168 



Notes on Indian Botany. 



Indian species in my collection, side by side, with several acknowledg- 

 ed Vaccinia, from both America and Europe, I found it utterly impos- 

 sible, from the characters given, to make out more than one genus 

 among the Asiatic ones, the structure being the same in all. By 

 Roxburgh these would perhaps have been all referred to Ceratostema, 

 Wallich refers them to Thibaudia, while Don and Dunal form the 

 genus Agapetes for their reception. Had long tubular flowers been a 

 constant feature, I might on that account, aided by geographical dis- 

 tribution, have followed these authors, and, assuming that as its 

 essential character, kept up their genus. This however is far from 

 being the case, and therefore, as a generic character, is useless. And 

 on turning to Dunal's character of Vaccinium, I find the corolla 

 described as ' campanulata, urceolata vel cylindrical 



In all the Indian ones it is either urceolate or cylindrical. He 

 describes the stamens as ' limbo calycis inserta,' which is the case 

 in all the Indian ones I have examined, and the fruit ' bacea calyce 

 vestita globosa 4 aut 5-locularis loculis polyspermis, rarissime 10- 

 locularis loculis monospermis/ which, except the last clause, is 

 equally applicable to the fruit of all I have had an opportunity of 

 examining. The ovary, unfortunately, is not referred to in the 

 character of either genus. The concluding clause of the character 

 may perhaps account for Professor Lindley's referring one of the 

 species to Gaylussacia, which, while that clause remains as part of 

 the character of Vaccinium, seems scarcely a distinct genus, the 

 fruit having 10 cells with one seed in each, being its essentially dis- 

 tinguishing mark. In all other points Dunal's characters of the two 

 genera are nearly word for word the same, and the abortion of all 

 the ovules but 2 in each of the 5 cells converts Vaccinium into 

 Gaylussacia, and, unless care is bestowed in the examination, even 

 that is not necessary, as a transverse section of a nearly mature fruit 

 almost always presents the appearance of 10 cells with one seed in 

 each, and I feel nearly certain, that an examination of the ovary will 

 show that but few of Dunal's 29 species have it 10-celled, with a 

 single ovule in each. G. dependens, an authentic specimen of which 

 was most obligingly communicated to me by Mr. Gardner of Ceylon, 

 has a 4-celled ovary, with numerous ovules, and is in fact a quadri- 

 merous species of Vaccinium with very short anther tubes. 



