I 



On new or obscure species of Plants. 543 



IV. — Observations on some New or Obscure Species of Plants. 

 No. II. By G. A. Walker Arnott, LL. D. F. L. S., &c. 



(Continued from page 247-) 



Pentaloba, Lour. (Violaceee.) 



Dr Brown has long since demonstrated that Loureiro's genus 

 and Alsodeia of Petit Thouars, were the same in every respect ex- 

 cept the fruit, which Loureiro says is a five-seeded berry, but pro- 

 bably erroneously, as he had made another mistake regarding the 

 ovary, to which he attributed five parietal placentae, while Dr Brown 

 finds only three in a specimen from himself. The description of the 

 fleshy fruit may have arisen from its having been immature, in 

 which state it is coriaceous and slightly fleshy in some, if not in' 

 all the species. I prefer, therefore, restoring the name given by 

 Loureiro, to adopting that of Alsodeia. 



All the East Indian species have a simple disk, as in De Can- 

 dolle's first section of the genus, and the anthers destitute of bris- 

 tles or hairs at the apex. I shall here add a short description of a 

 new one from Ceylon, found there in spring 1836, by Dr Wight, 

 and abridged specific characters of the others from India, which have 

 been hitherto noticed by authors. 

 Sect. 1. Discus subcarnosus, dentatus vel subcrenatus, extus baud cingulatus. 

 Filamenta inclusa, latiuscula, glabra. Antherse apice imberbes. 



1. P. Ceylanica, (Arn. ;) foliis obsolete denticulatis axillis ner- 

 vorum subtus eporosis, floribus fasciculatis, ovario styloque glabris. 

 — Wight. Cat. n. 268. 



Hab. — In insula Ceylano. 



Fruticosa, glaberrima. Kolia petiolata, petiolo 2i-4 lineas longo, 

 oblongo-lanceolata, obsolete denticulata, basi obtusa, apice attenuata, 

 subtus eporosa. Flores fasciculati, axillares, brevissime pedicellati. 

 Sepala ovato-lanceolata, acuta, ciliolata. Discus cupuliformis, sim- 

 plex, 5-dentatus. Stamina .5, glabra, petalis breviora. Filamenta 

 distantia, brevissima, anthera breviora, carnosa, e basi lata acumina- 

 ta, intus ad disci dentes et paullo infra apices inserta ac illis opposi- 

 ta. Antheree oblongae, dorso in ligulam membranaceam erectam ova- 

 tam acuminatam loculos fere duplo superantem productse ; connec- 

 tivum apice cuspidulatum. Ovarium glabrum, ovato-globosum, dis- 

 cum paullo superans, uniloculare, ovulis tribus parietalibus appensis, 

 Stylus erectus, conico-acuminatus, crassus, carnosus, glaber, stamini- 

 bus paullo longior, petalis brevior. Stigma 3-lobum. Capsula co- 

 riacea, globoso-trigona, glabra, 3-sperma, styli basi mucronata. Se- 

 mina globosa. 



