ILICINEZE. I. Myginda. 



15 



cells adnate to the sides of the filament. Disk wanting. Ovary which are usually trifid or trichotomous, and small flowers, 



which are for the most part white. 



* Leaves downy beneath 



fleshy, thick, subtruncate, 2-6-celled ; cells small, 1-2-ovulate. 



Ova hanging from the tops of the cells, by a podosperm, which 



is cup-shaped at the top, and girding the ovum at the base. 



Raphe exterior. Stigma nearly sessile, lobed. Fruit baccate oblong, blunt, quite entire, pubescent beneath, as well as the 

 (f. 3. c), containing 2-6 woody or fibrous nuts. Seed sus- branchlets ; fruit solitary, almost sessile, terminated by the fdi- 



M 



pended, nearly sessile. Endosperm large, fleshy. Embryo ^^\^, ^^Ij) 



Native of St. Domingo, where the Spaniards 



small, situated near the hilum, 2-lobed, with a superior radicle. 

 This order is composed of shrubs or trees, having alternate or 

 opposite, usually coriaceous, glabrous, entire or prickly-toothed, 

 feather-nerved leaves. Flowers axillary, soHtary, or in fascicles. 

 Peduncles simple, but sometimes disposed in dichotomous 

 cymes. The order differs from Cclastrinece in the corolla being 



call it Mala-muger. Tlex microphylla, Spreng. in herb. Balb. 



M 



Myginda. Shrub. 



monopetalous, with the stamens inserted in it, and in the absence corymbs twice trifid. ^2 



crenate, pubescent beneath ; peduncles nearly simple, few-flow- 

 ered. ^2 . S. Native of the Antilles. 



/?o;/«rfec?-leaved Myginda. Shrub, 



3 M. URAGOGA (Jacq. amer. t. 16. pict. t. 22.) leaves ovate 

 or cordate, almost sessile, acuminated, serrated, pubescent ; 



Native of South America, near 



of the disk. It differs from Rhamnece in these last particulars, Carthagena, and in the island of St. Martin, near the sea- 



as well as in the calyx being valvate in aestivation. — The 



Each division of the corymb bearing 3 flowers. Flowers 



famous Paraguay-tea is the leaves of a species of /7ea:, and the ^^ 'cP ^- ^\ ^ l?^-'^^Tr^ j il ^ ^j^^ \.^n^^^\ ^ ^^J\* 



^ "^ ^ The Snaniards call it lerva de Maravedi. At Carthacrena the 



Prmos verticillatus possesses such active and astringent bitter 

 tonic and febrifugal qualities, that it is used in North America 

 with success as a substitute for Peruvian bark. 



Synopsis of the Genera. 



1 Mvgi'nda. Calyx small, 4-cleft. Corolla deeply 4-cleft. 



Stamens 4, inserted in the base of the corolla. Style short, 



crowned by 4 stigmas. Drupe 1-celled, 1-seeded, probably 

 from abortion. 



2 Lepionurus. Flowers monoecious. Calyx small, entire. 

 Corolla 4-parted. Stamens 4, opposite the segments of the 

 corolla, and inserted in its throat. Drupe baccate, containing a 

 1-seeded nut. Stigmas 4, sessile. 



3 Tlex. Calyx 4-5-toothed. Corolla 4-5-cleft. Stamens 



At Carthagena the 

 inhabitants use a decoction or infusion of the root as a powerful 

 diuretic ; the leaves have the same quality, but in a much 

 smaller degree. Houtt. fl. syst. 3. p. 142. t. 19. Lam. ill. t. 76. 

 Rhacoma crossopetalum, Lin. and crossopctalum, P. Browne, 



jam, t. 17. f. 1. 



Clt.1790. Shrub 3 to 6 ft. 



Myginda 



« « 



Leaves smooth on both surfaces. 



4 M. ilicifolia (Lam. diet. 4. p. 396.) leaves ovate- 

 roundish, spiny-toothed, smooth, pale beneath ; peduncles axil- 

 lary, forked ; fruit pointed by the permanent style. T2 . S. 

 Native of St. Domingo. Flowers white. 



Var. /3, acutifolia (D. C. prod. 2. p. 13.) leaves ovate, acumi- 

 nated, spiny-toothed, smooth. T2 • S* Native of St. Domingo. 

 Holly-leaved Myginda. Shrub 4 feet. 



5 M. MYRsiNOiDEs (H. B. ct Kuiith. nov. gen. amer. 7. p. 68. 

 4-5, inserted in the tube of the corolla. Stigmas 4-5, almost ses- ^^ (520.) leaves somewhat distich, elliptical, acute, rounded at tlie 



sile, sometimes distinct, sometimes connected. Drupe containing base, serrulated, smooth, on short stalks ; peduncles 1 -flowered, 

 4-5 1-seeded nuts. 2-3 times longer than the leaves ; flowers pcntandrous. ^ . S. 



4 PRfNos. Calyx 6-toothed. Corolla 6-cleft. Stamens 6, Native of Peru, in hot places, near Contumasa. The ovary in 



this and the precedmg species is 2-celleu, each cell containing 

 3 seeds. It is therefore probable that these two species may 



inserted in the tube of the corolla. Drupe containing 6 1- 



seeded nuts. 



5 Strombosia. Calyx small, obsoletely-crenulated. Corolla My 



form a distinct genus. 



Shrub 2 reet. 



M 



5-cleft, with a villous throat, with 5 stamens inserted in the „ . 



bottom of it; these are opposite the divisions. Drupe baccate, serrated, smooth with re volute edges ; peduncles very short, 



1 i-i/*' , . oil 11 1 ' usually solitary, 1 -flowered; style short, club-shaped, 4-lobed at 



1-seeded from abortion. Style short, crowned by an obtuse i ' . ^ jj^ j^^^i^.^ ^f ^^^.^1^ America, on the western 



stigma. 



6 Leuco'xylon. 



Flowers polygamous. Calyx 4-parted. 



the apex. ^2 . H. Native of North America, on the western 



riex myrsinites, Pursh. fl. sept. amer. 1. p. 119. 

 Flowers small, white. Drupe containing only one seed at ma- 



coast. 



Corolla 4-parted. Stamens 12-14, adhering to the base of the turity, dark-purple, about the size of a pea. Leaves perma- 



rornllQ Fi*..,^^ ^ ^ • ' i n i 11 f^ Dcnt, serrate in front, and entire behind. 



corolla. Drupe containing 1-2 l-seeded nuts. Myrtle4eaved Myginda. Fl. May, Aug. Clt. 1818. Sh. 4 ft. 



I. MYCrNDA (in honour of Francis vonMygind, a German 7 M. pa'llens (Smith in Rees' cycl. no. 4.) leaves elliptical, 



botanist). Jacq, amer. p. 24. D. C. prod. 2. p. 12. — Rhacoma, very obtuse, crenate, smooth, almost sessile ; peduncles bifur- 

 I^in. gen. no. 114. — Crossopetalum, P. Browne, jam. 145, 



-Lin. sYST. Tetrandria^ Alonogynia. Calyx small, 4-cleft. 



cate, with a flower in the fork ; style 4-lobed at the apex. 

 Tj . S. Native of Antigua. Flowers white ? with waved petals. 



Corolla deeply 4-cleft, sub-rotate. Stamens 4, alternating with Leaves yellowish-green. 



the segments of the corolla, and shorter than them, and inserted Pw/e-leaved Myginda. Shrub 4 feet. 



in its throat. . Ovary roundish. Style short or wanting. Stigmas 

 4, therefore sometimes at the top of the style, and sometimes 

 sessile. Drupe ovate, 1 -celled, 1-seeded, probably from abor- 

 tion. Seed hanging from the top of the cell, albuminous. — 

 Caribbean or South American shrubs, with tetragonal branches, 

 opposite, subcoriaceous, laurel-like leaves, axillary pedicels. 



M 



late-ovate, bluntish, crenated, on short stalks, smooth ; peduncles 

 dichotomous, cymosely-umbellate ; style short, fiUform, 4-lobcd 

 at the apex. ^ . S. Native of St. Domingo and Jamaica, in 

 the sand by the sea-side, and many other parts of South Ame- 



rica m 



•p^tal 



