Dr. Arnott on the Genus Torreya. 129 



reddish colour, like that of Juniperus virginianus : it is of a 

 strong and peculiar odour, especially when bruised or burned, 

 hence it is frequently called, in the country where it grows, 

 i stinking cedar f it makes excellent rails, and is not liable 

 to the attack of insects. A blood-red turpentine, of a pasty 

 consistence, flows sparingly from the bark ; it is soluble in 

 alcohol, forming a deep clear solution ; when heated it evolves 

 a very powerful terebinthaceous, but unpleasant odour. The 

 foliage is much like that of Taxus canadensis and Podocarpus 

 taxifolius, only the leaves are larger. The ripe fruit, or rather 

 seed, is as large as a nutmeg, with beautifully ruminated al- 

 bumen, the inflexions of the brown investing membrane pene- 

 trating through the white albumen about half-way to the axis ; 

 a structure which alone will separate it from Taxus, nor in- 

 deed has it (so far as I know) been observed in any other of 

 the family. There is no fleshy cup, but the external coat of 

 the seed itself is fleshy or rather leathery, and covers the whole, 

 leaving a minute perforation at the summit. The seed, de- 

 prived of its succulent external covering, strongly resembles 

 the gland of a large acorn, as well as the fruit of Taxus nuci- 

 fera, Kaempf., (figured in Richard's Mem. on the Conifer ce> 

 tab. 2.) which is larger than any other species of the genus. 

 Indeed I once suspected that this plant (a native of Japan) 

 might prove to be a congener ; but, on consulting the figure 

 and description in the work just referred to, I am now con- 

 vinced that it is very distinct : the albumen is not ruminated, 

 and the testa, or exocarp, is comparatively thin. Richard, 

 who only notices the seeds of this species, says that they were 

 without the fleshy involucre or cupule, neither is there any 

 mention made of it by Kaempfer, who first described the plant. 

 The fleshy covering may have fallen from the specimen, or 

 Kaempfer may have overlooked it, for in T. baccata and T. 

 canadensis it is at first very short, and concealed by the invo- 

 lucral scales. I have a specimen with good male flowers, one 

 of those distributed by Dr. Wallich, and for which I am in- 

 debted to Dr. Lindley ; but these agree in every respect with 

 the male flowers of the common species of Taxus. 



u There is another point of structure in the seed of the 

 Florida plant, to which I have not found anything analogous 



Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol, 1,— No. 2. April 1838. k 



