406 



THE MYRTLE TRIBE OF PLANTS. 



The myrtle tribe is one of the orders of 

 the natural system. Its title is MijrtacecB, 

 and it is found in the first Grand Division, 

 in which all the plants are of a vascular 

 structure {vasculares,) in contradistinction 

 to the second grand division, {cellulares,) 

 wherein the stems of the plants are entirely 

 cellular, and destitute of woody fibre and 

 tubular vessels. The first division con- 

 tains two great classes ; our 3fyrtace^. be- 

 ino- in the first class, because its seeds 

 have tivo lobes, — whence the term Dicoty- 

 ledons. This great class is again subdi- 

 vided ; and in the first division are all 

 those plants which have a calyx and corol- 

 la, {Dichlamydcea.) Again, this first sub- 

 division has three sub-classes, viz : 1st, 

 ThalamiflorcB, wherein the petals and sta- 

 mens are attached to the receptacle, (as in 

 the Ranunculus.) 2d, CalyciJlor(B, where- 

 in the petals, and often the stamens, are 

 seated on the sepals or calyx leaves, as in 

 most fruit trees ; for example, in the Pear, 

 Plum, Peach, Almond, cum multis aliis. 

 3d, Corolliflora, wherein the corolla is mo- 

 nopetalous, inferior, or below the germen, 

 and the stamens attached to it ; as, for in- 

 stance, in Snapdragon, Foxglove, Thyme, 

 Rosemary, &c. 



Now, let any one acquainted with bo- 

 tanical structure, take a flower of the myr- 

 tle, and he will, after a short examination, 

 be convinced that it must be referred to 

 the second sub-class of the j^rs^ subdivision ,• 

 because it has a great number of stamens 

 not attached either to the petals or recepta- 

 cles ; because the petals are seated on the 

 calyx, and therefore it has both calyx and 

 corolla ; in short, that it belongs to the 12th 

 Linnosan class, — Icosandria. 



But the order Myrtacece is not solely 

 founded upon the number or position of the 

 stamens, and therefore contains many ge- 

 nera not in the 12th Linngean class ; which 



circumstance will be further noticed. But 

 first, let us endeavor to find out the 7mmber 

 as well as the positio?i of the order ; for in 

 so doing, one of the imperfections of the 

 system will be detected. 



When in 1829, the Encyclopredia of Plants 

 appeared, Myrtacece formed the 63d order 

 of the sub-class ; and the order itself was 

 again subdivided into three tribes. The 

 1st, Baccata, contained eleven genera ; the 

 fruit or seed vessel being a berry. The 2d, 

 Gapsulares, comprised nine families, having; 

 capsular seed vessels. The 3d, LecytkidecPy 

 with three genera, differed from the two 

 preceding in this, — the fruit was either a 

 drupe, {a fleshy, succ^dent rind, containing 

 a hard stone in the middle,) or a vessel en- 

 closed within a leathery rind. 



The genera of distinguished beauty and: 

 excellence were seen in the first tribe, viz., 

 MyrtiiS, the tree myrtle, and type of the- 

 order, with tea varieties of the commons 

 myrtle — hardy tenants ef the green-bouse ; 

 the lovely but captious woolly-leaved, pink- 

 flowered myrtle of China ;. and that most 

 fragrant stove-evergreen, the pimenta- 

 leaved myrtle, — M. pimentoides, 



2. Pimenta vulgaris, or true allspice, oi- 

 Jamaica pepper. These two plants are 

 rarely seen in our hot-houses, or those of 

 Europe. The first is much the most fra- 

 grant of the two, and more easily reconciled 

 to our artificial climates. 



3. Psidium, the Giiava. A most inte- 

 resting family ; and the purple-fruited, or 

 Cattley's guava, is }>erhaps the most perfect 

 and graceful evergreen that an amateur of 

 plants can desire, or possess. It may be 

 raised from seeds, by cuttings, or by lay- 

 ers ; grows freely, fruits early, and yield? 

 eatable berries the size of a large plum, — 

 resembling, except in colour, a small orange. 

 Any climate in green-house, vinery, or 

 stove, not reduced below 45° of Fah., suits 



