Miscellaneous botanical Notes VII

In a posthumous paper of Gagnepain a new monotypic genus Tardiella annamensis Gagn. has been described, assigned to the Canellaceae (Not. Syst. 15: 32—33. 1954). The author remarks that for a long time Canellaceae were restricted to the New World, but that later one genus, Cinnamosma, from Madagascar was described by Baillon. Warburgia occurs further in tropical East Africa. The characters of the new genus seemed rather aberrant in Canellaceae which possess 3 sepals instead of 5 in Tardiella, in the fascicled flowers. Phytographically the occurrence of a Canellacea in Tonkin would he most remarkable. The translucent dots and lines in the leaves led me to suspect identity with Casearia with which the description fits very well indeed.