BANCROFT ON THE HOG-GUM TREE OF JAMAICA. 141 



deceived those who asked for information, by pointing out to 

 them some otiier than the real tree. 



Here I beg leave to add, that the Hog-Gum tree appears 

 to be likewise identical with the Indian 3Iawna tree, men- 

 tioned at page 74 of my ft\ther's Essay on the Natural History 

 of Guiana^ published in 1769, as growing to the height of 

 fifty feet, producing " numerous pentapetalous flowers, suc- 

 ceeded by nuts resembling nutmegs, and yielding on incision 

 a yellowish gum ;" and it is very likely that the Mawna is the 

 same with the tree and gum called 3Iani in Spanish America. 

 I now proceed to describe the plant : — 



The Hog-Gum tree is chiefly found in dense woods on the 

 main, and the secondary ridges of the eastern parts of this 

 island, at an elevation of from five hundred to five thousand 

 feet above the level of the sea, where it grows in abundance, 

 and presents an appearance both elegant and majestic. It 

 is very branchy and leafy ; the stem however is rather slen- 

 der;* but, besides its tap root, it receives great support from 

 the disposition of its lateral roots, which are numerous and 

 thick, and issuing from the trunk at the distance of from one 

 to six feet above the ground, bent downwards like arched 

 props to spread themselves somewhat horizontally in the 

 soil, a mode of rooting which is frequent in the nearly allied 

 tribe of the Clusiece. 



The bark is of a rusty-brown colour, passing occasionally 

 into a yellowish or into a greyish hue, moderately rough, 

 from three to six lines in thickness, of a pale-fawn colour in- 

 side, and generally much covered with lichens. The wood, 

 when first cut into, is whitish, but afterwards of a light-brown 

 colour, rather soft, with fibres longitudinally parallel ; it is 

 used for shingles for inside work, and as fire-wood, but it 

 does not endure exposui'e to the weather. 



Branches opposite, more rarely alternate, spreading, some- 



* Some of the trees were cut down and measured by Mr Higson. 

 The stem of one, 49 feet in length, measured 2^ feet in circumference. 

 That of another, 35 do. do. 3 do. do. 



And that of a third, 85 do. do. 6 do. do. 



