Menispermales.] 



MYRISTICACE^. 



301 



Order CI. MYRISTICACE^.— Nutmegs. 



Martins Conspecttis, No. 78; 



I'alvate ciijp-sliaped 



Myristlceae, R. Brown, Prodr. 399. (1810) ; Bartliru), Ord. Nat. 244 ; 

 Endl. cXwni; Meisner, p. 329. 



Diagnosis. — Menispoinal Exogcns, toith rttminated albumen, and a 



calyx. 



Tropical trees, often yielding a red juice. Leaves alternate, without stipules, not 

 dotted, quite entire, stalked, coriaceous. Inflorescence axillary or tenninal, in racemes, 



glomeiiUes, or panicles ; 

 the flowers very small, 

 often each with one short 

 cucullate bract. Calyx 

 coriaceous, mostly downy 

 outside. Flowers com- 

 pletely unisexual. Calyx 

 trifid, rarely quadrifid, 

 with valvular aestivation. 

 $ . Filaments either sepa- 

 rate or completely imited 

 in a cylinder. Anthers 

 more, •2-celled, turned outwards, 

 and bursting longitudinally: either connate 

 or distinct. $ Calyx deciduous. Carpels 

 solitary, or many, with a single erect ana- 

 tropal o^^le ; style very short ; stigma 

 somewhat lobed. Fruit baccate. Albumen 

 niminate, between fatty and fleshy ; embryo 

 small, orthotropal ; cotyledons diverguig ; 

 radicle inferior. 



The Order of Nutmegs is usually placed, 

 on accoimt of their apetalous flowers, in the 

 vicinity of Laurels, from which they are 

 distinguished by the structure of their calyx 

 anthers, and fruit. Brown places them 

 between Proteads and Laurels, remarking, 

 that they are not closely akm to any other 

 Order. They may also be regarded as an 

 apetalous form of Anonads, with which 

 their trimerous flowers, arillate seed, rumi 

 iiated albumen, minute embryo, and sensi- 

 ble properties, closely ally them. Bocagea, 

 which is usually considered as a connecting 

 link between the latter and Berberids, 

 must also be looked upon as one of the cases 

 of transition from Anonads to Virola among 

 Nutmegs. Another and much more inte- 

 resting instance is afforded by Wallich's 

 genus Hyalostemma, which would be almost 

 That plant, which has unisexual apetalous 



Fig. CCIX. 

 an involucrated Myristica if it had an aril 



flowers, and a trifid calyx surrounded by an involucre of six subulate bracts, was 

 regarded as a Uvaria by Roxburgh, and may be indifferently regarded as Anonaceous 

 if its numerous carpels are considered, or Myristicaceous if its unisexual flowers and 

 simple trifid calyx are allowed to have weight. 



While, however, all these relationships may be allowed their due importance, it seems 

 impossible to disjom Nutmegs from the Menispermal Alliance, because of their strictly 

 unisexual flowers. The diverging cotyledons of their embryo bring them up to Monimiads, 

 while the ruminated albumen finds its parallel in the genus Anomospermum in Meni- 

 spermads. — See p. 308. 



Fig. CCIX.— Myristica fragrims.—Blume. 1. a flower ; 2. a column of stamens ; 3. a section of a $ 

 showing the ovai-y and ovule ; 4. a section of a nutmeg mth the embryo at the base of the albumen. 



