348 Mr. J. Miers on the Canellacese. 



seeds, which are black, shining, 24 lines long. If hne in dia- 

 meter, and are somewhat reniform on the ventral face. 



There appears to be still another kind of Canella, but whether 

 a mere variety, or a distinct species, remains to be ascertained. 

 It is mentioned by G. Don (Diet. i. 680) under the name of 

 C. laurifolia, as forming a tree 15 feet high, and growing in the 

 West Indies. Plants of it were raised from seed at Hackney by 

 Loddiges in 1817 (Lodd. Cat.). It has terminal flowers, as in 

 Canella alba ; but its leaves are narrower, more lanceolate, con- 

 siderably longer, and of a much paler green colour. The plant 

 cultivated at Kew under the name of C. alba quite corresponds 

 with that described by Don; its leaves are 3|-4J inches long, 

 1-1^ inch broad, upon a much stouter petiole 4 lines in length ; 

 they are tapering at both ends. 



2. Canella obtusifolia, n. sp. ; — ramulis teretibus, rugosis, cor- 

 tice aromatico tectis ; foliis obovatis, apice rotundis, e medio 

 versus petioluni cuneatis, integerrimis, supra nitidis, subtus 

 pallidis, crassiusculis tenuiter anastomosanti-nervosis, pellu- 

 cido-punctatis, margine revoluto, petiolo sub-brevi, tenui, 

 semitereti, superne piano : corymbo paucifloro terminali, folio 

 multo breviori ; bacca minori, ovata, stylo apiculata et calyce 

 suffulta. — Maracaibo. — v. s. in hb. Mus. Paris (Plee, 720)*. 



The specimen upon which the above species is founded has 

 no flowers ; but there can be no doubt that it is really a Canella, 

 because of its terminal flowers, while in the two species of Cin- 

 namodendron the flowers are constantly axillary. The berry and 

 seeds are also quite those of Canella, and differ in shape, size, 

 and appearance from those of the genus just mentioned. The 

 leaves are 2 to 2J inches long, including a petiole of 3 lines, and 

 are 12-14 lines broad. The inflorescence is very much smaller 

 than in the preceding species, where it forms a broad spreading 

 panicle, partly terminal, and partly axillary at the two ultimate 

 leaves, rather more than an inch long, and 2 inches broad : 

 this panicle is ternarily branched in three or four subdivisions ; 

 the first or main peduncle is 4 to 6 lines long ; the secondary 

 pedicels are 3 lines, and the tertiary pedicels, each supporting a 

 flower, are 4 lines in length. On the other hand, in C. obtusi- 

 folia, the raceme is quite terminal, simple, few-flowered, and 

 only 4 lines in length, the main peduncle being 2 lines, and 

 each pedicel \\ line long, the berry being less in size than 

 that in the preceding species ; it is 4 lines in length and 3 lines 

 in diameter : the one I examined contained only two seeds, lying 



* This species, with analysis of its fruit and seed, will be shown in the 

 * Contributions to Botany,' plate 23 b. 



