154 



EUSYCE. 



Formosa, — Old/win, Nos 551 and 554. 



Maximowicz (l.cO remarks that this species comes near F. cuspidata, Eeinw., rostrata 

 Lamk., and caudata. Wall, (i e. clavata, Wall.) — an opinion in which I quite a^ree, The 



^i-cu, j. ae more 



sinuately-leaved forms of it also come near F. pandurafa, Hance (a species which Maximowicz 

 says he had never seen), and I believe this is little more than a geographical variety of that 

 species. F. Formosana is little known, and is poorly represented in all collections which I have 

 consulted except that of Kew. I have not myself seen male or gall flowers. The fertile 

 female flower of which I gave a figure was taken by me from Oldham's Herbarium specimen 

 No. 554. Maximowicz (Bull. Acad. St. Petersb. xi. 331) describes male and also female 

 flowers. His description clearly indicates that the females he met with were gall 

 flowers. 





Plaie 777A. — A -.branches of F. Formosana, Maxim., with oblanceolate leaves and 

 immature receptacles and with lanceolate leaves and mature receptacles. 1 apex of a 

 receptacle; 2, side view of the same; 3, stipules — all of natural she ; 4, fertile female flower 

 (from Oldham's Herbarium, No. 511): enlarged. 



179. Ficts Silhetensis, Miq. Ann. Mas. Lugd. Bat. iii. 223, 291. — F. umbonata, 



Wall. Cat. 4518 (non Eeinw.) ; Miq. in Lend. Journ. Bot. vii. 437. 



i 



A shrub ; the young shoots tomentose. Leaves petiolate, membranous, ovate-lanceolate or 

 oblanceolate ; the apex acute or acuminate ; edges entire, sometimes minutely undulate when 

 dry ; the base bluntish or acute, 3-nerved ; primary lateral nerves 3 or 4 pairs ; under surface 

 minutely tuberculate, more or less hispid-pubescent; the reticulations fine ; upper surface witl 

 a few adpressed deciduous hairs, ultimately nearly glabrous ; length of blade 25 to 4 in. ; 

 petioles pilose, about *5 in. long ; stipules lanceolate, glabrous, *5 in. long. Receptacles very 

 shortly pedunculate or almost sessile, axillary, in pairs or solitary, ovoid and much umbonate 

 when young; umbilical scales numerous; when old nearly globular, sparsely pilose, reddish; 

 when ripe about '35 in. across ; basal bracts 3, minute. . Male flowers pedicellate ; the 

 perianth of 3 distinct leaves ; stamens 2 ; anthers elongate. Gall flowers with shorter 

 pedicels than the males and a 3-leaved perianth; ovary rounded, smooth; the style short, 

 lateral. Fertile female flowers nearly sessile; the perianth of 3 distinct pieces; achene 

 flattened, obovoid, minutely papillose, with the edges thickened, purple, variegated ; style 

 long, lateral, curved, deflexed, not hairy. 



Assam, Silhet, Khasi Hills, up to 4,000 ft. 



There is a form of this, of which I srive a figure, with the leaves much narrowed to the 



base and the petioles about -75 in. long ; but it is hardly worth separating as a variety. This 

 plant comes so near F. erecta y Thunbg., differing little except in its smaller size and sessile 

 receptacles, that I keep it up as a species with great reluctance, and chiefly as a matter ot 

 convenience. The probability of its identity with F. erecta is strengthened by the occurrence 

 of var, Sieboldiana of the latter both in Sikhim and Khasia. 



Wallich issued this species as No. 4548 of his Catalogue under the name F. umbonata, 

 Wall. This name had, however, been preoccupied by a plant collected by Reinwardt in the 

 Moluccas and described by Blume (Bijd. 454), of which no authentic specimen now exists at 

 Leiden or Utrecht. Blume's description shows Reinwardt's plant not to have been very 

 different from this. Miquel, however, regarded the two as differing, and described this as 

 F. SrfhetensiS) which name I retain. 



