574 ORD. XXXII. Gruinales. 
QUASSIA AMARA, BITTER QUASSIA, 
SYNONYMA. Quassia. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Quassia 
' pentaphylla pediculis alatis, floribus racemosis terminalibus 
coccineis fructu pentaspermo. Patris in Gazette salutaire, 1777, 
mn. 41.42. item in Rozier Observations sur la Physique. Tom. ix, 
1777. p. 140. Supp. Plant. p, 235. : 
Class Decandria. Ord. Monogynia. Liz. Gen. Plant. 529. 
Ess. Ger: Ch. Cal. 5-phyltus. Petala 5. Nectarium 5-phyllum. 
_ Pericarpia 5, distantia 1-sperma, 
Sp. Ch. Q. floribus hermapbroditis, foliis impari- pinnatis, foliolis 
_ oppositis sessilibus, ° petiolo articulato alato, floribus . 
racemosis, Suppl. Plant. 
THIS tree rises several feet in height, and sends off many strong 
branches: the wood is white and light ; the bark is thin, and of a 
grey colour: the leaves are placed alternately upon the branches, 
and consist of two pair of opposite pinnz, with an odd one at the 
end: all the leafets are of an elliptical shape, entire, veined, 
smooth, pointed, sessile, on the upper pagina of a deep green 
colour, on the under paler: the common footstalk is articulated 
and winged, or edged, on each side with a leafy membrane, which 
gradually expands towards the base of the pinne: the flowers are 
all hermaphrodite, of a bright red colour, and terminate the 
branches in long spikes: the bractez or floral leaves are lance- 
shaped or linear, coloured, and placed alternately upon the pe- 
duncles: the calyx is small, persistent, and five-toothed: the 
