ALABASTRA PHILIPPINENSIA, IIL 339 
"Andando un corto trecho divisamos una segunda colina, en el niisnio lado del 
estero que la anterior y de menor elevaci6n, que Hainan Tapucan; en ella nos 
llani6 la atencion un arbol de liermosa y ancha copa, llamado hauno; que es suma- 
mente venenoso: de 61 afinua el P. Obach que en cierta ocasiOn bubieron dos 
muchachos del pueblo a dicho jlrbol para recoger su fruta, que e3 comestible, 
y uno de ellos por liaberse liecho un rasguno insignificante en el brazo al trepar 
por el, quedo tan enyenenado al solo contacto de la lierida cou la eorteza, que 
murio al poco tiempo; el otro llego ii estar de gravedad y al fin con gran 
trabajo salio con bien del apuro. 
Dicen los conocedores del pats: que es cosa ya probada, que al cobijarse uuo 
debajo de su sombra al Hover 6 en tiempo humedo, le produce hincliazone^i; 
y si la cae H uuo agua impregnada del jugo de sus hojas causa ampollas 6 
hiuchazonesf las cuales dan fiebres y dolores agudos; y por poco que se deacuiden 
en tomar su contraveneno de asta de venado carbouizada, popita de San Tgnacio 
etc. mueren irremiaiblemente. Arbol verdaderamente traidor, ya porque sus 
frutas son regaladas y comestibles, ya tanibion porque lo sombrfo y espeso de su 
copa convida a descansar debajo de el: pero jay! del que incautameiite alU 
reposa, atin por breve tiempo, pues paga muy cara la sombra y el descanso, 
ya que no le cueste la vida 6 graves dolores." " 
A drawing of tbe fruits represents tlieni as nearly oval^and narrowed near 
the base, about 16 cm long, 10 cm wide; they are said to liave a bluish tinge, with 
white mesocarp, and an oblanceolate seed 9 to 10 cm long. 
Local name: bauno. 
ONCOCARPUS A. Gray. 
The collections upon wliicli this genus was based, were made in the 
Fiji Islands by the Wilkes Exploring Expedition. Pistillate flowers 
were obtained, but lost, and their description was taken from a sketch, 
drawn from memory.^^ The genus was retained by Bentham and Hooker, 
but reduced to synonymy under Semecarpus by Engler.^' Examination 
of the pistillate flowers of certain Philippine collections, which had been 
identified provisionally as Semecarpus, showed a structure in the ovary 
and styles very distinct from that of that genus, resembling rather 
that of Melanochyla. It was at first supposed that a new genus was 
represented, but there is now little reason to doubt that these collections 
Bhould be placed in Oncocarpus, The fact is undeniable that the nature 
of the styles is not as drawn by the members of the Wilkes Expedition; 
while it is on this point as evidenced by Philippine collections that the 
present claim for the validity of Gray's genus is largely based. Fruit 
of Philippine collections has been compared at the Gray herbarium with 
the type of Oncocarpus vifiensis by Professor M. L. Fernald, who found 
that there was every external appearance of similarity. It has not been 
possible to obtain pistillate flowers of the species of Fiji, but I am 
indebted to Mr. E. G. Baker, of the British Museum of Natural History, 
for the privilege of examining one of its fruits, collected by Seemann. 
"Cartas de lo. Misioneros de la Compafiia de Jesds en Filipinas 10 (1805) 
47C>, 447. . , *c 
"Bot. U. S. Expl- Exped. (1854) 364-360, pi 43. 
"DC. Monogr. Phan. 4 (1883) 473, 483. 
