BRAZIL NUT TREE EST CEYLON. 423 



by Young, who, from an examination of the fruits (pyxidia) 

 imported into the United States in the ordinary course of trade, 

 and of the opercula which are commonly found in samples of 

 Brazil nuts, concludes that Miers' view is the correct one. 



As the seeds of the supposed two species are, so far as is 

 known, indistinguishable, there is the possibility that the 

 Brazil nuts of commerce contain the seeds of both, though that 

 is to some extent negatived by the evidence of the imported 

 pyxidia, all of which, examined by Young, were of the B. 

 nobilis type. But the question is not completely decided 

 thereby ; and, under the circumstances, it has been thought 

 that the following notes on the trees in Ceylon, which were 

 sent as Bertholletia excelsa, and produce what are apparently 

 undoubted " Brazil nuts," might be of interest. 



The principal points of difference between B. excelsa and 



B. nobilis have been summarized by Young from Miers' 



descriptions as follows : — 



B. excelsa Humb. and Bonp. B. nobilis Miers. 



Tree 100 ft. or more high, with Tree somewhat taller than B, 

 trunk 2 • 5 to 3 ft. in diameter. excelsa, with trunk 14 ft. in 



diameter. 

 Leaves green, petioles 9-18 lines Leaves rufescent, petioles 3-6 



long. lines long. 



Floral panicle 8 in. long, with Floral panicle 10 in. long, with 

 single branch nearly equal in about five short brandies and 



length and nodes ^ in. apart. nodes • 25 to 0-5 in. apart. 



Fruit slightly elongated, 6 in. in Fruit approximately spherical, 

 length. usually under 5 in. in diameter. 



Cortex of fruit smooth, paUsh, Cortex of fruit comparatively 

 entire, persistent. thick and rough, darker, crack- 



ing as the fruit dries, and tending 

 to loosen and drop oii as the 

 fruit is handled. 

 Opercular opening with straight Opercular opening with sharp edge 

 or concave walls, narrowing and concave walls, and widening 



slightly at its inner edge. considerably inward. 



Operculum cylindrical, with roun- Operculum oval or radially com- 

 dish indented apex. pressed, conical and pointed at 



the apex. 

 Operculum breaks away and falls Operculum remains attached to 

 from the fruit as the columella remnantof columella, and as the 



shrivels. latter shrivels, falls into the 



cavity of the fruit. 



As regards the first of these points, our trees do not yet 

 afford any evidence. The ratio of height to diameter in excelsa, 

 according to Miers, is from 40 : 1 to 33-3 : 1, and in nobilis 

 about 8*6 : 1. The Ceylon trees exhibit ratios of 35-5 ; 1 



