ON THE IDENTITY OF AEGIPHILA VIBURNIFOLIA 
JUSSIEU 
By E. D. Merrill 
Director and Botanist, Bureau of Science 
ONE PLATE 
In 1806 Jussieu ’ described as new a supposedly Philippine 
species which he called Aegiphila viburnifolia, the genus ap- 
pertaining to the Verbenaceae, and all its species being confined 
to tropical America. No attempt seems to have been made to 
determine the identity of the species until 1911, when at my re- 
quest the late Dr. C. B, Robinson, in passing through Paris, 
looked up Jussieu’s type and supplied me with a few notes re- 
garding it and also a photograph of it. Both he and Dr. Gagne- 
pain failed to recognize the genus to which it really belonged, 
although both agreed that it appertained to the Celastraceae. 
From a not very critical examination of the photograph in 
1914, I determined Jussieu’s species as being the same as the 
Philippine one described in 1908 as Euonymus philippinensis 
Merr. & Rolfe, and erroneously adopted the binomial Euonymus 
vihurnifolius Merr. for the Philippine form. A reexamination 
of the photograph, the description, and Dr. Robinson’s notes 
shows clearly that this disposition of Jussieu’s species is erro- 
neous, but that it is clearly the Malayan form described by King 
in 1896 as Elaeodendroyi subrotundum. An adjustment of the 
synonymy follows : 
ELAEODENDRON VI BU RN I FOLI U M (Juss.) comb. nov. Plate 1. 
Aegiphila viburnifolia Juss. in Ann. Mus. Paris 7 (1806) 76; Walp. 
Repert. 4 (1844-48) 124; Schauer in DC. Prodr. 1 1 (1847) 655. 
Elaeodendron subrotundum King in Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 65^ (1896) 
356; Merr. in Journ. Str. Branch Roy. As. Soc. 76 (1917) 93. 
I have examined the following material representing the 
species : “Philippines,” Sonnerat, photograph of the type ex Herb. 
Jussieu. Malay Peninsula, Selangor, Burkill 12A8; Johore, Rid- 
ley 12^81. Singapore, Baker 5850. Borneo, Sarawak, Fox- 
worthy 119; British North Borneo, Foxivorthy 623. 
^Ann. Mus. Paris 7 (1806) 76. 
449 
