FASCIATION IN EUCHARIS. 
The monstrosity known as fasciation, that is the junction of two 
or more branches or flowers together, is perhaps the commonest 
monstrosity in plants, but I have not seen one recorded for the 
flowers of the Eucharis amazonica a specimen of which has just been 
found in the Gardens. In this two flowers are intimately joined 
together from the stalk upwards the stalk and ovaries are fattened 
and quite connate as is the perianth tube as far as the petals of the 
two flowers. Above this both flowers are free, though they are 
pressed together so that the two inner petals are erect back to back. 
A section of the ovaries shows that both are distinct though joined 
by their walls where they are in contact —E d. 
MASCARENHAIS1A ELASTICA. 
The India Rubber Journal of March 4, I 9 *b devotes a page to an 
•account of Mascarenhaisia elastica Schum, a rubber tree of East 
Africa It was discovered by Stuhlmann in 1898, and seed was 
received in the Botanic Gardens in 1899, and has developed into a 
low tree about 20 feet tall with a stem circumference of 19 inches. It 
has constantly flowered and fruited with us. The flowers are 
described in the Journal as conspicuous and lrag-ant while here they 
are quite small and white and certainly sweet scented. The branches 
are rather strict and do not spread much. The growth of the tree 
seems very slow, and in the account quoted it does not seem to get 
bigger than from 30 to 40 feet tall with a diameter of 12-18 inches. 
A curious thing about it, also noticed in Buitenzorg by the botanists 
there, is that young plants when cut exude a clear liquid and no latex 
and it is only when the tree is much older that any milky latex 
appears. At the best of times it is by no means heavily laticiferous, 
only a little exuding when cut. The bark is scaly outside but when 
this is removed a smoother bark 54 inch thick is seen, which is easily 
cut but even in its native haunts the latex exudes slowly. 
Analysis of the rubber are given in the Journal and show that 
the rubber as analysed in the Imperial Institute gives from 69 to 90 
per cent. Caoutchouc, with 4.5 to 7.6 per cent, resin. Most of the 
samples contained a considerable amount of water, and vegetable 
inourities. The rubber was pronounced to be of good quality when 
carefully collected. No statistics of return are obtainable but judging 
from the slow growth of the trees and the small amount of latex 
which exudes when cut, it is improbable that it would be worth 
cultivating on a commercial scale anywhere. The rubber is known 
.as Mgoa, or Goa Rubber. 
