AMY 



pericarpium, a drupaceous, roimdish berry; aiid 

 the seed, a round, shining nut. 



The species are : 1 . A. elemifera, Gum-elemi 

 Tree ; 2. -'/. jiiarltima. Small Shrubby Swect- 

 Wodd; 3. A. Glleadensis, Balsam of Gilead 

 Tree; 4. A. Opobahamitm, Balsam of Mecca 

 Tree; 5. A. loxijera. Poison Ash. 



The first species rises in a shrubby branching 

 manner to the height of about six feet. The 

 leaflets are pointed, stitl'and shining; the leaves 

 beine opposite on peduncles two niches long ; 

 and at the ends of the branches four or five 

 slender stalks issue, set with many very small 

 while flowers, in a little corymb. The petals 

 are inflex at the tip. The fruii is the size and 

 ficure of an olive, and the colour of a pome- 

 granate, having an odoriferous pulp within it. 

 Jt is a native of Carolina and Brazil, and af- 

 fords the resin known under the name of Gum- 

 elemi. 



The second species is a shrub of thcDwarf kind, 

 branching, w ith a juice like that of the former, 

 but pleasanter, and smelling like Rue. The 

 leaflets shining, ovate, and finely notched, but 

 scarcely an inch long ; the racemes, as in the 

 former'; the fruit twice as big, of a black co- 

 lour, with a purple juice. It is found on rocks 

 by the sea-side about the Havannah. 



The third, or Balsam of Gilead Tree, is a 

 shrub with purplish branches, a little striated, 

 having protuberant buds loaded with balsamic 

 resin." The leaves are crowded, petioled, ter- 

 nate, smooth, and the leaflets sessile, quite en- 

 tire, lanceolate, somewhat acute, that at tlie 

 end larger than the others, wcdge-lanceoiate. 

 The flowers proceed from the same buds, by 

 threes. Proper peduncles one-flowered, shorter 

 than the leaf, sheathed at bottom. The brarte 

 extremely minute, slightly bilid. It is doubled 

 by some whether this be distinct from the fol- 

 lowing species. 'Ihe Balsam of Gilead is ex- 

 tracted from its buds. 



The fourth species is mostly represented as 

 rising to the height of a moderate shrub. Ac- 

 cordins: to Bruce, one of these was five feet two 

 inches~^high from the part where the red root 

 begins, or which is buried in the earth, to that 

 where it divides itself tir?t into branches. The 

 trunk at the thickest part was about five inches 

 diameter; the wood light and open, and inca- 

 pable of being polished, covered with a smooth 

 bark ofblucish white casts, like thai of a stan- 

 dard cherry-tree in good health. Indeed a part 

 of the baik is a reddi-h brown : it flattens at 

 top like trees thai are exposed to snow blasts or 

 sea air, which gives it a stunted appearance. It 

 is ren;arkal)le for a penury of leaves, 'i he 

 flowers arc like those of the Acacia Tree, while 



ANA 



and round, only that three hang upon three 

 filaments or stalks, where the Acacia has but 

 one. Two of these flowers fall off and leave a 

 single fruit ; the branches that bear this are the 

 sh()ots of the present vear ; they are of a reddish 

 colour, and toucher than the old wood. It af- 

 fords the Opobalsam, or Balsam of Mecca. 



In the tilth species the leaves are pinnate ; the 

 petioles long and five-leavcd. The leaflets ovate- 

 oblong, evergreen, ouitc entire, opposite with 

 a termmating one, all pedicelled. 'lher.iccmes 

 several, axillary, filiform, w iih scattered flowers. 

 Catesbv describes it a-; a small tree, with a 

 light-coloured smooth bark, and the fruit as 

 hanging in bunches, shaped like a pear, of a 

 purple colour, covering an oblong hard stone. 

 From the trunk a liquor distils as black as ink, 

 w hich the inhabitants say is a poison. Birds feed 

 on the fruit. It is a native of America. 



Culture. — The propagation in these shrubby 

 trees is the best accomplished by sowing the 

 seeds, which must be procured from the places 

 of their natural growth, in the early spring 

 months, in pots of good rich mould, and then 

 plunging them into a good bark hot-bed, very 

 sliiiht waterings being occasionally given. They 

 may likewise be raised from euulngs from the 

 voiing branches, which should be planted in the 

 early "spring, in pots filled with good earth, well 

 closed abo\it them, and Immediately placed in 

 the hot-bed, a very little water being givin at 

 the time of planting, and afterwards according 

 as there may be a necessity for it. 



Frc.m the verv tender nature of these plants 

 they require to be kept constantly in the stove, 

 and to have the same attention bestowed upon 

 them as others of the exotic lender kinds. Tiny 

 are chief! v cultivated for the nurpose of aflord- 

 ingcuriosity and variety in collections of exotics. 

 AMACAIIDIUM, agenus Comprising a plant 

 of the tender exotic tree kind ; the Acajou, or 

 Cashew nut. 



It belongs to the class and order PoUi"am'ta 

 Mnnacia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Holoracecp. 



Its characters arc : that it has hermaphrodite 

 and male flowers, either mixed with the herma- 

 phrodites, or on a distinct tree. The calyx of 

 the f.rmer is a five-leaved perianlhlum ; the 

 leaflets (-vale, concave, coloured, erect, and de- 

 ciduous ; the corolla has five |,elals, lanceol.ite, 

 acute, three times as Kng as the calyx, upriulil 

 at bottom, and reflex al'ihe end ; the stamina 

 Ik.vc ten filaments, united at the base and u|.- 

 right, nine of them capillary, !;horltr than the 

 c.rivx, one thicker, I'oublc the length of the 

 others, lylna; on ihe i;cnn in front ; ihcanlhera; 

 roundish ; i~n ihe lonVr filament large and fer- 



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