154 JACK'S LETTERS TO WALLICH, 1819-1821. 



our two savans 12 feel a little of the Promethian touch, without 

 which — it is needless to say more. Twelve o'clock, so good night. 



Jan. 16th — I find mention made of a species of Mangifera, 

 M. foetida, which I suspect is the Bachang, and which I premature- 

 ly proposed calling rubicund a. 13 Have yon a description of that 

 species? if so, you will be able to judge from the character I gave 

 you and you shall have specimens by the first opportunity; there 

 has not been one yet. "We have remarkably rainy weather, which 

 probably is one cause of the difficulty I have found in getting the 

 plants poisoned, I have been obliged to throw away many. 



Do you know that the Rhizophora has four ovula, three of 

 which abort? I have made a very accurate investigation and sketch 

 of the carpology of a species which I found here, 34 which approaches 

 to the B. cylindrica, but differs in several respects, particularly 

 in habit, erect conduplieate petals, and peduncles 3 — 4-florous. 

 They are a very extraordinary tribe; if I am not mistaken, you 

 refer Avicennia to it. Are you acquainted with the Rambutan, 

 Nephelium lappaceum of authors, scytalia rambutan, Roxb.? 15 Is 

 it not surprising that the analogy with the Litchi should have 

 escaped observation? Look at what a strange corner Jussieu has 

 popped it into. Its being diclinous, is very peculiar, and I sup- 

 pose the cause of the mistake. I think Roxburgh was right in his 

 idea of the Natural Order, whether it is admissible merely as a 

 species of Scytalia is not quite so certain, what say you? [ have 

 found a singular species of Pothos with aculeate petioles and 

 scapes, and large pinnatifid leaves with long linear divisions, can 

 it be Roxburgh's pinnatifida? 16 Pray send me his specified charac- 



12. Diard and Duvaucel; see the introductory lines, p. 147, and letters 

 below at pages 187 and 201 et seq. 



13. See note No. 3, p. 152. 



14. Rhizophora caryophylloides, Jack, which is now placed as Bruguiera 

 caryophylloides, Blume. The species to which he compares it, Bhizophora 

 cylindrica, is now placed as Bruguiera parvifora, W. *& A., and is common 

 in the Sundribans of Bengal. Jack described Bhizophora caryophylloides 

 in the Malayan Miscellanies and the description was reprinted in Hooker 's 

 Botanical Miscellany, ii. p. 86. 



15. The rambutan had been introduced into the Calcutta Botanic 

 Gardens during Eoxburgh 's time; but it does not thrive in northern India, 

 and was probably lost before Jack came to know the plants therein. Jack 

 wrote at a later date than this, as internal evidence shows, his description 

 of the plant which was published in the Mala van Miscellanies, vol. 1, (1820) 

 No. 1, p. 10. 



16. Bothos pinnatifida, Eoxb., for the characters of which Jack asks, 

 is a climbing plant of Sumatra which was introduced into the Calcutta 

 gardens under Eoxburgh, and described by him from leafy specimens. It 

 has been reduced in the Flora of British India to Epipremnum mirabile 

 where the locality is given as ' ' Penang, Eoxburgh. ' ' But without doubt 

 Eidley is right in stating that this is probably an error: perhaps the 

 original source of it is here, and its perpetuation was due to one of 

 Wallich's annotations, vide Eidley, Materials for a Flora of the Malayan 

 Peninsula, iii. (1907) p. 46. 



Jack's plant would be Lasia aculeata, Lour., and therefore Eoxburgh's 

 Pothos heterophylla instead of B. pinnatifida. 



Jour. Straits Branch 



