ART 



ODOROGRAPHIA. 



Nutmegs and Mace. 



These spices are furnished by plants of the genus Myristica 

 (natural order Myristicacece), lofty trees or shrubs, mostly aromatic, 

 and abounding in a reddish, acrid juice. 



The order Myristicacece is confined to the tropics. In India 

 none of the species are known further north than 26° X. lat., 

 on the northern face of the Khasia hills. From America only 

 thirteen species are described, the Indian species numbering twenty- 

 three. The species are probably most numerous in the eastern 

 part of the Malayan Archipelago. A few are found in tropical 

 New Holland, but none, as far as is known, in China. From 

 Africa no species have been described, but in the British Museum 

 there are two specimens marked " Myristica ? " : one of these, 

 from Cape coast, is a subscandent stipulate plant, apparently 

 belonging to Malvacecc or Euphorhiacecc, but the other, brought 

 from Sierra Leone, is in fruit and probably belongs to this order. 



Most of the species possess aromatic qualities, though 

 occasionally these are very faint, and in some instances confined 

 to the arillus (the " Mace ") or to the fleshy part of the fruit. 



Several species are said to be employed in India to adulterate 

 the true Xutmeg, and in America, one or more yield when fresh 

 a tolerable substitute for that valuable spice, though their 

 aromatic qualities are unfortunately not permanent. 



Myristica frafjrctns, Houttuyn, Xat. Hist. IL, part iii., page 333 ; 

 Blume, "Kumphia" I., p. 180, t. 55; M. officinalis, Lin. fil. ; 

 Hooker, Bot. Mag., t. 2756 and 2757 ; Bentley and Trimen, t. 218 ; 

 Xees Plant. ]Med.,i t. 133 : M. moscliata, Thunberg ; M. aromatica, 

 Lamarck. 



