MYRTACEjE 



appearance of the rest of the ovules, and of the second cell ; so that 

 the fruit which forms a rather large elliptical purple berry is only 

 1-seeded : this is of the same shape as the berry; its integument 

 thin, and of a soft texture. Embryo likewise elliptical, large, green- 

 ish, fleshy, dotted. Cotyledons unequal, sinuose ; the larger one 

 partly enveloping the smaller, including the superior radicle. Bot. 

 Mag. — Stimulant and carminative, similar in effects to Eugenia 

 Pimenta. The cloves of the shops are the dried flower-buds. Oil of 

 cloves is a common remedy for toothach. 



EUGENIA. 



Calyx-tube nearly globose : limb divided down to the ovary into 

 4 or rarely 5 segments. Petals 4 or rarely 5. Stamens numer- 

 ous, distinct. Ovary 2-celled ; the cells often divided by the 

 large placentas reaching almost to the sides, and there split into 

 2 divaricating segments bearing the ovules : ovules several in 

 each cell. Berry nearly globose, crowned by the segments of 

 the calyx, eventually 1 or rarely 2-celled. Seeds 1-2, large. 

 Cotyledons very thick and fleshy, partially or completely com- 

 bined into one mass with the radicle : radicle very short, scarcely 

 distinguishable. — Trees or shrubs. Leaves opposite, quite 

 entire, pellucid-dotted. Peduncles axillary or terminal, solitary, 

 or several together, simple and 1-flowered, or racemose-cymose, 

 or panicled. W. and A. 



155. E. acris W. and Am. prodr. i. 331. — Myrtus acris 

 Sivartzfl. bid. occ. ii. 909. — Myrcia acris DC. prodr. iii. 243. 

 Bot. mag. t. 3153. —West India Islands. (Wild Clove.) 



Arborescent, glabrous : young branches acutely 4-angled. Leaves 

 elliptic-oval, obtuse, more or less convex, coriaceous, very glabrous, 

 upper side reticulated with elevated veins, finely pellucid-dotted. Pe- 

 duncles compressed, axillary and terminal, trichotomous, corymbose, 

 rather longer than the leaves. Calyx-limb 5-partite ; segments round- 

 ish. Style filiform, acute. Berry globose, 1-4-seeded. W. and A.— 

 Supposed to have been confounded with E. Pimenta, in whose aromatic 

 qualities it altogether participates. 



156. E. Pimenta DC. prodr. iii. 285. — Myrtus Pimenta Linn. 

 sp.pl. 676. Swartz obs. 202. Bot. Mag. t. 1236. Woodv. 

 t. 26. S. and C. ii. t. 124. — West Indies. (Pimento or 



Allspice.) 



Branches round ; twigs compressed, the younger and the pedicels 

 downy. Leaves oblong or oval, with pellucid dots, somewhat opaque, 

 smooth. Panicles axillary and terminal, trichotomous. Some flowers 

 4-fid and subsessile in the forks of the panicle. Berry globose, 

 1-seeded, black, the size of a pea. Embryo roundish with the cotyledons 

 consolidated. — All the plant, especially the unripe fruit, abounds in an 

 essential oil, which is a powerful irritant and is often used to allay 

 toothach. The bruised berries are carminative, stimulating the stomach, 

 promoting digestion, and relieving flatulency. 



76 



