EXTRACTS OF PROCEEDINGS. xli 



work on St. Helena refers to this plant : — " The native Ebony of 

 St. Helena. — This plant I believe to be now extinct. It formerly 

 grew on the outer portions of the island, near the coast, at 

 mid-altitudes, where the weather-beaten stems are still found 

 deeply embedded in the surface-soil. The last plant I saw was 

 a small one growing in the garden at Oakbank about twenty-five 

 years ago, but it is not there now, and I have searched the whole 

 island over for another, but in vain. The leaves were dark green, 

 and the flowers white ; the wood is very hard, heavy, black in 

 colour, and extremely brittle. It is still collected and turned 

 into ornaments, which are much prized on account of its rarity. 

 That this tree once formed a considerable portion of the vege- 

 tation clothing the island on those parts that are now quite 

 barren is strongly evidenced by the many references to it in the 

 local records. It is the Dombeya erythroxylon of Andr. Bot. 

 Bcjjos., vi., t. 389, not of Willdenow." 



It is interesting to know that the plant is still in existence 

 under cultivation at Kew (and perhaps elsewhere) under the 

 name of Melhania (Dombeya) erythroxylon. At the present time 

 the plant, which was obtained from the gardens at Herrhausen, 

 is in flower at Kew. 



Mr. MacLachlan called attention to the interesting remark 

 on the rare plants of St. Helena contained in Mr. Wollaston's 

 book on the Coleoptera of the Atlantic islands. 



Fingered Citrons. — Dr. Masters showed a drawing of a fruit 

 that had ripened in the garden of Mr. Hanbury, at La Mortola, 

 near Ventimiglia, and made some comments on the peculiarities 

 of its structure. M. de Vilmorin said that similar malformations 

 occurred in other Oranges, especially in the Bitter Orange, the 

 flowers of which were used in perfumery, and in which the 

 carpels might be seen occasionally in all stages of dissociation. 



Sport of Narcissus. — From Mr. Walker came one bulb pro- 

 ducing two distinct flowers — viz., Silver Phoenix and N. incom- 

 parabilis fl.-pl. The specimen was referred to Dr. Masters for 

 further examination. 



Florida Pine. — From Mr. Divers came a cone of Pinus 

 cubensis (Elliotti), and one of P. inops, var. clausa, just brought 

 home from Florida. Mr. Morris spoke of the wood of the Cuban 



