CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY. 
121 
^ to 1 incli in length ; these bear alternate branchlets, each with 
four to six alternate peclicellated flowers. This panicle in fruc- 
tification lengthens and spreads considerably ; and as many of 
the shorter branches wither it assumes the appearance of a lax 
div aricated dichotomously divided panicular raceme, bearing nu- 
merous drupes, about the size of a pea, at the extremities of the 
numerous ramifications. The putamen is easily distinguished 
from that of the preceding species by being larger, suborbicular, 
3 lines in diameter, truncated at base; on the periphery there 
is a double row of centrifugally erect spines, and standing out 
at a right angle with them is another row of acute erect spines, 
and an inner tubei’cular hippocrepical ridge which forms the 
margin of a large, very concave, discoid condyle, thus much re- 
sembling the putamen of Menispermum. 
The plant in Wallich’s collection from Sylhet resembles those 
from Assam, and bears much similarity in external appearance to 
Pselium ambiguum : the latter has petals with a terminal rostrated 
lobe, as in the species under consideration ; but its stamens are 
united in a central column, while they are quite free in this as in 
other species of Pericampylus. There remains, therefore, only 
the monadelphous feature of the stamens to distinguish the two 
genera, which, it must be confessed, is not a very strong character. 
3. Pericampylus Assamicus, nob. ; — ramulis contortis, teretibus, 
striatis, glabris, junioribus flavido tomentosis ; foliis quasi 
palatis, deltoideo-rotundatis, imo cordatis, e medio sensim 
acutis, mucronatis, 7-nerviis, supra fusco tomentosis, nervis 
flavidis, subtus dense cinereo vel flavido tomentosis, margine 
ciliato ; petiolo subtenui, flavido tomentoso, limbo 4-plo bre- 
viore : paniculis S axillaribus, plurimis fasciculatis, folio bre- 
vioribus, inter se crebre implexis ; pedunculis subbrevibus, 
validiusculis ramisque dense flavido pilosis; sepalis extus 
pilosis, pallide membranaceis ; petalis brevioribus, glabris, 
cuneato-ovatis, apice rotundiusculis, lateribus inflexis ; stami- 
nibus erectis, liheris, quorum 3 paulo breviora; filamentis 
apice vix incrassatis, extus inflexis ; antheris extrorsis, hinc 
horizontaliter dehiscentibus. — In regno Assamico, v. s. in herb. 
Mus. Bl it., Assam (Griffiths, 568). 
This is very different in its general aspect from the two pre- 
ceding species, which arc also found in the same region ; here, 
however, the leaves are palate (not peltate), smaller, very cordate, 
acute, with very entire margins, densely clothed beneath with 
short yellow tomentum ; they have shorter and thicker petioles : 
it differs more especially in its extremely abundant, shortly- 
branched, broad, interwoven panicles, thus forming a dense ac- 
cumulation of very minute flowers. The leaves are l|-2 inches 
VOL. III. R 
