped, 

 slightly elongate transversely ; anthers about 10, free except at the base, clon ate-ovate 



2*celled, their apices slightly incurved when young. Female panicles much smaller than 

 the male (1*5 to 2 in. long and about 1*5 in. broad); the flowers fewer and larger; 

 perianth slightly obovoid, blunt, glabrous, thick, 2-valved; war// sessile, globular, ovoid, 

 glabrous; stigma small, subterminal. Fruit solitary or in scanty racemes, globular, about 

 •9 in. in diam., glabrous; pericarp thick, coriaceous; arillus thin, fleshy, red, completely 

 enveloping the perfectly spherical seed, entire or slightly toothed at the very apex, the 

 teeth overlapping. Hook, fil Sf Thorns. FL Ind. 159; Hook. fil. FL Dr. Ind. v. 109; A. DC. 



in Prod. xiv. 1, 202 (excl. syn. M. exaltata, Wall., from the foregoing); Thmait*» JCnum 



PL Cey. 11 ; Mia. FL hid. Bat. i. pt 2, p. 64; Bedd. For. Man. 17G; Mig. FL hid. Hat. i. pt. 

 , 64; Kurt FL Burm. ii. 282. M. Javanica, Bl. Bijdr. 576, & Rumphia i. 190, t. 82. 

 Ceylon; Thivaites G. P. 2620, Trimen. Penang, Curtis No. 936. Malacca; Griffith 

 No. 4357, Maingay No. 1292. Singapore and Pahang, Ridley, Perak, Scortahiw. 



Distrib. — Malayan Archipelago. 



There is no doubt that the nutmeg to which Grcrtner gave the name M. Irya waa 

 a Ceylon plant. The specific name is as near as may bo to the vernacular name 

 still current for it in that island; and the only locality ho quotes for the species is 

 Ceylon. The Ceylon plant is therefore, presumably, exactly Gartner's M. Irya. The 

 only specimens which I have seen from any other source which in every particular 

 agree with Ceylon specimens are from Penang (Curtis No. 936). The species, or a 

 plant or plants which it has hitherto been impossible to separate from it, is however 

 found in Burmah, the Malayan Peninsula, and in the Andaman Islands; apparently 

 also it extends to the Malayan Archipelago. This is an unusually wide distribution 

 for a member of this genus, and, as might be expected, there is some amount of variety 

 of form. Two of the forms I describe as varieties thus: 



Var. longifolia, King. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, 8 to 11 in. long; nerves 



18^0 21 pairs. M. Vrieseana, Miq. Ann. Mm. Lugd. Bat. ii. 49. 



Malacca; Maingay (No. 1291, Km Distrib.) Perak, Scortechini No. 1738 ; A>A 

 Collector No. 7447. Great Coco Island; D. Pram. S. Andaman, Kurz. Distrib. 



Bceroe, Borneo. 



Vab W«ffiehii, Kkg. Leaves acuminate, much narrowed at the base; fruit 



slightly apiculate ; arillus shortly toothed at the ape,. Mynsfca 



phlearpa, mil. Tl. A,. Bar. I I 89 ; Wall. Cat. 6796. 



Burmah *«***"■ kg to the kindness of the authorities of the Leiden 



There » at Calcutta Jtafa ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ founded hi3 ^ 



Herbarmm, one of the W«™ ^ it j, JL Jr ^ Gxltn „ V ae. lonyifilia. 



M. Vrieseana, and there is no aouoi wu 





A NN . Roy. Bor. Sard. Calcctta Vol. Ill 



