874 



LECYTHIDE^. I. Lecythis. II. Eschweilera. III. Bertholletia. IV. Couroupita. 



white, edged with rose-colour, nearly equal. Fruit 4 inches in 



diameter. Racemes nodding. Seeds eatable, and preferable to 

 our almonds. 



Zabucajo Cannon-ball-tree. Tree 50 to 60 feet. 



) 



guian 



t. 286. and t. 285. 



racemes axillary and terminal ; pedicels rather shorter than the 

 flowers ; petals acutish ; fruit ovoid, 4-celled. ^ . S. Native 

 of Guiana, in woods. Fruit the size and form of an egg. 

 Flowers small, yellow. Seeds bitter, but eaten by monkeys. 



Bitter-seeded Cannon-ball-tree. Clt. 1825. Tree 10 to 12 ft. 



18 L. PAKviFLORA (Aubl. guian. 2. p. 717. t. 287.) leaves 

 petiolate, oblong, acuminated, quite entire ; racemes panicled, 

 terminal ; pedicels rather shorter than the flowers ; petals acut- 

 ish ; fruit rather ovate, and somewhat 2-celled. h • S. Na- 



Corolla and stamens as in Lecythis. Style 



mens. 



Seeds 



equin. 1. p. 122. t. 36. Poit. mem. mus. 13. p. 148. t. 4. 

 D. C. prod. 3. p. 293. 



Lin. syst. Monadelphia, Polydndria. Limb of calyx bi- 

 partite, deciduous. -^ - 



curved, bent to the side opposite the bundle of stamens. 

 Stigma capitate. Ovarium 4-5-celled ; cells 4-seeded. 

 placed by pairs. Capsule large, roundish, valveless, woody, 

 fleshy inside, opening by a lid. Seeds 16-20, fixed to the 

 base of the central column, erect, triangular, convex on the 

 outside, bony, wrinkled. Embryo fleshy, undivided in conse- 

 quence of the cotyledons being conferruminated. — A tall tree, 

 having the young branches leafy at the apex. Leaves alternate, 

 oblong, quite entire, rather coriaceous. Flowers cream-co- 

 loured. Stamens white. 



1 B. exce'lsa (Humb. et 



Native of 



tive of Guiana, on the banks of rivers. Flowers small, sulphur- Bonpl. 1. c.) ^2 __ 



coloured. Nucleus of seeds bitter. Fruit tender, not woody, South America, spontaneous in 



2-seeded. woods on the banks of the Ori- 



Small'Jlowered Cannon-ball-tree. Clt. 1825. Shrub 4 to 6 ft. noco, and now cultivated in Bra- 



FIG. 128. 



19 L. ovALiFoLiA (D. C. 1. c.) Icavcs petiolate, oval, obtuse at zil, Guiana, &c. H. B. etKunth, 

 the base, acute at the apex, or rather acuminated, quite entire ; nov. gen. amer. 7. p. 260. Rich. 



anal. fr. p. 74. and Tonka. Rich, 

 ibid. p. 84. The triangular seeds 

 known by the name of Brazil- 

 nuts in our shops are the produce 

 of this tree. The tree is said to 

 be originally from the province of 

 Para in Brazil, and iiS said also to 

 form forests on the borders of the 

 ) Orinoco. The almonds or nuts 



racemes sub-panicled ; pedicels shorter than the flowers ; se- 

 pals and petals very blunt. Tj . S. Native of Brazil. Leaves 

 rather membranous, lateral nerves distant. Petioles 3-4 lines 

 long. Flowers the size of those of L. Idatimon. Fruit un- 

 known. 



Oval-leaved Cannon-ball-tree. Tree. 



'f A species not sufficiently known • 



20 L. MULTiFLORA (Smith in Rees* cycl. vol. 20. 

 leaves unknown ; racemes terminal, panicled ; petals obtuse ; have been known to the Portu- 



calycine lobes tomentose, f? 

 apparently yellow. 

 Many-Jli 



Native of Guiana. Flowers guese for a very long time, and are now known in all parts of 



Europe ; in France under the name of Chastaignes du Bresil ; in 

 Spain under that of Almendron ; in Portugal under Castanas de 

 Maranon : in England under the name of Para-nuts or Brazil- 



Tree. 



Cult. All the species of Lecythis require a strong heat. 

 A mixture of loam and sand is the best soil for them. Ripened nuts. The natives of the country call them Juvia, the Brazilians 

 cuttings will root if planted in sand with a hand-glass over them, Capucaya. The Portuguese at Para carry them to Cayenne and 



in a strong heat. 



M 



The cap- 



sule or fruit is as large as a large cannon-ball, containing many 

 IL ESCHWEILKRA (evidently named after some person triangular nuts, laid over each other in a regular manner. An 

 of the name of Eschweiler). Mart. rass. ex D. C. prod. 3. oil is prepared from them, as well as from the seeds of several 



p. 293. 



Lin. syst. Monadelphia^ Polydndria. All as in Lecythis^ 

 but differs in the limb of the calyx being bent back upon the 

 tube, and more or less adnata to it. Perhaps only a section of 

 Lecythis. 



1 E. parvifl5ra (Mart. mss. ex D. C. 1. c.) leaves ovate, 

 gradually acuminated, coriaceous, quite entire ; lateral nerves 

 hardly distinct, never elevated. T2 • S. Native of Brazil. Zabu- 

 cajo, Pison, bras. p. 66. with a figure. Panicle terminal. Pe- 

 dicels very short. The fruit agrees with that of Lecythis 

 corrugatUy but is much more turbinate at the base, and the 

 limb of the calyx is 6-lobed and folded back upon the tube. 



Small'Jlowered Eschweilera. Tree 40 feet. 



2 E. GRANDiFLoRA (Mart. herb, ex D. C. I.e.) leaves ob- 

 long-lanceolate, obtuse at the base, acuminated at the apex, 

 Btiffish, with quite entire margins ; lateral nerves distinct, ele- 

 vated beneath. ^ . S. Native of Brazil, in the province of 



species 01 Lecythis^ which is in great request m iJrazil. 

 Tall Bertholletia or Brazil-nut. Tree 100 to 150 feet. 

 Cult. For culture and propagation see Lecythis. 



IV. COUROUPPTA {Couroupitoutoumou is the Caribbean 

 name of the tree). Aubl. guian. 2. p. 708. Poit. mem. mus. 13. 

 p. 152. D. C. prod. 3. p. 293. — Pontopiddana, Scop. — Elsholt- 



zia, Rich, but not of Willd. — Lecythis species, Willd. — Pekea 

 species, Juss. 



Lin. syst. Monadelphia^ Polydndria. Calyx and corolla 

 of Lecythis. Staminiferous ligula furnished with anthers, both 

 at the base and apex. Ovarium turbinate, 6-celled. Parietal 

 dissepiments reflexed towards the axis, and stretched even to the 

 column; funicles concrete among themselves, and therefore 

 bearing many ovula. Style wanting. Stigma stellately hex- 

 agonal. Capsule crustaceous, globose, girded by the calycine 

 circle, valveless, pulpy inside. Operculum not separable. The 



Para. Leaves almost like those of Lecythis Zalmcdjo^ Aubl. pulp before the fruit is ripe is fleshy, but after deliquescence it 

 t. 288. but they are less reticulated. Fruit globose, with a very vanishes, and at length the endocarp is separable from the epi- 



blunt lid. 



Great-Jlowered Eschweilera. Tree. 



Cult. For culture and propagation see LScythis. 



carp. Seeds imbedded in the pulp, numerous, ovate, covered 

 by a coriaceous villous membrane. Embryo roundish, com- 

 pressed, beaked. Cotyledons large, foliaceous, nerved, plicate, 

 corrugated, curved under the club-formed radicle. — Trees. 



III. BERTHOLLETIA (in honour of Louis Claude Ber- Leaves petiolate, oblong-cuneated, rather crenulated. ' Stipulas 

 thollet, the celebrated French chemist), Humb. et Bonpl. pi. small, caducous. Racemes simple, rising from the trunk and 



8 



