MADRAS JOURNAL 



OP 



LITERATURE AND SCIENCE. 



No. 14. — January, 1837- 



I. — Contributions to Indian Botany, No. 1. — By Robert Wight, m. d., 

 f. l. s., &c. &c. Member of the Imp. Acad. Natures Curiosorum. 

 Surgeon on the Madras Establishment. 



On the Genus Impatiens. 



The Genus Impatiens, from occupying a prominent place in the Indian 

 Flora, as well as from being in a great measure confined to this country 

 justly claims for itself,, in a proportionate degree, the attention of the 

 Indian Botanist. 



On this account, I have selected it for the first of a series of papers, 

 to be continued from time to time, under the above title, in which it is 

 my intention to give descriptions and illustrations of such new, or other- 

 wise interesting plants, as I may chance to obtain, whether collected by 

 myself, or communicated by friends, desirous of lending their assistance 

 to the advancement of a highly interesting and useful science. Its se- 

 lection, for the commencement of the series, is rendered still more ap- 

 propriate, by the circumstance of its extent, as well as the peculiarities 

 of its structure, being nearly unknown, till within these few years. 



Of this genus, now embracing nearly one hundred species, Linnaeus 

 only knew seven or eight ; and most of these from indifferent figures. 

 In 1805 when Persoon published his Synopsis, ten only were known ; to 

 these only six had been added in 1819, when Roemer and Schultes pub- 

 lished the fourth volume of their Sy sterna Vegetabilium, and one of the 

 six " sine definitione." In 1824, Professor Decandolle published the first 

 volume of his Prodromus, and extended the catalogue from sixteen to 

 thirty-one, excluding the undefined one, thus doubling the former num- 

 ber : of these, twenty-four are Indian, nearly all the new ones being de- 

 rived from Dr. Wallich's Nepaul Collections. In 1830-31, Dr. Wallich 



