Description

[Report translated from French] Extract from the annual report on the work of the Natural History Society of Mauritius for the year 1831, compiled by Desjardins. Extract relates to botany. L.[Louis] Bouton reported on several errors made regarding the botany of Mauritius, principally those found in a chapter of Mr Lesson's work: Zoology of the Voyage of the Coquille. For example, when Lesson spoke of a species of Rhexia, he no doubt meant Nuxia. Errors that have crept into the Mauritius catalogue of plants, printed in 1822, have been reproduced in Lesson's chapter with hopeless fidelity. Bouton went on to read his observations on Achille Richard's MONOGRAPHIE DES ORCHIDÉES DES ÎLES DE FRANCE ET DE BOURBON. Bouton put forward his opinion, contrary to that of Richard, that the Mauritian flora was more similar to that of the African continent than the Indian archipelago. Nevertheless, there is no similarity with the Southern tip of Africa, but more with the part of Africa adjacent to Mauritius, particularly the coast of Zanzibar, which was explored by Mr Bojer. Dr Lyall talked about his observations on Euphorbia splendens and Poinciana regia, which grow in Madagascar and are now cultivated in the gardens of Mauritius. He informed the Society about a variety of E. splendens with a yellow flower that he had encoutered in Madagascar. Lyall also donated 400 species of Madagascan plants to the Society's Herbarium. Page 1 of 2.

Description

[Report translated from French] Extract from the annual report on the work of the Natural History Society of Mauritius for the year 1831, compiled by Desjardins. Extract relates to botany. L.[Louis] Bouton reported on several errors made regarding the botany of Mauritius, principally those found in a chapter of Mr Lesson's work: Zoology of the Voyage of the Coquille. For example, when Lesson spoke of a species of Rhexia, he no doubt meant Nuxia. Errors that have crept into the Mauritius catalogue of plants, printed in 1822, have been reproduced in Lesson's chapter with hopeless fidelity. Bouton went on to read his observations on Achille Richard's MONOGRAPHIE DES ORCHIDÉES DES ÎLES DE FRANCE ET DE BOURBON. Bouton put forward his opinion, contrary to that of Richard, that the Mauritian flora was more similar to that of the African continent than the Indian archipelago. Nevertheless, there is no similarity with the Southern tip of Africa, but more with the part of Africa adjacent to Mauritius, particularly the coast of Zanzibar, which was explored by Mr Bojer. Dr Lyall talked about his observations on Euphorbia splendens and Poinciana regia, which grow in Madagascar and are now cultivated in the gardens of Mauritius. He informed the Society about a variety of E. splendens with a yellow flower that he had encoutered in Madagascar. Lyall also donated 400 species of Madagascan plants to the Society's Herbarium. Page 1 of 2.