45 



Geography. Natives of the hottest parts of South America, especially 

 of Guiana. 



Properties. The fruit of Couroupita guianensis, called Ahricot 

 sauvage iu Cayenne, is vinous and pleasant. The most gigantic tree in 

 the ancient forests of Brazil is that called the Sapucaya. It is the Lecythis 

 ollaria, the seeds of which are large and eatable. Pr. Max. Trav. 83. The 

 fleshy seeds of all the species of Lecythis are eatable, but they leave a bitter 

 unpleasant after-taste in the mouth. The bark of L. ollaria is easily 

 separable, by beating the liber into a number of fine distinct layers, which 

 divide so neatly from each other, that, when separated, they have the 

 appearance of thin satiny paper. Poiteau says he has counted as many 

 as 110 of these coatings. The Indians cut them in pieces, as wrappers 

 for their cigars. The well-known Brazil nuts of the shops of London are 

 the seeds of Bertholletia excelsa. The lacerated parts of the flowers of 

 Couroupita guianensis become blue upon exposure to the air. The Gustavia 

 urceolata is called bois puant, because its wood becomes, after similar ex- 

 posure, excessively foetid. Poiteau, 1. c. 



Examples. Bertholletia, Lecythis, Gustavia. 



XXXIV. GUTTIFERiE. The Mangosteen Tribe. 



GuTTiFER.E, Jiiss. Gen. 243. (1789); Dec. Prodr. 1. 557. (1824); Cambessides 

 Mimoire (1828). 



Diagnosis. Polypetalous dicotyledons, with hypogynous indefinite un- 

 equal stamens, adnate anthers, concrete carpella, an ovarium of several cells 

 with the placentee in the axis, a persistent imbricated many-leaved calyx, 

 opposite simple leaves without stipulse, and resinous juice. 



Anomalies. Havetia has the anthers immersed in a fleshy receptacle. 

 The ovarium of Calophyllum is 1 -celled, and the petals opposite the sepals. 



Essential Character. — Flotvers hermaphrodite, or unisexual. Sepals from 2 to 6, 

 usually persistent, round, membranous, and imbricated, frequently unequal and coloured. 

 Petals hypogynous, from 4 to 10, passing insensibly into sepals. Stamens numerous, either dis- 

 tinct, or combined in one or more parcels, hj'pogynous, rarely definite ; filaments of various 

 lengths; anthers adnate, bursting inwards, sometimes very small, occasionally bursting 

 outwards, sometimes 1 -celled, and sometimes opening by a pore. Disk fleshy, occasionally 

 5-lobed. Ovarium solitary, superior, 1- or many-celled ; ovules solitary, erect, or ascending, 

 or numerous and attached to central placentae ; style none, or very short ; stigma peltate, or 

 radiate. Friiit either dry or succulent, 1- or many-celled, 1- or many-seeded, dehiscent or 

 indehiscent. iSeerfA' frequently nestling in pulp ; their coat thin and membranous ; always 

 apterous, very frequently with an arilkis ; albumen none ; embryo straight ; cotyledons thick, 



inseparable ; radicle either turned to or from the hilum Trees or shrubs, occasionally 



parasitical, yielding resinous juice. Leaves without stipulse, opposite, very rarely alter- 

 nate, coriaceous, entire, with a strong midrib, and often with the lateral veins running 

 through to the margin. Flowers usually numerous, axillary, or terminal, white, pink, 

 or red, articulated with their peduncle. 



Affinities. In treating of Ternstromiaceae I have made use of the 

 excellent memoir of Cambessedes for the purpose of explaining the affi- 

 nities of that order with this; and 1 draw the following comparisons from 

 the same source ; premising only, that European botanists are much in want 

 of good observations upon living plants of Guttiferas, and that there is no 

 order that is more in need of elucidation from some skilful Indian botanist 

 than this. M. Cambessedes remarks, that Guttiferse differ from Hypericinese 

 in their branches, their leaves, and their articulated peduncles ; in the nor- 

 mal number of the parts of their flowers, which appears to be two and its 



