THE VELLOSIAN SOCIETY OF RIO JANEIRO. 269 
plies this valuable and most extensively imported article, which the re- 
searches of Guillemin had been supposed to have fixed. 
The name of Jacaranda appears to have been first taken up botani- 
cally by Jussieu, in his ‘Genera Plantarum,’ who established under that 
name a genus of Bignoniacee, founded on one of the two plants men- 
tioned under the same name by Marcgrav and Piso, and since then it 
has been generally supposed that this Bignoniaceous tree supplied our 
rosewood. 
The species however described and figured by Marcgray and Piso, is 
their Jacaranda ligno albo, and, like others of the same Bignoniaceous 
genus, has a soft white wood. The Jacaranda ligno nigro of the same 
authors, from Bahia, or palo santo (from whence probably the French 
palissandre), is not otherwise described. 
` G. Don, in his * General Dictionary,’ gives the Physocalymma of Pohl 
as our rosewood, but that mistake arises from a mis-translation of the 
German name. The Rosenholz of the Germans, or bois de rose of the 
French (so called from its colour, not from its scent), is our £ulip-wood, 
very little used by our cabinet-makers, but of which many beautiful 
specimens were amongst the French furniture at the Great Exhibition. 
In Lindley's * Vegetable Kingdom" allusion is made to a Mimosea, 
as furnishing our rosewood, but upon what authority is not stated. 
The late Dr. Guillemin, during his mission to Brazil connected with 
the project of introducing the culture of tea in Algeria, took consider- 
able pains to ascertain the origin of the several woods imported into 
France, and brought home specimens of two Dalbergia (Trioptoleme) 
as being without doubt the Brazilian Jacaranda, or French Palissandre. 
We must however consider the disadvantages under which a casual 
traveller, however ingenious, must labour in inquiries of this sort, com- 
pared to a resident, possessing the eminent qualifications shown by Dr. 
Allem&o, who has made the timber-trees of his country the special sub- 
ject of his researches. Rejecting therefore all previous theories, we - | 
must no longer entertain any doubt that the Jacaranda of commerce is _ 
one of the six Macheria enumerated by him under that name. Three - 
of these, M. firmum (Jacaranda rozo, or purple), M. incorruptibile and 
M. legale (both called Jacaranda preto, or black), are known to us both 
by Velloso's figures and by specimens ; the three others are named only, 
not described, by Dr. Allemáo. Tt is to be hoped that he will continue — j 
his researches, and make us better acquainted with the numerous vege- 
table products we import so largely from his country. 
