370 



RUMPHIUS'S HERBARIUM AMBOINENSE 



sime acuminatis ad obtusis, basi cuneatis, in siccitate purpureo- 

 brunneis, nervis utrinque circiter 15; fructibus magnis, ellip- 

 soideis, circiter 6 cm longis, calycis lobis valde incrassatis, 

 sublignosis. 



A tree about 14 m high, quite glabrous, the branches stout, 

 grayish. Leaves purplish-brown when dry, somewhat shining, 

 thickly coriaceous, 15 to 25 cm long, 6 to 11 cm wide, generally 

 oblong-obovate sometimes oblong, apex obtuse to very broadly 

 and obscurely blunt-acuminate, base narrowed, cuneate; lateral 

 nerves about 15 on each side of the midrib, slender, distinct, 

 very obscurely anastomosing, the reticulations obsolete or nearly 

 so; petioles stout, about 1 cm long. Flowers not seen. Fruits 

 ellipsoid, vermilion when fresh, dark-brown when dry, about 

 6 cm long, solitary, their pedicels stout, about 2 cm long, the 

 calyx persistent, the lobes much thickened, rugose, somewhat 

 woody when dry, more or less connate, the fruiting calyx 2 to 

 2.4 cm in diameter, the pericarp smooth, rather brittle, each 

 fruit containing three, red or garnet-colored, 3 cm long pyrenes 

 which are notched at the apex, each containing two seeds. 



This species agrees sufficiently closely with Rumphius's 

 description and with the rather crude figure. It is characterized 

 by its relatively large leaves and large fruits and is most closely 

 allied to Ternstroemia megacarpa Merr., of the Philippines ; from 

 which, however, it differs in many characters, notably in its 

 calyx-lobes being more or less connate, very much thickened, 

 and somewhat woody when dry and in its much shorter pedun- 

 cles. The form described by Rumphius in the same chapter as 

 Ichthyoctonos litorea silvestris latifolia is possibly also referable here. 



GUTTIFERAE 



MESUA Linnaeus 



MESUA FERREA Linn. Sp. PI. (1753) 515. 



Calophyllum nagassarium Burm. f. PI. Ind. (1768) 121. 

 Nagassarium Rumph. Herb. Amb. 7: 3, t. 2. 



This species is not represented in our Amboina collections. 

 Nagassarium was described by Rumphius from specimens cul- 

 tivated in Java. It was originally reduced to Mesua ferrea Linn, 

 by Murray, Syst. (1774) 525, certainly the correct disposition 

 of it, and one that has been accepted by practically all authors. 

 Calophyllum nagassarium, Burm. f . is an exact synonym of Mesua 

 ferrea Linn, and was based on Javan specimens with a reference 

 to Nagassarium Rumph. as a synonym. 



