568 

 MALPIGHIA coccifera. 



Kermes- Oak' leaved Barhadoes-Cherrv 



Germen simplex. Fructus mooocarpus. 

 MALPIGHIA. Suprd vol 2- foL 96. 



DECANDRIA TRIQYNIA. 



M. cocci/era, foliis subovatis dentato-spinosis* £t». tp, pL ed. % 1. flU, 

 Malptghia coccifera. Cavan. diss. 8. 408. t, 235, ^ff. 2, Jacq. ic. rar. 3. /, 



470. coiL 2. 311- Willd, sn, pL 2. 737. HarL JTcio, ed. 2. 3. 106. 

 Malpighia humilis, ilicis cocciglandifene foliis. Plum. gen. 46. ic. 168.^^. 2. 



Frutex diffusus, ramosimmusy sempervirens^ 4-pedalis ramis tereWnu^ 

 asperis, juniaribus eiiamJiiBcis. Folm opposita, subavata, brevwdmi petu}- 

 latut glabrUf keii virentiat niiida^parva^ obtusa v, retusa, deniato- qnnata, 

 rigidula, raro ijiermia integerrima Suxoque tunc nmUlima. PeduDCuIt in 

 ramulis brevibus terminaleSf turn etiam aliiaxUlareSt hngit^ine pUks minui 

 foHorum, solitarii vel gemelli, phrumgne uniflori^ rarius bifidi et bifiari, 

 geniculati, qd genic^Uum brevissimi bracteati, infrd hoc virescentesj suprd 

 idem purpurascentes, Flores iTwdari. Calyx punctatus, viresceM. Petala 

 rosea, Anthene inteee. Calycis pentaphyUi etparvi foliola sunt hnceolataf 

 acuta^ concava et erectiuscula ; gnornm duo pr<mma darso dw}S glajidnlas ob- 

 langas singula gerunt; korum latus daudentia duo unicam; his intermedium 

 glanduld caret. Petala imjequalia ex bmgo graciHqve ungue in subrt^undam 

 et crispam laminam latescunt quorum duo magis approximata locantur adca- 

 tgcis joliolum eglandulosum. Styli 3 incurvati. Bacca magnifudkie 

 majoris tristdcata, rubra. Semina rugosa. Jacq. coll, 1. c. 



Introduced before 1733, by Dr- Houstoun, from the 

 West Indies ; but the time of flowering being left in blank 

 in the Hortus Kewensis, it has probably never flowered at 

 Kew. 



The drawing was taken this summer, from a plant in the 

 hothouse at the nursery of Messre. Colvili in the King's 

 Road, Chelsea. 



Jacquin describes the species as a straggling numerously 

 branched evergreen about 4 feet in height, with round rough 

 branches which are brown instead of green even in the 

 young wood. Leaves opposite nearly ovate, very shortly 

 petioled, smooth, bright-green, shining, obtuse, or retuse, 

 dentately spinous, rather stiff; seldom spineless and quite 

 entire, but when so, very like those of the Box-tree, Pedwi- 

 cules terminating the short branchlets, sometimes axillary, 



