620 poLYANDiiiA -MONOGYNiA. Garcuiia, 



part which now forms the lining; of the cells and their 

 partitions, in the ripe state, separatina: readily from the 

 inside of the cortex becomes attached to the seed form- 

 ing; the edible aril ; this is exactly the case in all the other 

 species examined by me, hence, when ripe, 1 consider it 

 a one-celled fruit. Style none. Stigma peltate, from 

 six to eight-lobcd, permanent. Berry spherical, of the 

 size of a pretty large apple, crowned with the stigma, hav- 

 inu; the surface even, (in the other species it is more or 

 less torose as in the common melon,) one-celled. Cortex 

 thick, firm, though somewhat spongy, of a dull crimson 

 colour, or between that and a brick colour ; taste powerful- 

 ly astringent. Seeds as far as eight, in shape and size like 

 those of the other species, l)ut the fleshy envelope, or aril, 

 is more abundant than in any other, delicately white, and 

 delicious to the taste. Integument proper, single and 

 veined. Pcrisperm conform to the seed, firm, entire. Em- 

 bryo simple, erect, filitbrm, extending througii the centre 

 of the pcrisperm its whole length, and not readily detect- 

 ed until vegetation begins, when a slender perishable root 

 proceeds from the base and the scaly plumula from the 

 apex which lengthens fast, and throws out the chief root 

 from its base, as in the Palms; soon after this provision 

 is establisiied, the original, slender radicle perishes ; it is 

 the same witli all the other species of this genus, as well 

 as of Barring tonia and Xantiiochymus. 



From the earliest accounts we have of this charming 

 tree and its delicious fruit ; we learn that all the innumer- 

 able attempts hitherto made to familiarize it to other 

 countries, besides those in which it is placed by nature, 

 haTe uniformly proved unsuccessful. For these thirty- 

 five years past I have laboured in vain to make it grow 

 and be fruitful on the continent of India. The phtuthas 

 uniformly become sickly when removed to the north or 

 west of the Bay of Bengal, and rarely rises beyond the 

 height of two or three feet before it perishes. 



