Revision of Genus Alstonia — MONACHINO 
147 
A. scholaris y Avae A. DC., Prod. 8: 409. 
1844. 
? A. Kurzii Hook. f., FI. Brit. Ind. 3: 643. 
1882. 
Trees up to 40 m. tall and 1.25 m. in diameter. 
Petioles about 2 cm. (up to 3 cm.) long. Leaf 
blades spatulate or oblanceolate, rarely elliptic, 
7-28 cm. long and 2-11 cm. broad, usually 
rounded at apex, rarely bluntly acuminate; 
shining above; the lateral nerves 40-50 pairs, 
3-5 mm. apart, the reticulation and transverse 
veins prominent on upper surface, the marginal 
nerve prominent. Inflorescence in dense cymes, 
many-flowered, pubescent, the pedicels short. 
Calyx lobes ovate to lanceolate, 1-3 mm. long, 
pubescent outside and sparsely so inside; corolla 
tube 6-10 mm. long, densely to sparsely pubes- 
cent outside; corolla lobes quadrate-orbicular, 
2-4.5 mm. long and about as broad, undulate- 
margined, pubescent on both sides; anthers 
0. 9-1. 3 mm. long; ovary densely hirtellous; 
follicles sparsely hirtellous, sometimes glabrous. 
Seeds lightly muricate-roughened. 
Type. — Citation by Brown: "Pala, Reed mal. 
1. p. 81, t. 45. optima. Lignum scholare, Rumph. 
amb. 2. p. 246. t. 82. quoad descriptionem, sed 
figura potius sequentis. Echites scholaris, Linn, 
mant. 53. Hab. In India Orientali et in Insulis 
Moluccanis. (v. s. in Herb. Banks).” Echites 
scholaris is based on "Lignum scholare ” Rumph., 
Amb. 2: 246, t. 82. 
Rumphius’ description of Lignum scholare 
is in agreement with Alstonia scholaris. "In om- 
nibus aquosae Indiae insulis nota,” the plant is 
identified with Pala "In Horto Malabarico tom. 
1. Fig. 45,” which is unquestionably A. scholaris. 
Linnaeus’ Echites scholaris rests principally on 
Rumphius’ Lignum scholare, although his short 
description is in fair agreement with A. scho- 
laris. A discordant element, however, appears in 
the figure representing " Lignum scholare,” plate 
82 of Rumphius’ Herbarium Amboinense which 
depicts an Alstonia with leaves sharply pointed 
at the apex (described as "obtuso apice”) and 
with about 12 pairs of principal lateral nerves 
(described as "plurimis parallelis costis”). This 
illustration diverges widely from A. scholaris, 
but is not adequate for precise identification. 
It is noted by Brown to be rather of A. specta- 
bilis\ the leaves are 4- to 6-verticillate, other- 
wise there is strong justification for Brown’s 
observation. The inflorescence as represented is 
fair for either A . scholaris or A. spectabilis. 
Hamilton in 1822, presumably on the basis of 
this figure, held "Lignum scholare” as distinct 
from "Pala,” and named the latter, which he 
thought unoccupied, Echites Pala. 
Illustrations. — Philippine Jour. Sci. 
(1926) 31: t. 1-6, fig. 1-41 (leafy br. and 
infl., fl., fr., seed, bark, bark anatomy ) ; Koord. 
and Val., Atl. Baumart. Java (1913) t. 77 
(leafy br., infl., fl. analysis, fr., seed, tree habits) ; 
Bentl. and Trim., Med. PI. (1880) 3: t. 173 
(leafy br. and infl., fl. analysis, fr., seed); Kir- 
tikar (ed. Basu), Ind. Med. PI. (1918) t. 606 
(leafy br. and infl., fr., fl. analysis, seed); Engl, 
and Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenf. (1895) 4(2): 138, 
fig. 53 (leafy br. and infl., fl. analysis, fr., seed); 
Rheede, Hort. Mal. (1678) 1: t. 45 (leafy br., 
and infl., leaf, fl., fr., seed); Wight, Ic. PI. Ind. 
Or. (1843) 2: t. 422 (leafy br. and infl., fl. 
analysis — leaf shape and nerves not represen- 
tative); Ahern, Philippine Woods (1901) 
46 (leafy br. and fr., infl. — leaf shape and nerves 
not representative). 
Distribution. — The most widely distributed 
species of Alstonia : from India to southern 
China, south to Malaya and the entire area of 
Malaysia, east to Queensland and the Solomon 
Islands. Reported from Liukiu, Yayeama, by 
Matsumura (Index PI. Jap. 2: 505. 1912). 
Grows at 0-1000 m. or more altitude and is 
tolerant of a variety of soils and habitat. 
India — Anstead 94 (Mangalore; A); Biswas 
1675 (Bengal; A); Calcutta herb. (Calcutta; 
GH); Dewan 82 (Nakrunda; G); Erlanson 
5310 ( Travancore ) ; Gibson ( Bombay; P ) ; 
Hohenacker 295 (Canora; G, P); Hooker 
(Bengal; L); Jenkins (Assam; G); Mukherjee 
78 (Nakrunda; US); Roxburgh (G); Wallich 
1644, 1644a (Nepal; G); Wight 2540; Stachey 
and W interbottom (Kumaon; GH). 
