é 
452 DECANDRIA PENTAGYNIA. Spondias. 
Trunk straight, in our gardens from one to two feet in 
diameter, Bark smooth, ash-coloured, astringent. 
Branches nearly horizontal. Leaves alternate about the 
extremities of the branches, pinnate with an odd one, 
from twelve to twenty inches long. Leaflets about five 
pair, opposite, oval, pointed, entire, smooth, veined ; 
from three to six inches long, and two or two anda 
half broad. Petioles round, smooth. Stipules none. 
Panicles terminal, very large, diffuse, and thin. Flowers 
very numerous, small, white, mostly barren, though no 
male flower (apparently so) is to be found. Calyx be- 
low, small, five-toothed. Petals five, oblong, spreading. 
Nectary a large fleshy notched ring surrounding the germ. 
Filaments ten, awled, alternately shorter,incurved, scarce- 
ly half the length of the petals. Anthers small, Germ 
ovate, five-celled, with one ovula in each, attached to the 
top of the axis, Styles five, short, erect, distant, Stigmas 
simple. Drupe oval, fleshy smooth, the size of a pullet’s 
egg, when ripe, yellow. Nut oblong, woody, very hard, 
outwardly fibrous, five-celled, but seldom more than one, 
two or three of them produce seed. Seed lanceolate. 
Embryo inverse, without perisperm. 
The wood of this tree is soft, and of little or no use. 
From wounds made in the bark, about the beginning of 
the hot season, very large quantities of a transparent — 
juice issues, which soon hardens into a mild insipid cad 
exactly like gum-arabic, 
The fruit is eaten raw when ripe, and before ripe at 
Pickled, = in Curries, made into tarts, &c. &c. 
2. S. dulcis. Willd. 2. 752. 
Leaves from six to seven pair, oblong, swiicieoe ter 
nicles terminal. Nut round, armed. 
S. cytheria. “Lamark. Encycl. 4. 245. Gert. sem. pa 108 : 
t. 103. Sonnerat. 2. 222. ¢. 123. ; 
A native of the Society Islands, and now common ia © 
