small, ellipsoid, testa reticulate-rugose.-DISTRIB. About 7 species, all from the Malay Archipelago and Peninsula.

Leaves markedly serrate, very unequal-sided

Leaves entire or only slightly dentate, nearly or quite equalsided:

Stem short, flower spikes from upper axils, calyx and corolla usually 5-lobed

Stem elongate, flower spikes from lower axils, calyx and corolla usually 4-lobed

..

1. P. begoniafolium.

2. P. Scortechinii..

3. P. Ridleyi.

1. PENTAPHRAGMA BEGONIE FOLIUM, Wall. Cat. 1313. A shortstemmed fleshy herb, with flexuose rooting stems and few branches covered with crispate ferruginous woolly hairs. Leaves alternate, ovate, the base obliquely excised on one side, cordate on the other, shortly acuminate at apex, 6 to 10 in. long, 4 to 5 in. broad, coarsely serrate, sparsely crispate-villous; midrib thick, near the excised side, main-nerves 1 on the excised side, 4-5 on the other, the nerves again branching outwards; petiole 3 to 1 in. long, crispate-villous as are the nerves beneath. Inflorescence a short, 1 to 4 in. long, scorpioid, shortly peduncled spike, with 2-ranked flowers between ovate membranous bracts 25 in. long, axillary in the uppermost leaves; flowers dull yellow supported by an oblong or spathulate villous bracteole 2 in. long, 1 in. broad. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, ovoid, crispate villous; lobes 5 obtuse, rounded, recurved, shorter than the tube, crispate villous without, glabrous within. Corolla white, campanulate, 5-lobed, the lobes spreading and recurved, marcescent, oblong obtuse glabrous. Stamens 5, free, 1 to 125 in. long; anthers oblong, filaments dilated at base. Ovary turbinate, 3-celled; ovules many, on axile placentas; style short, stigma cylindrically peltate, obscurely 3-lobed. Fruit a berry, dehiscence not known; seeds very many, testa prominently reticulate. DC. Prod. VII. 495; Hook. f. and Th. in Journ. Linn. Soc. II. 26; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. II. 568; Kurz in Journ. As. Soc. Beng. XLVI. ii. 210; Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Br. Ind. III. 437; Baillon Hist. des Plantes, VIII. 323, t. 152-154; Schönl. in Engl. and Pr. Nat. Pfiz.-Fam. IV. 5, 60, fig. 37. Phyteuma begonifolium, Roxb. Hort. Beng. 85, Fl. Ind. I. 505; Jack in Hook. Bot. Misc. I. 276, t. 57.

PENANG: Wallich 1313; Maingay 2266 (K.D. 712); Stoliczka ; Deschamps; Hullett 200; Kunstler 1598. PERAK: Scortechini 336 (part); Wray 3668. SINGAPORE: Lobb.-DISTRIB. Mergui, Griffith. A plant of the undergrowth in dense shady forests. Ridley (Trans. Linn. Soc. III.) (1893, 315) says that it "grows on rocks along the Tahan River, and also far in the woods, in rocky valleys, common."

2. PENTAPHRAGMA SCORTECHINII, n. sp., King & Gamble. A

short-stemmed fleshy herb, creeping and rooting below, afterwards erect; branches flexuose, more or less crispately pilose. Leaves alternate, ovate or oblong-ovate, blunt or very shortly acuminate at apex, usually cuneately narrowed below and partly decurrent, sometimes slightly excised on one side; 4 to 10 in. long, 2 to 6 in. broad, entire or faintly dentate, margin often recurved, fleshy, glabrous or slightly rough above, crispately pilose and pale beneath; midrib very thick, sometimes slightly to one side, main-nerves about 4 pair, arched upwards and again branched; petiole thick, 2 to 3 in. long, crispately pilose. Inflorescence a short, 1 to 2 in. long, scorpioid, very shortly peduncled spike, with 2-ranked flowers between ovate obtuse bracts, axillary either singly or in pairs from the axils of upper leaves, or lateral below them; flowers white with a yellow centre, bracteole wanting. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, ovoid, villous without; lobes 5, ovate obtuse, unequal in size, 15 to 2 in. long, 3-nerved. Corolla campanulate, tube short; lobes 5 spreading and recurved, marcescent, glabrous. Stamens free, 05 to 1 long, recurved; anthers linear; filaments narrowly winged. Ovary turbinate, 3-celled; ovules many immersed in fleshy axile placentas; style short, stigma conical, obscurely lobed. Fruit a berry, apparently indehiscent; seeds very many, ellipsoid, papillose-reticulate.

PERAK Scortechini 336; Wray 352, 389; King's Collector 958, PAHANG Ridley. Dense forest undergrowth in the hills at 2,000-4,000 feet, in moist places.

VAR. parvifolia, King & Gamble, a smaller more erect plant, scarcely more than 6 in. high; much less villous, the leaves smaller, oblong, obtuse or slightly acute, 4 in. long and 2 in. broad; the inflorescence shorter and the flowers smaller.

PAHANG, at Salian River: Ridley. SINGAPORE, at Bukit Timah: Ridley.

VAR. flocculosa, King & Gamble, leaves ovate rotundate, thick, younger ones densely clothed beneath with crispate villous felt, margins recurved; the main-nerves rarely more than two pairs, all starting from close to the base. Inflorescence short, much curved, usually supported by a pair of rounded reduced leaves. Corolla-lobes prominently recurved. Anthers oblong, cells often divaricate.

PERAK: Scortechini. JOHORE, at Goonong Pulai, 1,800 feet: G. King.

This species is a very variable one, and some forms almost run into P. begoniafolium. Owing to the calyx and corolla being persistent and more or less marcescent, they vary much in size in different flowers on the same plant, and it is difficult to find characters for the varieties, one or both of which may eventually prove to be separate species.

A fleshy

3. PENTAPHRAGMA RIDLEYI, n. sp., King & Gamble. herbaceous plant, 10 to 12 in. in height; stem 25 in. thick, smooth, at first creeping afterwards erect. Leaves ovate, equal-sided, bluntly acute at apex, cuneate at base, 6 to 8 in. long, 3.5 to 4.5 in. broad, glabrous on both surfaces, entire or only very minutely dentate on the margin; midrib broad, main-nerves 4-5 pairs nearly straight, slanting upwards; petiole 1 in. long. Inflorescence a short, 1 to 1.5 in. long, nearly sessile spike, with 2-ranked flowers between ovate-spathulate usually 3-nerved glabrous pale bracts; each flower with a 15 in. long, linear-spathulate, 1-nerved bracteole, ciliate at tip; flowers small, 2 to 25 in. long, Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary; lobes 4-5, equal or unequal in size, usually 1 in. long, 3-nerved, the nerves arching. Corolla-tube short, lobes 4-5, linear-oblong, emarginate, recurved, glabrous without, minutely pubescent within, white spotted at base with purple, nerves 3. Stamens adnate at base to the corolla-tube, 05 to 07 in. long, anthers club-shaped, filaments dilated below. Ovary turbinate, 3-celled; ovules many on axile placentas; stigma rounded, 3-5-lobed, on a very short conical style. Fruit a berry, conical at top, apparently indehiscent; seeds rather few and large; testa beautifully reticulate.

SINGAPORE: Ridley 103.-In damp ravines at Bukit Timah (Herb. Kew).

4. SPHENOCLEA, Gaertn.

An annual erect glabrous herb, of marshy places. Leaves alternate, lanceolate, entire. Flowers in dense cylindric terminal or leaf-opposed peduncled spikes; very small, sessile, each with one bract and two bracteoles. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, turbinate or hemispherical; lobes 5, sub-foliaceous. Corolla campanulate, 5-lobed, valvate. Stamens 5, inserted on the base of the corolla; filaments shortly dilated; anthers short, free. Ovary semi-inferior, 2-celled; placentas axile, bearing many ovules; style short, stigma obscurely 2-lobed. Capsule semiinferior, depresso-globose, circumsciss at the margin of the calyx-tube, the crown and calyx-lobes deciduous. Seeds very numerous, minute, oblong. A single species.

SPHENOCLEA ZEYLANICA, Gaertn. Fruct. I. 113, t. 24, fig. 5. An erect annual herb, 1 to 2 feet high. Leaves alternate, lanceolate, narrowed at both ends, 2 to 3 in. long, 25 to 1 in. broad, entire, sessile or shortly petioled, smooth, midrib and main-nerves faint. Flowers in dense, cylindric, terminal or leaf-opposed, peduncled spikes; peduncles 5 to 1 in. long; spikes 5 to 1.5 in., bract and bracteoles very small. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, turbinate or hemispherical, lobes 5, ovate, '05 to 06 in. long, somewhat enlarged in fruit and inflexed over

the disk. Corolla campanulate, 5-lobed, 07 to 1 in. long, greenishwhite, lobes short, rounded. Stamens 5, inserted at the base of the corolla-tube; filaments short dilated; anthers 2-celled, rounded, about as long as filaments. Ovary semi-inferior, 2-celled; placentas axile, stalked, bearing many ovules; style short, stigma obscurely 2-lobed. Capsule depressed-globose, circumsciss at the margin of the calyx-tube, the crown and calyx-lobes deciduous. Seeds very numerous, oblong, minute, scabrous; testa reticulate with rectangular cells. Wall. Cat. 1516; Roxb. Fl. Ind. I. 507, Fl. Ind. ed. Carey and Wall. II. 116; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. II. 569; Kurz in Journ. As. Soc. Beng. XLVI. ii. 209; Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Br. Ind. III. 438; Trimen Fl. Ceyl. III. 519; Baillon Hist. des Plantes, VIII. 327, t. 158-161; Cooke Bomb. Flora, II. 75; Prain Beng. Plants I. 635; Schönl. in Engl. and Pr. Pflz-Fam. IV. 5, 61, fig. 38. S. Pongatium, A. DC. Prod. VII. 548; Wight Ill. t. 138. Pongatium indicum, Lamk. Ill. II. 444; Encyc. Meth. Bot. V. 564. Gaertnera Pangati, Retz Obs. VI. 24. Rapinia herbacea, Lour. Fl. Cochinch. (ed. Willd.) I. 157. Sphenoclea, Griff. Notul. IV. 276. 'Pongati," Rheede Hort. Mal. XI. 47, t. 24.

MALACCA: Griffith.-DISTRIB. Swampy places and wet fields, and along river banks in tropical regions of both hemispheres.

Order LXV. VACCINIACEÆ.

Shrubs or small trees, often epiphytic, with stems swollen at the base. Leaves alternate or in pseudo-whorls, entire dentate or serrate, evergreen, ex-stipulate. Flowers in terminal or axillary racemes, or solitary and axillary, hermaphrodite, usually regular; pedicels 1-bracteate and also often with 2 bracteoles, often articulate beneath the ovary. Calyx campanulate or cupular, the tube adherent to the ovary, its limb persistent on the fruit, usually 5-toothed. Corolla tubular (sometimes inflated), campanulate or globose, 5-toothed or 5-lobed, usually imbricate, deciduous. Stamens 10, epigynous, inserted at the base of the corolla-tube; anthers opening by apical pores, or often produced into 2 tubes, opening by slits, filaments flattened, free or connate by their bases. Ovary inferior, crowned by an epigynous disk, 5-celled or falsely 10-celled; style cylindric; stigma simple; ovules many (rarely few), the placentas axile or pendulous from the upper inner angle of each cell. Fruit baccate, rarely dry, 5- or falsely 10-celled. Seeds numerous or few (rarely only 1) in each cell, small, compressed, albuminous. Species about 350, natives chiefly of cold and temperate regions throughout the world.

Corolla long and tubular or campanulate, with long segments :

Shrubs, often epiphytic, the stems often much swollen near the base. Leaves usually coriaceous, alternate, sometimes in pseudowhorls, from linear to elliptic, entire or toothed, sessile or with short petioles, often glandular near the base. Flowers axillary, solitary, corymbose or in fascicles; the pedicel often thickened or articulate under the ovary, bracts small. Calyx globose, the limb with 5 persistent teeth or lobes. Corolla tubular or campanulate, the limb with short or long lobes, red, but often with transverse marks or with greenish-white lobes. Stamens 10, usually with short filaments; anthers oblong, each with 2 long apical processes, opening by pores or slits, often spurred behind. Disk pulvinate, often lobed. Ovary 5-celled or falsely 10-celled; style cylindric; stigma capitate; ovules numerous. Berry globose, nearly dry or succulent, 5- or 10-celled, sometimes opening by pores round the disk within the calyx-teeth. Seeds numerous, ellipsoid, testa lax.-DISTRIB. 30 species, mostly Himalayan, a few Malayan.

AGAPETES GRIFFITHII, Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Br. Ind. III. 449. An epiphytic shrub, 3 to 15 feet long, with a tuberous stem; young branches half as thick as a goose-quill, terete, glabrous. Leaves thinly coriaceous, oblong-lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, always caudateacuminate, the base rounded, both surfaces pale olivaceous-brown when dry, glabrous, minutely reticulate; main-nerves 5 or 6 pairs, curved, ascending, faint on both surfaces; length 3.5 to 6 in.; breadth 1 in. to 2.65 in.; petiole 15 in. long or under. Flowers 3 to 4 in. long, axillary, always on slender pedicels four or five times as long as themselves, with 1 or 2 narrow bracteoles near the base, glabrous, axillary, solitary, in pairs or in lax racemes. Calyx 1 to 2 in. long (enlarging in fruit), campanulate, with 5 deep spreading triangular lobes. Corolla 25 in. long, tubular-campanulate, the mouth with 5 triangular sub-erect acute lobes. Anthers inserted at the base of the corolla-tube, linear, with 2 long apical beaks dehiscing longitudinally, and 2 posteriorlyprojecting curved spurs; filaments shorter than the anthers, hairy. Fruit globular, glabrous, crowned by the small inflexed calyx-lobes. Seeds about 20, compressed, tubercled, black.

MALACCA: Griffith. PERAK: at elevations of 2,800 to 4,000 feet, Wray 1071; King's Collector 3831, 6363, 8051; Ridley 5532; Scortechini.