Gnarea MELIACEJE 215 



DC. Prodr. i. 624 (1824); llacf. Jam. I. 172; Griseb. FL Br. 

 W. Lid. 131. G. Vahliana A. Juss. in Mem. Mm. Hist. Nat. 282 

 (1830-1). Lauro affinis arbor foliis latioribus ifcc. Sloane Cat. 

 137, & Hist. ii. 24, t. 170, f. 1. Eleutheria arborea &c. Browne 

 Hist. Jam. 369. (Fig. 71.) 



Musk Wood, Alligator Wood, Wild Akee. 



Fls. Aug.-Nov. ; Wright \ " Common in Port Koyal Mts. ; near Catherine's 

 Peak; St. Thomas in the East"; Macfadyenl Priori Latimer, near 

 Cinchona, J.P. 1216, Hart ! Chester Vale Eoad ; near Woodcutter's Gap, 

 3800 ft. ; Schwallenburg, 2000 ft. ; Grandvale, Westmoreland, 500 ft. ; 

 Mabess River ; Tyre, near Troy, 2000 ft. ; Dolphin Head ; Tom's Cave 

 Wood, Clarendon, 2500 ft. ; Peckham Woods, Clarendon, 2500 ft. ; Harris ! 

 south end, John Crow (Blake) Mts. Harris & Britton \ Fl. Jam. 5384, 6071, 

 6288, 7039, 7040, 7065, 7700, 9484, 10,284, 10,754, 10,853, 10,960, 11,025.- 

 St. Cruz, Montserrat, Guadeloupe. 



Tree 15-40 ft. high. Leaves, petiole and rachis 3-22 cm. 1. Leaflets in 

 2-5 pairs, opposite (sometimes alternate), elliptical or lanceolate-elliptical, 

 apex often shortly acuminate, glabrous but more or less puberulous on 

 nerves beneath, bearded in axils of nerves beneath, 4-20 cm. 1. Inflorescence 

 racemose, lax-flowered, with occasional very short 2-5- flowered branches, 

 2-25 cm. 1. ; pedicels 2-4 mm. 1. Floioers white, fragrant. Calyx minutely 

 and sparsely puberulous or glabrescent, 1-3 mm. 1., subentire or 4-lobed, 

 teeth 4, minute, distant. Petals 4 or 5, more or less minutely puberulous, 

 especially towards the apex, valvate, free or adhering near base, 6-7 mm. 1., 

 oblong, apex subobtuse. Staminal tube glabrous. Ovary glabrous, sessile 

 on the short disk. Style glabrous, about as long as the ovary. Capsule 

 globular, about 2 cm. in diam., 2-4-celled with 1 seed in each cell. Seed 

 1'5 cm. 1. ; aril scarlet. 



All parts of this tree, especially the bark, have a strong smell of musk. 

 The powdered bark is said to be a good emetic. The wood is red, soft, and 

 splits easily. 



[MELIA L. 



Trees or shrubs. Leaves simply pinnate or 2-3 -pinnate, with 

 an odd leaflet, 2-pinnate in M. Azederach. Panicles axillary, 

 with numerous flowers. Calyx 5-6-cleft, imbricate in bud. 

 Petals 5-6, linear-spathulate, convolute, spreading. Staminal 

 tube long, slender, cut at the apex into numerous linear strips. 

 Anthers 10, sessile within the tube at apex. Disk ring-like. 

 Ovary 5-6-celled ; ovules 2, superposed, in each cell ; style long, 

 slender ; stigma capitate, 5-6-lobed. Fruit a somewhat fleshy 

 drupe ; stone 1-5-celled, with 1 seed in each cell. Seeds 

 pendulous, with foliaceous cotyledons ; endosperm scanty or 

 wanting. 



Species about 12, natives of tropical Asia and Australia, one 

 species (J/. Azederacli) widely subspontaiieous or cultivated 

 throughout the tropics. 



M. Azederaeh L. Sp. PL 384 (1753); C. DC. in FL B,-^. xi" 

 j't. 1, 167, /. 50 & DC. NOIUKI. Plum. i. i:>l ; Dcscourt. FL Ant. i' 

 210, /. 26; But. May. t. 1066 ; Cook <( Coll. in Contrib. U.S. N<it- 



