Amyris. octandria monogynia. 245 



petioled, simple, elliptic, serrate, acute, with a pair of mi- 

 nute leaflets, or ears at the base. Flowers axillary. 



Commiphora Madagas'carensis. Jacq. Schoenhr. 2. ji. QG. 

 t. 249. 



Sans, and Beng. Googgula. 



The tree is a native of Silhet, Assam, &c. E. and N. E. 

 from Bengal, in the Botanic garden at Calcutta it blos- 

 soms about the beginning of the hot season, in Februa- 

 ry and March, but seldom ripens its seed. 



Trunk of our small trees crooked, and clothed with 

 many spreading and drooping, crooked branches down 

 to the ground. The short lateral branclilets often end 

 in thorny points. Bark of the young shoots green and 

 smooth, that of the larger branches, and trunk covered 

 with a light coloured pellicle as in the common birch, 

 which peels off from time to time, exposing to view 

 a smooth green coat, which in succession supplies other 

 similar exfoliations. Leaves alternate, petioled, oval, or 

 elliptic, serrulate, smooth on both sides, at the base or 

 apex of the petiole on each side, is generally found a 

 small leaflet tending to give the whole the appearance of 

 a ternate leaf. Flowers short-pedicelled, small, red, 

 collected in little bundles on the small protuberant gems 

 left by the former years' leaves, over the now leafless 

 slender twigs. Calyx, corol, and stamina as in the ge- 

 nus. Nectary, eight glands alternate with the insertion 

 of the filaments. Berry drupaceous, the size of a black 

 currant, red, smooth. Nut two-celled, with a single seed 

 in each. 



The whole plart, while growing is considerably odori- 

 ferous, particularly when any part is broken or bruised, 

 and diffuses a grateful fragrance, like that of the finest 

 myrrh, to a considerable distance round, which for some 

 time induced me to think it might be the plant from 

 which that drug was procured, particularly as I observ- 

 ed on being wounded, there exuded much pale colour- 



