120 SURIANA FAMILY 



wild lime of the genus Zanthoxylum (Fagara), and the 

 torchwood, Amyi*is, trees and shrubs of the coastal region 

 which contain a bitter aromatic oil. 



Young trees of the southern prickly ash, Z. clava-H ercu- 

 lis, are copiously armed with stout spines. Older trees 

 gradually lose their spines, but retain peculiar corky pro- 

 tuberences on the trunks. The leaves are of 7-13 glossy, 

 pointed leaflets, one to two inches long, which are dotted 

 with minute pellucid spots and, with the exception of the 

 terminal leaflet, are unsymmetrical in shape. The minute 

 greenish flowers, of five sepals, five petals, and five stamens, 

 are in terminal panicles. The names pepper tree and 

 sting-tongue refer to the flavor of the bark, which is 

 sometimes dried and chewed as a remedy. Toothache-tree 

 and Hercules' club are other common names. The small 

 oblong capsules contain one or two seeds. 



The wild lime, Z. Fagara, has 5-13 broad leathery leaf- 

 lets, less than an inch long, which are rounded or notched 

 at the apex. The branches are zigzag, and are armed with 

 recurved spines. The very small flowers are borne in 

 axillary clusters. The sepals, petals, and stamens are four 

 each, but stamens and pistils are in separate flowers. The 

 bark and leaves have been used medicinally, and also as a 

 flavoring. 



The torchwood, Amyris elemifera, is a small evergreen 

 tree, with leaves of one or three shining leaflets, one to 

 three inches long, which have many pellucid dots. The 

 minute whitish flowers are in panicles, and have four 

 sepals, four petals, and eight stamens. The globular black 

 fruit, barely one-fourth of an inch in diameter, is very 

 aromatic. 



SUEIANA FAMILY {Surianaceae) 



Suriana maritima. Bay-cedar. Shrub 3-10 ft. tall, much 

 branched. Leaves alternate, entire, crowded at ends of 



