SYNOPTICAL ARRANGEMENT OF INDIAN MYRTACEÆ OF THE TRIBE MYRTEÆ GENERA.
Genera.
Sonneratia, (Lin. fil.) Psidium (Lin.) On these genera I have no remarks to offer. They are principally remarkable, in the tribe, for the numerous cells of their ovary.
NELITRIS. Flowers quaternary or quinary : ovary 4 (?) to 10-celled, with fleshy partitions between the cells: ovules solitary in each cell, ascending, reniform.
2. MYRTUS. Flowers quinary . ovary 3-celled, with numerous superposed ovules in each : seeds several, subreniform curved, testa hard, embryo cylindrical,curved.
3. JOSSINIA. Flowers quaternary : ovary 2-celled, placentas centra], covered with numerous ovules : fruit 2 or 1 -celled, by abortion, seed several, testa soft, cotyledons foliaceous (within a sparing albumen?)
4. MONOXORA. Flowers quaternary: ovary 1-celled, with two parietal placentas : ovules numerous : fruit drupaceous containing several nuts (4 in two that I examined ) nuts 3, or, by abortion, 1-celled, with a cylindrical curved embryo in each cell.
5. PIMINTA. Flowers quaternary or quinary : ovary 2-celled ; ovules 1 or several in each cell, pendulous from a projecting placenta: seed 1 or several in each cell, subreniform, testa thin, soft : embryo cylindrical, spirally involute, cotyledons couferruminate enclosed in a soft gelatinous albumen.
[This genus includes Eugenea pimento, a and B D.C. the latter Myrcia acris, and perhaps M. pimentoides of the same author. The very unusual position of the ovules, added to the peculiar seed, curved cylindrical embryo and gelatinous albumen — like some of the con-volvuli — leave no doubt as to this genus being equally distinct from Myrlus, Myrcia and Eugenia, with all of which its species have been confounded.]
6. Eugenia. Flowers quaternary rarely quinary or with numerous petals : ovary 2-celled, placentas axillary ; ovules numerous : fruit subdrupacious 2 or 1-celled, by abortion, with one or two seed : seed usually globose ; cotyledons thick and fleshy, variously lobed or conferruminate, radicle small between the cotyledons.
SUB-GENERA OF EUGENIA.
1. EURUGENIA. Limb of the calyx, 4-parted down to the ovary. Pedicels axillary one-flowered.
2. JAMBOSA. Calyx tube turbinate, rarely cylindrical : limb produced considerably beyond the ovary, cup-shaped, margin 4-cleft. Cymes lateral or terminal ; flowers usually large ; fruit often edible.
3. CARYOPHYLUS. Calyx tube cylindrical, limb deeply 4-cleft. Cymes terminal somewhat corymbose ; flowers highly aromatic ; fruit subdrupacious, succulent one or two seeded.
4. ACMENA. Calyx tube long clavate ; limb much produced beyond the ovary ; margin truncated, entire, or repandly 4 or 5-lobed. Flowers numerous, inflorescence various, racemose or corynibosEly panicled ; petals 4-5, or numerous (10-12) either free or cohering, calyptriform ; fruit small, subdrupacious.
5. SYZYGIUM. Calyx tube short, contracted, pedicel-like ; limb dilated, cup-shaped, much produced beyond the ovary, margin truncated, entire or repandly lobed. Cymes corymbose ; flowers small, petals cohering or free ; fruit subdrupacious usually one-seeded,sometimes edible.
NELITRIS Gœrt, DC.
Of this genus I have only seen one species N. paniculata Lind. in which I find the ovary 8-celled with a single ascending reniform ovule in each. Lindley describes the ovary of his N. paniculata as 4-eelled, hence the doubt expressed as to my plant being the same, though from the same country, Malacca, and its general agreement with his specific character. My plant has a 4-lobed calyx and 4 petaled corolla, both copiously furnished with pellucid dots. So far as I can judge from the ovary only, for the fruit on my specimens are far too young to enable me to form any opinion either of its structure or that of the seed, there seems so much affinity between this genus and Pomaceœ as almost to render it doubtful whether it belongs to Myrtaceœ.
MYRTUS. Lin. — Gœrt.
M. communis a cultivated plant, and M. tomentosus are the only true species of this genus I have seen and they differ so widely in some points, from each other, that they seem scarcely referable to the same genus.
JOSSINIA. Comm. DC.
Of this genus I have one species, found on the Shevagherry hills near Courtallum. It has so much the habit of a Eugenia that I at first ranked it with that genus ; a more careful examination of the seed, even though still immature, has shown that it must be excluded.
J. indica leaves short petioled, obovate spathulate, glabrous on both sides, peduncles axillary, solitary, or congested, sometimes, from abortion of leaves, corymbose on the ends of the branches, one flowered: tube of the calyx globose, clothed with short whitish tomentum, limb 4-lobed, lobes persistent: ovary and fruit 2-celled, seed several in each, testa polished soft ; cotyledons foliacious.
None of the fruit I examined were mature but several were sufficiently advanced to admit of the above points being readily made out, showing clearly that it is neither referable to Myrtus nor Eugenia, the only genera in this country with which I can compare it.
MONOXORA. R. W.
The type of this genus is Blume's Myrtus speciabilis the one-celled ovary (whence the name) with 2. parietal placentas and several celled nuts, clearly distinguish it from that and all other genera of the order, I accordingly separate it as a distinct genus.
PLMINTA. Lind*
This genus is founded on Myrtus pimenta Lin. Eugenia Pimenta D.C. and Eugenia acris W. and A. Prod, the E. Pimenta var B, ocalifolia D.C. and Myrcia acris and Pimentoides D.C.
- This genus was first established by Lindley in Loudon's Encyclopædia of Plants with the following character. Cal. 6. fid. Petals 5, Ovary 2-celled. Ovules solitary appense. Style straight. Stigma somewhat capitate.
