NAT. ORDER. 



Gruinalis. 



aUASSIA AMARA. BITTER QUASSIA, 



-Class X. Decandria. Order I. Monogynia. 



Gen. Char. Calyx, five-leaved. Petals, five. Nectary, five-leaved. 

 Pericarp, five, distant, each having one seed. 



Sj)e. Char. Flowers, bisexual. Leaves, unequally pinnate. Leajlets, 

 opposite, sessile. Petiole, jointed, winged. Floiccrs, in race- 

 mes. 



The Bitter Quassia is a small tree or shrub, rising several feet 

 in height, and sends off many strong branches ; the wood is white 

 and light ; the bark is thin, and of a grey color ; the leaves are 

 placed alternately upon the branches, and consist of two pair of 

 opposite pinnse, with an odd one at the end ; all the leajlets are 

 of an elliptical shape, entire, veined, smooth, pointed, sessile, on 

 the upper pagina, of a deep green color, on the under, paler ; the 

 common foot-stalks are articulated and winged, or edged on each 

 side with a leafy membrane, which gradually expands near the 

 base of the pinnee ; the Jlowers are all hermaphrodite, of a bright 

 red color, and terminate the branches in long spikes ; the hractea, 

 or Jloral, are lance-shaped, or linear, colored, and placed alternately 

 ujion the peduncles ; the calyx is small, persistent, and five-toothed ; 

 the corolla consists of five lance-shaped equal petals, at the base of 

 which is placed the nectary, or five roundish colored scales ; the 

 filaments are ten, slender, somewhat longer than the corolla, and 

 crowned with simple anthers, placed transversely ; the receptacle is 

 fleshy and orbicular; the germen is ovate, divided into five parts, 



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