Simaruba 



SIMARUBACE.E 



199 



Hope; Harris ! Fl. Jain. 5931, 8664, 9358, 9551 Bahamas, Hispaniola, 

 Central America. Florida. 



Tree 20-30(-50) ft. high. Leaflets 9-19, oblong-elliptical or oblong, 

 puberulous beneath or glabrous, 4-10 cm. 1., apex rounded, sometimes 

 subemarginate or obtusely apiculate, base wedge-shaped ; veins distinct 

 beneath, lateral parallel connected reticulately. Panicles ample, its 

 short branchlets with few flowers; pedicels short, 1-3 '5 mm. 1. Calyx 

 1*3 mm. 1., lobes semiorbicular, minutely ciliolate. Petals greenish-yellow, 

 oblong-elliptical, 5-6 mm. 1., apex acute or shortly acuminate. Stamens, 

 scales villose ; anthers linear-oblong, 1' 3-1 '8mm. 1. Drupes ellipsoidal, 

 dark purple, about I 1 5 cm. 1. 



The wood is light and soft, and is of little value. 



A, Portion of leaf, nat. size. 



B, Portion of male inflorescence x - 

 (.', Female flower, diagram. 



Fig. 64. Simaruba jlauca DC. 



D, Stamen, enlarged. 



E, Female flower cut lengthwise X 4. 



F, Drupe with seed cut lengthwise, nat. 



size. 

 (A, B, C, E after Sargent.) 



S. amara Anbl. (Quassia Simaruba Linn. f. Suppl. 234) occurs in some 

 of the West Indian Islands, but is wrongly stated by Linnaeus fil. to be a 

 native of Jamaica. The drupe of this species is about the same size as 

 that of S. glauca, and more regular in form, not so compressed and acute 

 on the ventral side. 



Quassia amara Linn. jil. is noted by Planchon (Hook. Loud. Journ. Bot. 

 v. 562) as sent from Jamaica by Distin, but it is an introduced plant from 

 tropical S. America. It is readily recognised by the large crimson corolla 

 (3 cm. 1.), and the winged petiole. 



