144 BANCROFT ON THF. HOG-GUM TREE OF JAMAICA. 



along the middle of their inner surface, which is inserted into 

 a corresponding groove on the back of the filaments just 

 mentioned, the edges of the anthers being free ; and besides 

 this, the anthers have another peculiarity of structure which 

 I have not observed in other plants, nor found described by 

 authors. They are didymous, and, when young, each part ap- 

 pears to be grooved longitudinally, and to consist of two linear 

 lobes, that are likewise grooved along the middle, and pointed 

 at each end ; but when the anther is fully developed, the point 

 and the groove disappear from the upper end, and the two 

 sides become there united into a rounded apex, so as to re- 

 semble a flexible cylinder, bent in the middle, with the halves 

 reflected perpendicularly downwards and coherent, but re- 

 taining their pointed extremities at base. In other respects 

 the anthers are linear, parallel, nearly equal, smooth, shin- 

 ing, yellow, the lobes dehiscing along the middle groove. 

 Pollen ovoid, yellow. 



The ovary is superior, pedicelled, egg-shaped, smooth, 

 shining, and on careful dissection, was found to be five-cel- 

 led, each cell containing two kidney-shaped ovules, attached 

 about the middle of a central columnar placenta. Pedicel of 

 the ovary short, thick, and studded, with five flattened green- 

 ish glands. Style short, thick, subconlcal, crimson, perma- 

 nent, dividing above into five oblong, flesliy, radiate, subsig- 

 moid stigmas, acute at the tip and rose-coloured, the points 

 of which issue from between the stamineous fasciculi, a little 

 above the anthers; stigmas also permanent. 



Disk, or nectary, somewhat fleshy, short, cup-like, smooth, 

 persistent, encircling as a ring the base of the stamineous tube, 

 five-angled at base, obsoletely five-toothed at the border, 

 green, yielding a simply sweet juice, permanent. 



Fruit, a subcoriacent succulent indehiscent pericarp, about 

 the size of a small pigeon's egg, egg-shaped, slightly com- 

 pressed, gibbous on one side, subscabrous, of a green colour 

 tinged on the gibbous side with reddish brown, crowned with 

 the prominent style and stigmas, and, by abortion, one-celled, 

 one-seeded ; the pulp about the eighth of an inch in thick- 



