2l6 



s 



all the leafets are of an elliptical fliape, entire, veined, fmooth, pointed, 



feffile, on the upper pagina of a deep green colour, on the under 



/ 



paler : the common footftalk is articulated and winged, or edged, on 

 each fide with a leafy membrane, which gradually expands towards 

 the bafe of the pinnae : the flowers are all hermaphrodite, of a bright 

 red colour, and terminate the branches in long fpikes : the brakes 

 or floral leaves are lance- fhaped or linear, coloured, and placed alter- 

 nately upon the peduncles : the calyx is fmall, perfiftent, and five- 

 toothed : the corolla confifts of five lance-fhaped equal petals, at the 

 bafe of which is placed the nedary, or five roundilh, coloured, fcales: 

 the filaments are ten, flender, fomewhat longer than the corolla, and 

 crowned with fimple anthersc, placed tranfverfely : the receptacle is 

 flefhy and orbicular : the germen is ovate, divided into five parts, and 

 fupports a flender flyle, longer than the filaments, and terminated by 

 a tapering' ftigma: the capfiiles are five, two-celled, and contain 

 globular feeds. It is a native of South America, particularly of 

 Surinam, and alfo of fome of the Weil-India iflands. 



The botanical charader of this fpecies of Quaffia was known long 

 before that of the Simaruba, as it is noticed in its proper place in the 

 Sp. Plantarum, upon the^ authority of Dahlberg, when it was thought 

 peculiar to Surinam ; afterwards, Linnasus, in his Materia Medica, 

 referred it to the Nux americana, foliis alatis bifidis of Co?nmeIiri.\\ 

 It appears, however,* that the figure given in the Amoenitates Acade- 

 micse,^ is not a faithful reprefentation of this fpecies ; hence the 



younger Linnxus has obferved, " Figura floris in Diifertatione Pa 



de Qualfia vera eft, fed ramulus cum foliis ad aliam pertinet 



a 



) 



id confequently thofe copied from it, and fmce publifhed by B 

 and others, are with refpect to the leaves erroneous ;* this will be 



dent, upon confultlng the plate and defcription of the QualTi 



given by Patris, as well as the Icon here annexed, which was drawn 

 from a fpecimen in the poiTeflion of that able naturalift Dr. J. £-• 

 Smith, Prefident of the Linnsan Society.*" 



li Hort. I. p. 423. t. 94. * See Vol. v'l. p. 416. ** SuppL Plant, p. ^3^;.^ , 

 * On this account, we have not referred to the figure of the Quaffia, lately publiihed 



by Dr. Lettfom in the Mem. of the Med. Society. • ' 



The ample and valuable colledion of fpecimens In Natural Hiftory made by Li"' 

 I13SUS, and to which moil of his cotemporary naturalifts were contributors, are no^v m 

 the pofleffion of this Gentleman, who has obligingly ofrered us any affiftance it, iTia/ 



afford us in the profecution of this worki - ■ , 



? 



