28 
ON THE GAMBOGE TREE OF CEYLON. 
structure of the persistent stigma. While I remain quite 
certain that this plant is the Garcinia Morella of Gsertner, 
an opinion which was first formed from an inspection of the 
specimen in fruit from Mr. Blair, the examination of Mrs. 
Walker's specimens has induced me to remove the plant from 
the genus Garcinia. The structure of the stamens is quite 
peculiar, and quite unlike that of any species of Garcinia with 
which I am acquainted, in which the free portion of the fila- 
ment is thread-like, and the anther bilocular, opening longitu- 
dinally. In Mrs. Walker's flowers, on the contrary, the free 
part of the stamens is thick and clavate, and the anthers open 
by the complete circumcision of a singular umbilicate, flat, and 
terminal lid, the elliptical pollen-granules being immersed in 
cellular substance. 
For these reasons, I cannot hesitate in believing that the 
Gamboge plant of Ceylon belongs to a nondescript genus, cha- 
racterized especially by the stamens, which have suggested the 
name of Hebradendron. Having communicated this opinion 
to Mr. Brown, he replied, "In your plant, the structure of the 
anther is indeed very remarkable, and might well induce you 
to consider it as forming a distinct genus ; but it is right to 
add, that approaches to this structure, and which serve to ex- 
plain its analogy with the ordinary structure of the family, 
exist in Garcinia, with which I suppose )'our plant would 
agree in its female flower, as well as in fruit." 
As I have never seen the female flower, nor any drawing of 
it, I cannot add to the probability which is given to this con- 
jecture by Mr. Brown having formed it, except by stating, 
that there are within the persistent calyces of the fruit, abor- 
tive filiform stamens, very much resembling those which are 
found similarly attached to the fruit of Garcinia. 
The resemblance to the Ceylon plant, of the inflorescence 
and form of the flower-bud, of Garcinia elliptica ( Wallich's 
List, No. 4869,) led me to examine its structure in connexion 
with this subject, and I found it also to have male blossoms, 
with stamens precisely similar. Sir W. J. Hooker was also 
struck with the resemblance, and obligingly forwarded to me 
