ALABASTRA BORNEENSIA. 20? 



in condition for identification. With nearly 100 distinct species in 

 the Malay Peninsula, over 70 in Java, and more than 175 in the 

 Philippines, it is not at all surprising that so many should be found 

 in Borneo. It is confidently expected that when the flora ! of Borneo 

 shall have been more thoroughly studied, the list of Bornean species 

 of Eugenia will be found well to exceed 100 distinct forms. In the 

 present paper I have described as new those forms that appear to me 

 to represent species previously undescribed, and have credited a 

 number of species already, described by other authors from, extra- 

 Bornean material to the Island. 



In the present study of this Bornean material, as in my past 

 studies of Philippine representatives of the genus, I have placed all 

 under Eugenia, sensu latiore, as it is absolutely impossible to dis- 

 tinguish definitely' between Eugenia-, Jambosa, and Syzygium, as 

 genera, on account of the very large number of intermediate forms. 

 Occasionally species are found, for which no subgenus or section has 

 ever been proposed, that differ more markedly from Eugenia § Eu- 

 eug enva than do Jambosa and Syzygium, yet it seems to be illogical 

 to propose new generic names for such forms; a good example of 

 these is Eugenia paradoxa, Merr., described below. Blume attempt- 

 ed to distribute the Malayan species of Eugenia into a number of 

 genera, such as Syzygium, Jambosa, Strong ylocalyx, Gelpkea, 

 Cleistocalyx, Clavimyrtus, Micro jambosa, etc., but his proposition 

 has not met with the approval of other botanists. In Eugenia as in 

 other polymorphous groups, such as Lofanthus, there seems to be no 

 middle ground. The botanist must either accept the genus in its 

 broadest sense or, as van Tieghem has proposed for Lorantlius, divide 

 it into a very large number of genera that can be distinguished from 

 one another only by a critical study of each individual species. 

 Eugenia as such, is a strongly marked group, and is always easily 

 recognizable, and it seems best to treat all the species under this 

 name. Medenzu's division of the group into Eugenia, Jambosa, 

 and Syzygium is certainly untenable. In the present paper I have 

 placed those species with free petals in the section. Jambosa, no mat- 

 ter if the petals are calyptrate, so long as they are not united and 

 those species that have united calyptrate petals in the section .Syzy- 

 gium. 



Eugenia coralina, sp. nov. § Jambosa. 



.Arbor glabra, ramis ramulisque teretibus; foliis oppositis, 

 coriaceis, ellipticis, usque ad 12 cm. longis, in siccitate pallidis 

 vel pallide viridibus, nitidis, perspicue obtuseque acuminatis, 

 basi acutis vel decurrento-acuminatis, supra impresso-punetatis, 

 subtus glandulosis : nervis primariis utrinque circiter 20. 

 tenuibns, patulis, rectis, hand prominentibus, quam secundariis 

 vix.magis distinctioribus: infforescentiis terminalibus, corym- 

 bosis, circiter 5 cm. longis, «e basi-ramosis, ramis plerisque 

 trichotomis cum axin ramulosque rugosis more coralii, 

 brunneis : fioribus 5-meris, obovoideis, 2.5 mm. longis, breviter 



K. A. Soc, No. 77. 1917 



