186 AN ACCOUNT OF A BOTANICAL EXPEDITION 



should be Penang, where it is not uncommon. I have not 

 seen Lobb's specimen, but Curtis' plants from Penang are 

 quoted by Hooker, and no doubt are the same as the type. 



The plant has long been cultivated in Singapore, 

 Hooker gives it as " quite glabrous," but plants cultivated 

 in Singapore are distinctly hairy on the midrib on the 

 back, at least in some cases. He says also female cymes 

 much branched, very long peduncled. I find the female 

 cymes though much branched sessile, that is to say not 

 on long peduncles. The males however are often long 

 peduncled, but often short peduncled or almost sessile. 

 Some of the male cymes at least have female flowers 

 mixed with the males. 



The plant has a creeping rhizome, the leaves are 

 stiff, smooth and dark green, glabrous above, pale 

 beneath, and with adpressed hairs on the midrib, other- 

 wise glabrous, the sides of the leaf at the base pinched 

 up, but not peltate as in the next plant. The flowers 

 are shortly stalked, and the perianth lobes oblong and 

 somewhat ciiiate, green with often pink tips. The 

 achene is rose pink, with a white edge and a few white 

 pustules. It is widely scattered over the hill woods as 

 far South as Johor, and seems to me very variable. The 

 leaves vary from 3 inches long and 1 inch broad to 8 

 inches long and 3 inches wide. The midrib at least on the 

 back is almost always covered with appressed hairs,, as 

 are frequently the nerves and sometimes the petiole. 

 The petiole varies in length from i to 6 inches. The 

 stem is often tall with a long, creeping rhizome, some- 

 times short and only shortly creeping, and has been 

 mentioned the inflorescence varies very much. 



1\ acaulis, Hook. fil. Is I am sure only a local variety. 

 It is much more compact with shorter petioles, rather 

 more hairy with longer hairs on the nerves and petiole. 

 The inflorescence is compact and I have never seen it 



Jour. Straits Branch 



