1897.] D. Prain — Some additional Leguminoseo. 399 



any other Indian species. The corollas, said by the native collector to be blue, are 

 absent from the specimens reported. The pods most resemble those of D. gyrans, 

 but are altogether different in not opening along the ventral suture and in dehiscing 

 transversely. The leaves recall those of D. sinuatum. 



24e. Desmodium megaphyllum Zoll, Nat. en Geneesk. Arch. iii. 

 58 ; leaflets all ovate- lanceolate acuminate repand, densely softly 

 velvety or sparsely silky beneath, pedicels long slender, bracts lanceo- 

 late deciduous, corolla medium, joints many, reticulate- veined, sparsely 

 puberulous or glabrouSc Prain, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. lxvi. 2. 139. 



Var. typica ; leaves softly velvety beneath ; secondary nervation 

 hidden by the tomentum ; pods sparingly puberulous. Miq. Flor. Ind. 

 Bat. i. 245, excluding both synonyms. 



Perak ; Valley of Batung Padang, 2000 feet, Wray n. 1441 t 

 Distrib. Java, Tjiboddas {Kurz n. 939 ! issued under the name D. 

 sequax ; Zollinger; Junghuhn). 



Var. glabrescens ; leaves sparsely covered with silky hairs beneath, 

 secondary nervation prominent ; pods quite glabrous. 



Tenasserim ; Meetan, 4000 feet, and Moolyet 5000 feet, Gallatly I 

 Moolyet, Beddome n. 21. 



A shrub 8 feet high, with dark glabrescent snbterete branches. Petioles 2 in ; 

 leaflets rather pale-green membranous, very sparingly puberulous above, beneath 

 from densely velvety to sparingly puberulous, secondary nervation always prominent 

 but in the Perak and Java form hidden by the denser pubescence; end-lenflet 5 in. 

 long, 2|-3 in. across, its petiolnle f in., its base wide-cuneate, lateral-leaflets 3| in. 

 long, 2 in. across, their bases obliquely rounded, their petiolules short. Racemes in 

 rather lax terminal panicles 8-12 in. long ; pedicels |-^ in., glabrous, erecto-patent. 

 Calyx very small -f in. long, campanulate, glabrous, teeth triangular shorter than the 

 tube. Corolla pale-violet f in. Pod dull-crimson, 2-2^ in. long, £ in. wide, slightly 

 indented on both sutures; joints 6-8, rather longer than broad, distinctly reticulate- 

 venose, sparingly puberulous or glabrous. 



A very distinct and beautiful species ; the identity of the Perak plant with 

 Zollinger's original specimens has been established by Mr. C. B. Clarke who kindly 

 compared the Desmodia of Dr. King's Malayan collections with the material of the 

 genus at Kew. Miquel's synonym " D. scandens Bl." refers to a plant that he else- 

 where treats as a variety of D. strangulatum, and that was subsequently advanced 

 to specific rank in the F. B. I. under the name D. sinuatum Bl. MSS. : Miquel's 

 second synonym " D. rubescens Bl." refers to D. sequax Wall., which also occurs 

 in Java (Kurz n. 965). But both of Miquel's proposals are untenable, for even if it 

 be ultimately found necessary to merge D. sinuatum in D. sequax, it with still obvi- 

 ously be necessary to keep D. megaphyllum apart from both as a very distinct species. 



26. Desmodium gangeticum DG. 



Add to localities of F. B. I. :— Penang ; Pinara Bukit, Curtis 2771 ! 

 Nicobars ; Jelinek 233 ! 



266. Desmodium virgatum Zoll. Nat. en Geneesk. Arch. iii. 58; 

 leaflet membranous or subcoriaceous, oblong entire acute, ghibrescent 



