Angostura Bark Tree — Victoria r eg ia. 105 



author some few years since. In the Angostura bark tree, 

 (Galipea officinalis), the sterile stamens are broad, or dilated 

 and foliaceous ; they are crowned, each with a small pellucid 

 glandule, which is very perspicuous in the recent flowers. — 

 Dr. H. was not aware if the same obtains in Humboldt's, or 

 other species ; and he thought that, if not so, it might almost 

 afford a generic distinction : such small parts in the flower, 

 indeed, are often employed as generic characters, — nature, as 

 Linnaeus and others have remarked, — being more constant in 

 her minuter works. In Humboldt's plant, too, there axe Jive 

 stamens and five capitate stigmas ; but in this, Oratfuri, are 

 constantly seven stamens, and one single and simple stigma ; 

 if these be real facts, and they appeared fully proved, the au- 

 thor considered them amply sufficient for distinguishing the 

 two species. The native names, also, were suggested, as af- 

 fording presumptive evidence of the fact ; and besides, the 

 Bonplandia is a large tree, growing to the height of 60 or 80 

 feet ; — whereas, so low was the Orayuri, that the author ever 

 found it easy, standing on the ground, to reach its branches, 

 and thus procure abundant specimens. The probability is, 

 that the Baron Humboldt and Bonpland never saw the flow- 

 ers of the true Angostura bark tree ; and the time of the year 

 they visited Angostura, — for they did not visit Carony, — was 

 prior to the season of its flowering. M. Ravago, as he him- 

 self informed Dr. Hancock, sent an Indian, at Mr. H.'s re- 

 quest, for specimens of the tree ; he returned with them, but 

 without flowers, to the great regret of the travellers. They 

 afterwards met with a tree in Barcelona, (Bonp. trifoliata), 

 which they considered to be identical with it. 



The author thus concludes ; — " Had my printed statements 

 of 18*29 been unfounded, M. Humboldt, whose paramount ob- 

 jects are ever to elicit truth, would probably have corrected 

 them ; and more especially, since they have been noticed in 

 several French, German, and other European works. It 

 might farther be remarked, that in 18*28 or 9, complete speci- 

 mens were given to several of the most eminent botanists — 

 Messrs. Brown, Lambert, and Don ; and, ever zealous as they 

 are for the interests of truth and science, it may be presumed 

 that, had my published description not been found, in the 

 main points, correct, one or other of these gentlemen would, 

 ere this, have exposed its fallacy." 



The following Note by Dr. Lindley, upon the plant named 

 Victoria regia, was read at the last meeting of the Royal Ge- 

 ographical Society, Jan. 22nd. — I have great satisfaction in 

 stating to the Royal Geographical Society, that some speci- 

 mens of the flowers of this extraordinary plant, which have 



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