Journal of the Federated Malay States museums - Sabrizain.org

1915-] H. N. Ridley: Botany of Gnnong Tahan. 187
altogether towards the tip, 12 inches long, 5 inches wide, or in
younger plants smaller. Panicle terminal, 3 to 6 inches long,
sessile {i.e., there is no bare peduncle as in the other species)
branches immerous, 3 inches or less, with lax secondary
branches, 'elongating in fruit to half an inch long. Bracts at
base of primar}' branches leaf-like, lanceolate, broad. Bracteoles
small, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, papery. Flowers
white, on short pedicels, a quarter of an inch long. Sepals
oblong-obtuse, tip rounded, 3-nerved. Petals nearly as long
but wider, 5-nerved. Stamens shorter ; filaments linear, rather
thick, flat, half as long as the elongate linear obtuse anther
base of anther shortly bifid, yellow. Ovary small, ovoid.
Style cylindric, fairly stout, as long as the petals. Stigma
small, capitate. Berry oblong, half an inch long when dry.
Seeds 4 in each cell, ellipsoid, slightly flattened towards the
base, jj inch long, black, shining.
On rocks in the Teku River and its affluents, occasionally
on banks, altitude 5,600 to 6,000 feet.
I have also fruiting specimens from Mohammed Aniff, of
the Penang Gardens, from Gnnong Kerbau at 7,000 feet
altitude. Of flowers I have only seen one spray, and those
not opened. They differ from those of Dianella in the linear
filaments not swollen at the top and the elongate anthers.
The fruit, too, with its more numerous and small ellipsoid
polished seed is quite unlike that of Dianella. From Stypandra
it mainh' differs in its glabrous stamens and its baccate fruit.
The perianth dries over the fruit and is not twisted.
This distinct plant was referred to the genus Dianella by
Kunth under the name of D. javanica, and to D. ensifolia, Red.
by Baker. It occurs also in Java and Borneo; on Gunong
Kerbau, Perak, 4,500— 5,000 feet and on Koh Pennan off the
coast of Bandon, Siamese Malaya.
249. Smilax peguana, DC.
Unarmed; stem smooth, brown, wiry, ^ inch across.
Scales at" the base of the branches oblong, truncate, or
lanceolate. Leaves coriaceous, ovate with rounded base,
occasionally cuneate-acuminate or, more rarely, lanceolate,
occasionally narrow-oblong, 3 inches long by 2 inches wide or
less, above bright green (olivaceous when dry), beneath white,
drying glaucous; nerves 5, conspicuous on" both surfaces,
reticulations conspicuous; petiole half an inch long, with a
pair of short tendrils. Peduncles axillary, a quarter of an
inch long in flower, bearing an umbel of 5 or 6 flowers on
pedicels as long. Sepals rather coriaceous, ovate obtuse.
Petals much smaller, lanceolate, obtuse, narrow. Stamens
shorter, on very short filaments. Anthers broadly elliptic.
In fruit peduncles elongated, i inch long ; pedicels \ inch long.
Berry (nearly ripe) globose, green, J inch through.
Common in the woods in the Padang, but out of flower at
the time of our visit. I have not seen this before from the
Malay Peninsula, but have exactly the same plant from Matang
collected by Hullett and from Mt. Serapi collected by Haviland,
October, 1915. 9