146 



When talking of constituents of latex of Para rubber one must 

 not forget that in tapping a rubber tree one gets a certain proportion 

 of tree sap into it as well as the contents of the latex tubes as Mr. 

 Bamber suggests, and these sugars occurring in drawn latex may be 

 derived from the sap. It is quite possible that these little known 

 constituents may play an important part in manufactured rubber, 

 and they require investigating. — Ed. 



CHONEMORPHA RUBBER-VINES. 



The genus Chonenwrpha {Apocy7iacece) comprises about a dozen 

 very ornamental climbers occurring in India, Cochin-China, and 

 Malaya. One of these has been cultivated for many years in the plant 

 house in the Botanic Gardens where rooted in the ground it climbs 

 over an arch of rock and is very attractive from its large fragrant 

 flowers. A specimen was sent to Colonel Prain, of the Royal Gardens, 

 Kew, last year, to obtain the name and place of origin of this plant 

 and he wrote in answer: " Dr. Stapf finds it to be a Chonemorpha and 

 the interest of it is that it is the species from Ceylon and Southern 

 India which goes by the name of Ch, macrophylla G Don. which is 

 really a distinct Sylhet species. As a matter of fact Stapf finds that 

 the C macrophylla of the Flora of British India includes several species. 

 This Ceylon-Malabar one, of which you send material, is the one 

 figured by Rheede in the Hortus Malabaricus vol ix I-5 and 6. Denn- 

 stedt put it down in his Schluessel, 1818, as Pergularia tomentosa, I 

 suppose from Roxburgh's list (Hort. Beng. 20) in 1814. This may- 

 have been a guess but if so was a guess that anticipated De CandoUe 

 (Prodromus IV 76), 



So far as Stapf can find out no distinctive name has ever been 

 given to Rheede's plant. 



Stapf also points out that the Malay Peninsula Chonemorpha in- 

 cluded under Ch, macrophylla in the Flora of British India is likewise 

 distinct and it will have to get a new name." 



Certainly the charming but smaller flowered plant of Penang 

 Hill is very diff"erent in appearance from the large flowered plant we 

 cultivate in our Gardens. 



The three macrophyllas in the Flora of British India there- 

 fore require distinctive names and Col. Prain and Dr. Stapf 

 suggest that as Roxburgh gave the name of C. macrophylla to the 

 Sylhet and Assam plant it should retain that name. The South 

 Indian and Ceylon plant which we have here should be called C. 

 Rheedei and I would suggest C. Penangensis for the one on Penang 

 Hill. 



I will now describe these species : 

 Chonemorpha Rheedei n. sp. 



