335 liORTUS- JAMAIC'E-'NrS'-I.SJ. H^'>. 



This plant i^ certainly. a different genus i'rom guUaiidina. as will" af^ear Tij'tl^e fol- 

 lowing characters giveixot it by Svvaiiz. It is the kyiHivanilicra morhtixa of VaW. 

 The calyx is tive-leaved, tijrce upper, two lower, ait eciiiat, bent buck, kiiucolatey 

 obtuse^ coloured, whiiisfi or pale red, puucsce:vt ; corolla fivt'-petaied, four of tiiem 

 jinterior, equal, bent dpu;n,. pale; one {)osterior, erect, a little larger, whiiigh, the 

 !)asc nectareous ; the filarnents are five {nine, but only fv/: fertiifejjloi^gcr, being the 

 jength of the larger petal and uprigiit; anthers corilate, in:mbenfe, jertile, yellow; 

 the live shorter onesbarrcii ; germ IcDLithencd out, thrao-cornered, aciuriiiiate, pu- 

 bescent ; style subiil.itc, short; stigma. acHUe ; legume iwo feet loug, streaked, ihrce- 

 valved, one-celled ;i. seeds fifteen or sixteen, distinct, placed , longittKliiiatlyv objon"', 

 three-cornered, wjUr three membranaceoiis.-.ungs. - 



Tlus tree is a naiLve of the East Inilies, ar.dwas introduced 'iiVlc?; this island in the 

 year. -1 784- by Mr,, East ; since which it has Ijcen- gcKierally cultivated n- account of its 

 beauty ^and quick growth, and Jias- thriven well iti almost every situation.- It has a tiiick 

 root of a soft substance, the j'cAingixirts.of which ^r scraped, and used in tlie manner 

 of horse-raddi^h, for whi<'h it is a)rtsidered a very good substitute, having n^uch the 

 same sharp taste, as have also. tlie seeds.. It grows abc>i>t twent\- feet high, and has an 

 ash-cploured bark,. ith numerous, rather ereci, bfarrches. The leaves are irregu- 

 larly triplicate, pinnate, with an..cu;kllcaf ; th& leaflets small and oval, standing on slen- 

 der purplish pedi^cels:,. waving beautifully. in the wind. The flowers grow on the wings 

 of tiie stalks, iiv long, asillarv, round, pHbeseent,, sr^.>-di glided, nian^'-flovverefl ra- 

 cemes, of a white cx>iour, tinged lioluly with yellow at the byse ; the sub-divisions 

 branched, directed one way, bent dowft; iia-viiig under them minute decuiuous scales. 

 Being of fjuick growtli, this jiretty little tree is frequently planted in Jamaica tor fences 

 and along garden walks, andis generally known by the name of vwringa. The wood 

 dyes a blue cok.ur, and slieep are said to be fond of the seeds ; from whicli- a fine oil 

 lUav be extracted, in the manner it is from oil nuts. 



f)'cC NlCKAIiS. 



HORSE-TAIL. , EQUISETUM. 



Cl.-24, or. \.Ciyptogamiufilices. N.at. OR. Fillccs. 

 Gfx. CH.\R. Fructifications disposed into a long ovate-olilong spike ; each orbicn- 

 lute, gaping at the base, with several valves, connected by a flat shield. sliaped 

 top. Brow ue notices two species, which hefound in Jamaica. 



1. GICANTEUJf." Gi:VNT. 



A3surge)ur,yijus,r<imisverticiUatissimpUcihi(s. Biowne, p. I OS. 



Stems streaked, arborescentj fronds simple, strict, .spike-bearing. 



Browne calls this. the Vdr^ex horse-tail, with simple branches, and says he observed 

 this and the follywing species in the parish of St .Mary, where they shoot very luxu- 

 riously. The dryed phlnts of both are used by cabinet makers to, polish their work, the 

 surface of every ]iart of thcrr being like a line file, and furnished with short delicate 

 denticles, that rub olf tlie smaller protuberances of tUe wood by degrees, and leave the 

 Siiiface smooth and shinij.ig^.. 



2..SYLVATICUJ^, 



