CLUSIACE.3S OR GUTTIFER^. 



Bhoodist religion, in which the sacred colour is the yellow produced by 

 the Gamboge tree. 



The idea that this valuable substance was produced by Stalagmitis 

 Cambogioides, Garcinia Cambogia, and Xanthochymus pictorius, has 

 been refuted by Drs. Graham and Christison, the latter of whom 

 found the gambogioid exudations from the two last trees to be different 

 from the real drug in texture, effects, colour, and chemical constitution. 

 See Companion to the Botanical Magazine, vol. ii. pp. 193. and 233. 



226. H. pictorium ? Graham 1. c. p. 199. col. 1. — Garcinia 

 pictoria Roxb. fl. ind. ii. 627. — Highest parts of Wynaad in 

 India. 



Tree tall, say 60 feet high, of a conical shape, and very full of 

 branches. Bark pretty thick, scabrous and ramous on the outside, of 

 a dark ferruginous colour, intermixed with many yellow specks, and 

 through its substance, particularly on the inside, considerable masses of 

 gamboge are found. Young shoots somewhat angular, smooth, polished, 

 of a deep green. Leaves opposite, short-petioled, oblong-ventricose, 

 rather acute, entire, smooth on both sides, and of a firm texture, from 3 

 to 4 inches long by 1| or 2 broad. Hermaphrodite flowers axillary, 

 over the axils of the former year, solitary, sessile, of a middling size, 

 and yellow colour. Bracts some very short, obscure scales, round the 

 insertion of the flowers. Calyx of two unequal pairs of concave, 

 obtuse leaflets, permanent. Petals 4, oval, longer than the calyx. 

 Filaments united into 4 bodies, which are again united at the base into 

 a narrow ring, round the bottom of the young ovary ; above each body is 

 divided into from 2 to 6 single, unequal, short filaments. Anthers from 

 10 to 15, oblong, 2-lobed, and seemingly fertile. Ovary superior, round, 

 4-celled, with 1 ovule in each attached to the axis, a little above its 

 middle. Style 0. Stigma 4-lobed, permanent. Berry size of a large 

 cherry, oval, smooth, very slightly marked with 4 lobes, crowned with 

 the sessile, 4-lobed, verrucose, permanent stigma. Rind leathery, 

 pretty thick, and rather spongy, 1 -celled. Seeds 4 when all ripen, 

 oblong-reniform. Male flowers : calyx and corolla as in the female. 

 Filaments numerous, inserted on the crown of a square fleshy receptacle, 

 in the centre of the flower, clavate, angular. Anthers peltate. Roxb. — 

 Roxburgh says he received frequent samples of the Gamboge of this tree 

 from a correspondent at Tellicherry, and uniformly found it even in its 

 crude unrefined state, superior in colour, while recent, to any other kind 

 he had tried, but not so permanent as that from China. Dr. Christison 

 was unable to procure this for examination. 



STALAGMITIS. 



Flowers polygamous or bisexual. Sepals 4-5, persistent, 

 without bracteoles. Petals 5, alternate with the sepals. Sta- 

 mens (in both male and female flowers) 4-5-adelphous ; bundles 

 flat, elongated and divided at the apex into several short anther- 

 iferous portions, opposite to the petals, alternating with 5 large 

 truncated glands : anthers 2-celled, bursting longitudinally. Ova- 

 rium (only in the bisexual flowers) 3-5-celled, with 1 ovule in 

 each cell. Style scarcely any. Stigma 3-5-lobed. Fruit bac- 

 cate, 3-5-celled. Seeds 1 in each cell, or fewer by abortion. 

 Trees. W. and A. 



114 



