1835.] Observations on the Flora of Coiirtallmn. 3S7 



dwell on these now would be premature, but to make a 

 fe>v observations on them en passant may not be out of 

 place. Of the lar^^er arborious forms it is not easy to 

 individualize species/from the difhculty^or Lmay almost 

 say the impossibility of getting specimens on other terms 

 than that of felling the trees. Two very large ones , how- 

 ever, which had recently fallen 1 did examine ; one of them 

 proved a species of x^rdisia, the other is new to me, and I 

 have not yet had leisure to examine it with sufficient 

 ' care for its final determination, but I think it belongs to 

 the nutmeg family (myrist(cea'')Ai it be not actually a 

 myristica. Another spacious and interesting tree, on 

 account of its products, is found in these forests, namely, 

 the Dammer tree. Its place in the system of plants I 

 E.m at present unable to determine, not having seen 

 either flowers or fruits, nor have I seen Buchanan Fla- 

 niilton's description of it. He calls it Chloroxylon du- 

 pada, but it certainly is not the Chloroxylon of De Can- 

 ;<Jolle, nor does it seem to belong to the genus Dammera 

 of Hamilton, which is a Dipterocarpus, as the Dammer 

 tree has large pinnate leaves, while the Dipterocarpus 

 has simple ones. It may however be one of the Meli- 

 acese, with the general form of which family it seems to 

 agree, but differs from all the other members of it in its 

 c abundant resinous juice. Among the plants remarkable 

 for the beauty of their flowers may be mentioned 9 or 

 ; 10 species of Balsams, about one half of which are new, 

 and one of them exceedingly curious. Handsome flow- 

 ered Rubiacese and Aporyneas, both shrubby and herba- 

 ceous, are very common on the hills. To the list of beau- 

 , tiful flowering plants may be added 4 or 5 species of Be- 

 ,,gonias, one of them new, and an astonishing variety of 

 Orchideoug and liliaceous plants : and among the curiosi- 

 ties of Flora may be mentioned a great variety of arums 

 and aroideous plants. But of all the families yet mention- 

 «d the Urticess and Euphorbiacess seem to occupy the 



