Original Articles.

ON A NEW SPECIES OF GARDENIA FROM

WEST TROPICAL AFRICA.

By W. P. HIERN, M.A.

(TAB. 195.)

GARDENIA KALBREYERI, Hiern. — G. fruticosa, inermis ramis patentibus glabrescentibus, foliis oppositis obovatis apice acute cuspidato-acuminatis basi vel prope basim cuneatis firmiter chartaceis breviter petiolatis supra costa excepta glabrescentibus subtus pallidioribus secus costam nervosque plus minusve hirsutis, stipulis intra-petiolaribus ovatis acuminatis integris vel apice bifidis, floribus solitariis terminalibus semi-pedalibus, calycis limbo infundibulari quinque-fido tubo infundibulari truncato integro sed exteris additis lobis ovatis ovalibusve obtusis imbricatis ex tubo prope apicem at sub apicem tubi exorientibus annulum brevem intra medium limbum integentibus, corolla hypocrateriformi bis calycem excedente extra scabrido-sericea tubo elongato intus glabro limbo patente diam. semipedali profunde quinque-lobo, antheris linearibus exsertis, ovario oblongo sulcato, stylo elongato-clavato apice lobato breviter vel vix exserto, placenta unica.

HABITAT in Guinea superiore ad oppidum Old Calabar dictum, in locis apertis; legit mensi Maio anni 1877 Kalbreyer!, No. 212.

A shrub of twelve to fifteen feet. Branches straight, terete, somewhat furrowed towards the apex, reddish, appressedly puberulous above, glabrate below. Leaves 33-5 in. long by 13-21 in. broad (on the specimen in the British Museum), dark and glabrescent above, except that they are sometimes scattered with appressed hairs especially along the flat top of the midrib; margin very narrowly revolute, sparingly ciliate; lateral veins about ten to twelve on each side of the midrib, feeble, rather darker than the rest of the lower surface of the leaf; petiole in. long, sparingly hairy; stipules erect, connate at the base, appressedly hairy outside,

in. long, deciduous. Flowers "very fragrant, large, lily-shaped, yellowish, with brown spots" (Kalbr. sched.) Peduncle stem-like, 1-3 in. long, with a pair of stipular bracts near the apex. Calyxlimb 24 in. long, sparingly and appressedly hairy outside, glabrous inside; free portion of the tube 1 in. long, coriaceous; lobes unequal, 1 in. long. Corolla about 6 in. long when expanded, pale outside, fleshy-coriaceous; tube slender; lobes oval, 2 in. long by 11⁄2 in. broad, rather pointed at the apex and rather convolute dextrorsely (as seen from above) at the base. Anthers N. S. VOL. 7. [APRIL, 1878.]

sessile or sub-sessile, 1 in. long, not locellate. Disk annular, fleshy. Ovary 1-celled, inch long. Style more or less hirsute above. Placenta marginal, longitudinal; ovules numerous. unknown.

Fruit

This, in common with one or two other species of the genus in Tropical Africa, is remarkable on account of the calyx-lobes arising from the outer side of the calyx-tube just below its free truncate entire apex, thus leaving inside the calyx a short ring about the middle of its limb. It differs from G. Joris-tonantis, Hn., in Oliv. Fl. Trop. Afr., iii, p. 101, n. 2, by its pentamerous flowers and opposite not ternate leaves, as well as by other characters; it should immediately follow this species in the Flora.' The general appearance of the flowering branches is much like that of Randia malleifera, B. et H. f., from which, however, it is quite different with regard to the calyx-limb as well as generically by the structure of the ovary. It is a handsome addition to the previously known species of Gardenia, and would be well worthy of introduction for hot-house cultivation. I have much pleasure in dedicating it to its discoverer, Mr. Kalbreyer, collector for the firm of Messrs. Veitch and Sons, of Chelsea, who was successful in detecting several novelties, the Orchids having been described recently by Professor H. G. Reichenbach in the Regensburg 'Flora.'

DESCRIPTION OF TAB. 195.-1. Gardenia Kalbreyeri, Hiern, drawn from a specimen in the British Museum, collected by Kalbreyer at Old Calabar. 2. Section of the calyx, showing the free, entire edge of the tube. 3. Transverse section of the ovary.

ON THE DIPTEROCARPEE OF NEW GUINEA, WITH REMARKS ON SOME OTHER SPECIES.

BY W. T. THISELTON DYER, M.A., F.L.S.

This

GRISEBACH, in his "Vegetation der Erde," has expressed the conclusion that the flora of New Guinea is "thoroughly similar to that of Borneo," and that in fact its vegetation is an eastern extension of the general Indo-Malayan flora which is so splendidly developed in its most characteristic features in that island. is, as Mr. Bentham has pointed out, a result quite at variance with the distribution of animals as expounded by Wallace. Such a conclusion, Mr. Bentham justly also observed (p. 14), was premature in the present state of our knowledge ;" and he added, on the authority of Sir Joseph Hooker, as an example of the want of identity of the respective floras, that no Dipterocarpea had been found to the east of Borneo. This remark was, of course, only intended to apply to the Malayan Archipelago, since the family is

*

Anniversary Address to the Linnean Society, 1872,' p. 13.

66

known to be well represented in the Philippines. But even with regard to New Guinea, it was not absolutely true, since a single species, Anisoptera polyandra, had been described by Blume from that island.

The explorations of Beccari have, however, conclusively shown that though Dipterocarpea are not absent from the New Guinea flora, they are very poorly represented in it. His collections, in fact, in marked contrast to the unrivalled suites of specimens which he was able to obtain from Borneo, only comprise very imperfect and fragmentary specimens of three species, the representatives of as many genera. Two of these are from Mount Arfak, on the northern coast, a locality which is particularly interesting, as on the same mountain Beccari detected, at a height of 6000 feet, the first species of Epacridea known from New Guinea-Styphelia trochocarpoides, F. Muell.* The occurrence of representatives of two such characteristic types of such distinct floras as the Indo-Malayan and Australian on the same mountain, is a striking fact in geographical botany. It can hardly be doubted, in fact, that the sudden falling off in the numerical abundance of Dipterocarpeæ, perhaps the most preponderant feature in the fullydeveloped Indo-Malayan flora, and the simultaneous appearance of a conspicuous member of the Australian flora proper, shows that Mr. Bentham's doubts as to the validity of Grisebach's generalization on the nature of the New Guinea flora were really well founded.

The specimens which Professor Beccari has so kindly placed in my hands are, as I have said, excessively fragmentary. Any description of them would hardly be justifiable were it not for their exceptional importance. To only one have I felt justified in giving a specific name.

ANISOPTERA sp. nov. Calyce fructifero læte ochraceo-flavido, pube aurea obtecto; tubo sphæroidali verruculis minimis pallidis consperso; lobis accretis majoribus lineari-spathulatis, obtusis, in tubum gradatim desinentibus, fortiter tri-costatis, costis utraque pagina prominentibus una media aliis marginalibus; lobis minoribus linearibus, acutis, uninerviis.

Mount Arfak, New Guinea, 1872, O. Beccari.

Omnia nisi fructus ignota. Calycis fructiferi tubus poll. longus; lobi majores 3-4 poll. longi, fere latitudine semipollicares; lobi minores ad poll. longi, poll. lati.

I think the discovery of the foliage and inflorescence of this plant will vindicate its specific distinctness. It differs from A. costata, Korth., in having the enlarged lobes of the fruiting calyx tapering more gradually to the tube and with their lateral nerves closer to the margin. From A. polyandra, Bl., which, as I have remarked, had already been detected in New Guinea, it differs in the greater length of the smaller fruiting calyx-lobes.

VATICA PAPUANA, Dyer. Arbor, ramulis teretibus, pallidis, glabris; foliis oblongo-lanceolatis vel oblongo-ellipticis, breviter acuminato-caudatis, basi obtusis, chartaceis; pagina superiore glaberrima, opaca; inferiore pube stellulata parcissime tecta, costa media fortiter, nervisque lateralibus utrinque 17 modice prominentibus; stipulis linearibus, acutis, uninerviis; petiolo brevi, crasso; florum partibus (præsertim calyce staminibusque) omnino Vatica; fructibus

Ramoi, New Guinea, 1872, O. Beccari.

Folia 9-13 poll. longa, 2-4 poll. lata; petiolo semi-pollicari. Alabastra semi-pollicaria.

In the absence of fruit, the exact affinities of this species must remain doubtful. But the foliage characters approach those of V. Rassak, Bl., from which, however, it is distinguished by the form of the leaves, which are narrowly oblong and less abruptly acuminate in V. Rassak, with more numerous lateral veins (about 21), and a longer petiole.

HOPEA, sp. nov.-Calyce fructifero obscure puberulo, lobis majoribus basi elliptico, limbo oblongo-spathulato, apice obtuso, infra plus minusve abrupte coarctato, nervis crebris (ad 10)

percurso.

Mount Arfak, New Guinea, 1872, O. Beccari.

Omnia nisi fructus ignota. Calycis fructiferi lobi aucti 1-2 poll. longi, poll. lati. Capsula poll. longa.

Although I have only seen fragmentary fruits of this species, I have considerable confidence in its being otherwise unknown. The fruits agree in general facies more closely than perhaps with those of any other with an undescribed species from the Philippines. Of this I add a description:

HOPEA PHILIPPINENSIS, Dyer.-Arbor, ramulis ad angulum 45° fere divergentibus, teretibus, siccitate rugosis, pallide fuscis, novellis fusco-canescentibus; foliis anguste oblongis, brevissime caudato-acuminatis, basi paullo obliquis, obtusis, utrinque glaberrimis, costa media utrinque nervis lateralibus subtus prominentibus; petiolo brevissimo; paniculis brevibus terminalibus vel lateralibus; floribus . . . .; fructu majusculo calyce accreto cincto; calycis lobis majoribus basi ovato tumido, limbo late spathulato, apice rotundato, basim versus valde attenuato, nervis 8 percurso.

Philippine Islands, H. Cuming, 879.

Folia 4-6 poll. longa, 1-2 poll. lata; petiolo poll. longo. Calycis fructiferi lobi aucti 2-3 poll. longi, latitudine fere pollicares. Capsula semi-pollicaris.

The dried fruits assume the same rich chocolate-brown colour which is observable in the New Guinea species.

Dr. Hance has described,* from Sumatra, a Dipterocarp in fruit, to which he has given the name of Dryobalanops Schefferi. He remarks that "I really do not know where it is to be placed unless here. Possibly it may be the type of a distinct genus." This greatly stimulated my curiosity, and I was much gratified when Dr. Hance, with his accustomed kindness, sent me a specimen of the plant. At the same time I received others from Dr. Scheffer, as well as what I believe to be the same species in a flowering stage. It was at once apparent that the species, though very remarkable, would not go into Dryobalanops as I understand that genus, being excluded, apart from the absence of the characteristic close linear venation of the leaves, by the evanescence of the calyx-tube which is always well-developed in the fruit of Dryobalanops. There is, however, no real difficulty in placing the species in Vatica, the peculiarity of the fruit simply consisting in the excessive horizontal and downward dilatation of the accrescent calyx-lobes, the margins of which stand out and meet in a sub-valvate manner. This is, in fact, only an extreme exaggeration of the sub-valvate æstivation of the calyx which is characteristic of the genus. Similar fruits, though not so strongly developed, are afforded by Vatica Schouteniana, Scheff., and Vatica bancana, Scheff., of both of which I have had the opportunity, through Dr. Scheffer's kindness, of studying the type-specimens.

I am inclined to believe, as I have said above, that amongst the unnamed Dipterocarpea sent me by Dr. Scheffer are the flowering state of this plant, and it seems to me to differ in no material respect from Vatica pallida, Dyer, described by me † from Maingay's specimens collected at Penang. Of this I had seen no fruiting specimens, but I see indications in the deflexed calyx, which I have pointed out in my description, of the assumption of the striking development presented by the mature fruit.

Vatica lanceafolia, Bl. In describing this species for the 'Flora of British India' (vol. i., p. 302), I had not had the opportunity of seeing mature fruit. Specimens in this state, collected by Sir Joseph Hooker, have lately turned up in the Kew Herbarium, where they had long been indeterminate. They have so little the aspect of a Dipterocarp that Sir Joseph Hooker labelled them at first sight as belonging to a species of Diospyros, and under this name they may lurk undetected in other herbaria. The absence, however, of albumen in the seeds shows that they are not Ebenaceous.

The geographical distribution of the species may also be somewhat amended. Mr. C. B. Clarke informs me that Silhet, in Wallich's Catalogue, always means Khasia. The species is a highlevel one, and does not occur on the plains of E. Bengal at all. is distributed over a well-defined district formed of Bhotan, Assam, Khasia, Cachar, and Upper Birma.

It