CINCHONACEiE. 



Trunk straight, of considerable thickness and height. Branches 

 numerous, spreading. Bark of the trunk pretty thick; the exterior 

 coating grey, light, spongy, cracking in various directions, and frequently 

 falling off; the middle coat brown, of a farinaceous nature, and as thick 

 as both the exterior and interior coats; the interior white. Leaves 

 opposite, oblong, entire, soft, downy, particularly on the under side ; 

 veins simple, and frequently opposite, from 6 to 12 inches long, and 

 from 3 to 5 broad. Floral leaves, at the lower part of the ramifications 

 of the panicle, in shape like the rest, but much smaller, coloured, more 

 permanent, and bullate. Petioles round, downy, 2 or 3 inches long. 

 Stipules within the leaves, ovate-cordate, acutely serrate, erect, caducous. 

 Panicles terminal, large, generally with the lower ramifications decus- 

 sating. Flowers fascicled, small, greenish-white, exceedingly numerous, 

 exquisitely fragrant. Calyx superior, 5-toothed. Corolla funnel-formed, 

 downy; tube long; border 5-parted, with oval, spreading divisions, not 

 half the length of the tube. Filaments 5, short, inserted into the mouth 

 of the tube ; anthers erect, £ within the tube. Style twice the length 

 of the tube ; stigma capitate. Capsule oblong, crowned with the remains 

 of the calyx, about as thick as a field bean, but twice as long, 4-streaked, 

 marked with small white, elevated specks, 2-celled, 2-valved, opening 

 from the top. Placentae slender, angular, the length of the capsule, 

 affixed lengthways to the suture of the partition. Seeds from 6 to 12 

 in each cell, chestnut-coloured, imbricated, oblong, compressed, en- 

 larged all round by a membranous jagged wing, which at the base is 

 split up to the seed itself. Roxburgh. — The 2 inner layers of bark possess 

 the bitterness and astringency of Peruvian bark, and when fresh in a 

 stronger degree. The bitterness is not so quickly communicated to the 

 taste, on chewing the bark, but is much more durable, especially about 

 the upper part of the fauces. Id. 



EXOSTEMA. 



Calyx obovate, 5-toothed. Corolla with a terete tube, and a 

 5-parted limb, with linear segments. Anthers linear, exserted. 

 Capsule crowned by the calyx, dehiscing from the apex through 

 the dissepiments into 2 half fruits. Seeds girded by a mem- 

 branous entire border. — Trees or shrubs. Leaves oval or lan- 

 ceolate, short-stalked. Stipules solitary on each side of the pe- 

 tioles. Peduncles axillary or terminal. Flowers white or pink. 

 Bark without either quinine or cinchonine. 



857. E. caribeeum Rom. and S. v. 18. DC.prodr. iv. 359. — 

 Cinchona caribaea Jacq. amer. t. 179. f. 65. Lamb, cinch, t. 4. 

 C. jamaicensis Wright trans, roy. soc. 67. 504. t. 10. Bot. rep. 

 t. 481. — Most of the West India islands and Mexico. (Quin- 

 quina Piton; Sea side Beech.) 



An erect branched shrub, about 10 feet high. Leaves lanceolate, 

 acuminate, entire, smooth, reflexed at the point, stalked, 2-3 inches 

 long. Peduncles 1 -flowered, short, axillary. Flowers very sweet- 

 scented, whitish flesh-colour, 1* inch long. Corolla with a very long, 

 cylindrical, erect tube, and 5 linear, obtuse, concave, reflexed segments 

 longer than the tube. — The capsules, before they are quite ripe, are 



430 



