ON HALOPHILA OVATA GAUDICHAUD, A NEGLECTED 
SPECIES. 
By C. H. OSTENFELD. 
( Copenhagen , Denmark.) 
In 1906, while studying the genus Halophila and other marine 
phanerogams in the Kew Herbarium, I observed a specimen from the 
Philippine Islands which was labeled “ Halophila ovalis Herb. Philip- 
pinense, 1595, Luzon (5-’92) leg. A. Loher.” Although it seemed to be 
closely allied to Halophila ovalis (R. Br.) Hook, f., I felt sure that it was 
a distinct species and noted on the label “nov. sp.,” but published nothing 
regarding it. My note was later seen by Mr. Merrill, while he was work- 
ing at Kew in 1907, and on his return to Manila, he sent me a Halophila 
collected by himself in Manila Bay in April, 1905, with flowers and fruits, 
which he supposed to be the same as Loher’s plant. This specimen is 
undoubtedly the same species as that collected by Mr. Loher, and is 
distinct from Halophila ovalis (R. Br.) Hook. f. At first I considered 
it undescribed, but on closer examination of the material and literature 
at my disposal and my notes on the species of the genus made in various 
European herbaria, I found that it is the species described by Gaudichaud 
in Freycinet’s “Voyage autour du inonde” as Halophila ovata, the type of 
which was collected in the Marianne Islands, and now in the herbarium of 
the Museum d’ Histoire Haturelle in Paris. Some years ago I examined 
Gaudichaud’s plant, and noted that it differed considerably from H. ovalis , 
with which it has been identified by all later botanists working on the 
genus. Gaudichaud himself quotes Caulinia ovalis R. Br., as a synonym 
of his H. ovata, and was undoubtedly of the opinion that the two were 
identical. It seems to have been a mere chance that he altered the name 
" ovalis ” to “ovata” when transferring the species from Caulinia to 
Halophila. I think, however, that it is correct to maintain Gaudichaud’s 
name, and accordingly for the two species we have Halophila ovalis 
(R. Br.) Hook, f., and H. ovata Gaudichaud (not of later authors). 
Halophila ovalis is a species of wide distribution in the Indian and 
Pacific oceans, while H. ovata is at present known from but two regions — - 
the Mariannes and the Philippines. Gaudichaud’s description is wrong in 
many points with regard to the more minute characters of the flowers, 
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