c o c 



C O !• 



corolla consists of three ovate, acute, patulous 

 petals : the stamina consist ciF s.\ lilanicnts, 

 simple, length oF the corolla : rintlicrs sagittate: 

 the pistiliuin a seareclv nmnifest germ : styles 

 three, short : stigma obsolete : the pericarpium 

 aborticnt : the t'eiiule iiowers oa the same spathx 

 with the males : the calyx is a common spathe 

 Willi the hermaphrodites, as likewise the spaclix : 

 the perianth I hree-parted : divisions roundish, 

 concave, convereing, coloured, and permanent : 

 the corolla coiiSists ol three petals, pcrin.incnt, 

 like the calyx, but rather larger: the pisiillum 

 is an ovate cerni, no sivlc: the jtignu three- 

 lobcd : the [.lericarpiuin a coriftceo'is drupe, very 

 large, roundish, obscurely triangular : the seed 

 is a very lartre nut, subovate, acuminate, one- 

 celled, vaivcTess, obtusely three-cornered, the 

 base perforated by three holes ; the kernel is 

 hollow. 



Tlie species are : 1 . C. vucifera, Cocoa-nut 

 Tree. C. C. aailt-ata. Great Macaw Tree. 



In the lirst the roots arc verv slender, simple, 

 and flexile; aiising separatelv from the bottom 

 of the trunk, and spreading in all directions ; 

 some ruiurng to a great iie|'ih, while others 

 creep almost parallel to the surface. The trees 

 grow to a great height ; their stems being com- 

 posed of strong fibres like net-work, w hich lie 

 in several laminas over each other, out of which 

 come the branches, or other leaves, whieh grow 

 twelve or fourteen feet long. The first leaves 

 which push out from the nut when planted are 

 different from those which arc afterwards pro- 

 duced ; as 'hev arc broad, and have many holds 

 »n ea -h : whereas the after loaves have a strong 

 midrib, twelv? or fourteen feet long, on wh'ch 

 the leaflets are placed alternately : these are 

 from six to eight or nine inches long, and are 

 almost triangular, having very sharp points, and 

 very slitf. The flowers come out round the top 

 of the trunk of the tree in large clusters ; arc 

 inelused in a large spathe or sheath, and the 

 nuts aiterwards formed iu large clusters, teii or 

 twelve together. As soon as all the parts of the 

 flow'.rs have gained a due degree of perfection, 

 the spathe splits on the under side, fi-om the 

 bottom upwards, and exposes the common 

 bunch, with all its flowers, to the open air : 

 most of which are maics, and fall off gradu- 

 ally as the spathe withers, Icaviiig the embryo 

 fruit generally lixed to the lower and stronger 

 part of the stalk, to increase and ripen by de- 

 grees. It is a native of the East Indies. 



The second species is a large tree in its native 

 situation, which rises to thirty feet in height, 

 has in ash-coloured bark, and is very thick set 

 with siiarp black pncklcs, of different length.-, 

 placed usually in rings. The fruit is as large as 

 3 



a crab, and of the same shape : under a green 

 skin it has a thin swictish asirincent piilji ; 

 and within that a nut full of a white s\<vet cat- 

 able kernel. It is eommon in the Caribbee 

 islands. 



Culture. — The plants in both these sorts arc 

 raised from the nut«", which are brought hither 

 from their native pli.ees : these arc planted sepa- 

 rately in pots of rieli earth, depositiu'j them on 

 their edges, and plunging the pots ovcrthiir rims 

 in a bark hot-bed. 'Ihey soon genninate ui the 

 holes in the ba'cs, and apj)ear ; when fuqiieiil 

 watcr'ngs shoukl be given and the plants con- 

 tinued in the >iovc, shilting them occasionally 

 into larger p 'ts, being earei'ul to preserve the 

 balls of earth about their roots, and not to 

 break the fibres of the roots in performing the 

 business. 



COFFEA, a genus affording a plant of the 

 flowering shrubby evergreen kind tor the stove. 

 The ColTee Tree. 



It be' )iigs to the class and order Penlandria 

 Monocri/nia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Slcl/al'ce. 



The characters are ; that the calyx is a five- 

 toothed perianth, very small, superior: the corolla 

 is one-petalled, salver-shaped ; tube cylindric, 

 sleiider, many times longer than theealyx : border 

 flat, five-parted, longer than the tube : divisions 

 lanec-shaped : sides rolled back : the stamina 

 consist of five subulate filaments, placed on the 

 tube of the corolla : anthers linear, incumbent, 

 length of the filaments : the pistilluin is a round- 

 ish, inferior germ : style simple, length of the 

 corolla : stiirmas two, reflected, subulate, thick- 

 ish : the pericarpium is a roundish berry, uni- 

 bilieated by a one- or two-celled puncture : the 

 seeds one or two, solitary, elliptically-hemi- 

 spherical, gibbous on one side, flat on the other, 

 where it is furrowed longitiidinallv ; involved in 

 an aril. 



The species cultivated is C. Aral'ica, Eastern 

 Cofiee Tree. 



It seldom rises more than sixteen or eicrhtecn 

 feet hiirh in its native situation, or more tl^an !e« 

 or twefve in this tlimate. The main stem grows 

 upright, and is covered with a light brown bark. 

 Theliraiiches are horizontal, and opposite; the 

 lower ones longest, the others gradually decreas- 

 ing to the top, so as to form a pyrannd : ihe 

 leaves are opposite, when fully grow u four or 

 five inches long, and an inch and a half hro.iJ 

 in the middle, ovate-lanceolate, the borders 

 waved, and the surface of a lucid green : the 

 flowers are produced in clusters (two to four) at 

 the base of the leaves, sittii.g close to the 

 branches-; they are of a pure white, w ith a very 

 grateful odour, but of short duration ; being 



