17 



ly ferriiginous-tomentose . Male inflorescence: panicles about 

 10 cm. long, the peduncles 1.5 to 3 cm. thick; floral clusters 

 bracteolate at the base, the bractlets ova te- round ed , cadu- 

 cous; pedicels about 1,3 mm. long; perianth funnel-shaped, 

 3-fid, about 1.7 nw. long, f erruginous-tomentose without; 

 anthers usually 6, about 0.5 mm« long, shorter than the thick 

 staminal column, i'emale inflorescence imperfectly known, 

 i'ruit obovate, 1.6 cm. long and about 1.3 cm. in diameter, 

 covered without with a fugacious, ferruginous tomentura; aril 

 deep pink, many branched in its upper part; seeds 12 ram. 

 long, 9 mm. in diameter, pointed at the base. 



The real ITutmeg-Tree ( I.I;'^ri3tica fragrans Houtl.). a na- 

 tive of the Molukkan Islands in tropical ^sia, is represented 

 in America by the genus Virola , of which two species are 

 found in Panama and a few others in the neighboring countries 

 of Central and South America. The relationship is very close 

 and the fruits of Virola are miniatures of the nutmeg,' with- 

 out having however its strong aromatic properties, 



Virola '<Varburgii is a gregarious tree, which in some 

 parts of Panama forms a conspicuous element of the forest. 



Deacriptio n of the wood 



Sap-.vood light brown; heartwood darker. i'Jood. soft, light, 

 not strong, splits readily, moderately fine-grained, taking a 

 fairly good polish, resembling- crabwood ( Carapa guianensis 

 Aubl.) Amiual rings of growth easily seen with a hand lens 

 on a smooth transverse section. 



Pores (transverse section) numerous, moderately small 

 (.125 ran. in diameter), round, open, sometimes closed with 

 dark tyloses and arranged singly or more often in raiisl rows 

 of from 2 to 4 or more. Vessel walls (longitudinal section) 

 with numerous, small, with a number of large elliptical sim- 

 ple pits on the radial surface. End walls of vessel segments 

 with simple perforations or sometimes with scalariform per- 

 forations, with from 1 to 8 bars. ,Vood fibers about 1.34 

 mm. long, occasionally septate, with few simple pits, //ood 

 parenchyma fibers scantily developed. Pith rays narrow, 

 from 1 to 2 cells wide and from a few to cells high. 



