Illustrations of Indian Botany, Vol. 1/Memecyleae

by Robert Wight

LXI.—MEMECYLEAE.

This is a small order, in Indian Botany limited to one genus, Memecylon, a second is found in Cochin-china. It consists of shrubs or small trees, with opposite, simple, entire, often thick- ish succulent exstipulate leaves, with one central rib and without translucent dots. The flowers are very numerous, small, axillary, pedicelled, sometimes congested in dense capitulos, occasion- ally corymbose; usually blue, forming together with the bright shining green leaves most beauti- ful plants, but strangely enough, no where, that I have seen, introduced into cultivation as orna- ments of the shrubbery or flower garden, though met with in every jungle.

" Calyx 4-5-lobed or toothed: the limb striated in the bottom on the inside. Petals 4-5, alternate with the sepals, imbricated into the form of a cone during aestivation. Stamens twice as many as the petals : filaments distinct, in aestivation almost wanting : anthers curved, 2 celled, opening by two short clefts, during aestivation pointing down wards .towards the bottom of the limb of the calyx, afterwards by the elongation of the filaments erect: connectivum produced below the cells into a kind of beak. Ovarium I -celled, coherent with the tube of the calyx: ovules 410, erect, seated at the base of the cell: style 1, filiform: stigma simple Fruit baccate, crowned by the limb of the calyx, usually from abortion, 1-celled Seeds nut-like: often solitary from abortion ; erect: testa crustaceous. Albumen none. Radicle curved down- wards : cotyledons foliaceous, crumpled and wrapped up, the one round the other, into the form of a little ball. Shrubs. Leaves opposite, simple, entire, without stipules or dots, feather- nerved, or rarely 3-nerved."

Affinities. The affinities of this order are on the one hand with M/jrtaceae with which they agree in habit, and in their opposite one ri'ibed leaves, but differ in their leaves wanting pellucid dots, and in their foliaceous convolute cotyle Ions, and on the other, with MeloMomaceae, to which they approach in the structure of their anthers and some other points, but differ in the form of the cotyledons and in their one not 3-nerved leaves. Notwithstanding these differ- ences, however, they have recently been by some eminent Botanists united as a sub-order with Melaatomncene. How far this union is judicious I am unable to say, not having studied them with sufficient attention to admit of my offering a decided opinion on the subject : though I con- fess that so far as present information extends I approve of keeping them disinct. I however

prefer leaving the question as I find it, and follow the track we originally pursued, that of keeping them separate.

Geographical Distribution. Of the whole order only 22 species are described by DeCandolle, about 15 of which are natives of India or of the adjoining Islands, one or two are from Africa, and to these I believe some have since been added : I do not know how many. It is clear however from the great preponderance of Indian species, that this country may be viewed as the head quarters of the order. Mouriria, a genus so nearly allied to Memecylon that it may be questioned whether it can be kept distinct, is of American origin.

Properties and Uses. Of these little is known. The leaves of Memecylon tinctorium and M. edule, Roxb. are used in dying, and afford under proper management a very delicate yellow lake, but I have not heard whether the colour is permanent. The berries of most of them are pulpy and have an astringent sweetish taste.

Remarks on Genera and Species. Only one genus is certainly known to exist in India Scutula of Loureiro, from Cochin-china, being perhaps the same as Memecylon. Mouriria as above remarked, approximates so closely to Memecylon that is doubtful whether there is one good character by which to distinguish them, unless we attach considerable value to its geogra- phical distribution, which in the absence of characters derived from structure is scarcely admissible.

The species though few in number are, as they now stand recorded in Botanical works, most difficult of discrimination, so much so indeed, that with a collection of upwards of 100 speci- mens before me embodying almost every form of inflorescence met within the genus, combined with almost every modification of ovate, oval, and obovate, petioled and sub-sessile leaves, I am unable to fix the limits among the following series, though I find representatives of each among the collection. I will not on this account, go so far as to say that the whole ought to be reduced to one or two species, because, my collection, however complete, may still want some of the forms which are defined as species ; but, my enumerating the list, of which I think representatives may be found in my collection of specimens, among which I cannot find certain marks by which to establish only two species, may call attention to the subject and induce persons having oppor- tunities of making collections to give more attention to the subject. Among the series of speci- mens above alluded to I find representatives of the plants figured by Burman Thes : Zeylan: tabs. 30 and 31 by Rheede, Hort. Mai. 5 tab. 19 by Lamark, Illustrations tab. 284 f. 1 and of Roxburgh's M. edule Cor. pi. 1 tab. 82. These five plates have by different authors been quoted for M. capitellatum, Linn. M. tinctorium, Koen. M.laxiflorum, D.C., M.ramijlorum, Lam. and M. edule, Roxb. (Roxb. quotes Burm. Thes: t. 30 M. capitellatum, Linn, as a synonym for his plant). To these five may perhaps be added M. spcerocarpum, D.C. and certainly M. ovatum and M. acuminatum, Smith. Among all these I think, I can make out only t-vo species, perhaps they are mere varieties. M. ramiflorum and tinctorium (I believe them the same plant) seems to have a dry berry and oval obtuse or sub-obovate leaves, while M. edule has a succulent berry and ovate, bluntly acuminated leaves. The forms of the inflorescence and foliage pass so gradually into each other, that marks taken from them can scarcely be considered good in solitary specimens though in the mass they are useful, and those from the fruit are indifferent herbarium ones as both forms are altered in drying. The inner surface of the calyx affords another mark which I have found pretty constant in the two forms above indicated. In the series correspond- ing with M. ramiflorum and tinctorium, the calyx is smooth or nearly so within, while in those corresponding with M. edule and capitellatum which I think are also one species, there are eight membranous partitions, forming so many open cells in which the anthers previous to dehiscence were lodged, and which remain after the stamens have fallen. These are the eight ribs alluded to by Smith as occurring in his M. ovatum. The whole of these species however demand further investigation for their final determination and limitation by precise characters, those hitherto assigned being insufficient for their discrimination. The other Indian spe- cies are less difficult. My specimens of M. cordatum agree well with both Lamark's figure and description of that species. I have also got additional specimens of M. Heyneanum and M. amplexicaule, both of which correspond with the characters assigned to them in our

Prodromus. In addition to these I have specimens of what appears to me two new species. The one corresponds with DeCandolle's M. trinerve in having three nerved leaves, but the branches are quite cylindrical, and the leaves in place of being oval and about two inches long are ovate lanceolate, tapering to a point, and from 6 to 8 inches long. This species is allied to M. amplfxicaule and M. Heyneanum, but I think quite distinct from both. The lateral nerves are marginal. The other species, which approaches M. ramiflorum in habit, differs in having long narrow linear lanceolate blunt pointed leaves; about six inches long and scarcely half an inch broad. The inflorescence is so like that of M. ramiflorum, that I doubt whether I ought to give it a different name, but the foliage being so very distinct, leaves but little room for hesitation. Three species have now therefore to be added to the Peninsular flora— namely, M. cordatum and these two new ones. They may be designated and characterized as follows.

Memecylon cordatum, (Lam.) Leaves sessile or sub-sessile, broadly ovate-cordate at the base, very obtuse, or rounded at the apex; peduncles axillary, sub-capitate or corymbose, brunches terete. Lamark Encl. 4 p. 89. HI t, 2S4 f. 2.

Hab.—Malabar.

The leaves are as broad at the base as they are long, sometimes quite sessile, sometimes furnished with a short petiol.

Memecylon jambosioides, (R. W.) Branches cylindrical, glabrous: leaves ovate, lanceolate, acuminated; 3-nerved: 'he Literal pair of nerves sub-marginal, united with smaller transverse parallel veins: flowers numer- ous, forming axillary capituli short pe licelled.

Hab.—Courtallum in sub-alpine jungles.

A handsome species. The leaves are almost entirely the same as those of Jambosa vulga?-is and some of those, on my specimens, are upwards of 10 inches long. The flowers, before expansion, form dense nearly sessile axillary clusters, and the pedicels dp not afterwards materially elongate. The fruit is glabrous, polished, judging from preserved specimens, a dry berrv.—Seed one, exalbuminous, cotyledons foliaceous, exceedingly convoluted.

Memecylon angustifolium, (R. W.) Brandies, terate leaves, confined to the extremities, narrow lanceolate, attenuated below, blunt pointed, one-nerved; peduncles short from the scars of fallen leaves; flowers very numerous, umbellate, or sub-capitate, pedicells small.

Habitat.—Jungles about Courtallum.

This species only differs from M. ramiflorum in the form of the leaves; in that they are broad in proportion to their length say two inches long by one and half broad, or half that size; while in this, they are from three to four inch 's Ion? an I scarcely half an inch broad, tapering to the petiol below, but blunt pointed. The flowers and inflorescence are the same in both.

EXPLANATION OF PLATE 93.

1. Memecylon ramiflorum, (Lam.) M. tinctorium, (Koen. W. and A.) Flowering branch — natural size.

2. An expanded Mower.

3. Stamens, but the anthers very incorrectly represented, oval, dehiscing their whole length in place of cordate, 2-celled above, the base ending in a membranous prolongation of the connective.

4. A petal.

5. The ovary shortly after the fall of the petals cut vertically, showing the ascending ovules.

6-7. A berry v-ry immature cut transversely, to show the numerous seed.

MEMECYLEÆ.

MEMECYLON TINCTORIUM. (KOEN.)