208 FLORA OF JAMAICA Persea 



Chil. tv. t. 345 ; Tuss. Fl. Ant. in. t. 3 ; Wright Mem. 222. 

 Prunifera arbor fructu &c. Sloane Cat. 185 kHist. ii. 132, t. 222, 

 f. 2. Laurus foliis oblongo-ovatis &c. Browne Hist. Jam. 214. 

 '(Fig. 85.) Type in Herb. Mus. Brit. 



Avocado Pear, Alligator Pear. 



In fr. Aug., Sept. ; Sloane Herb. vii. 77 ! Houstoun I Shakspear ! Ban- 

 croft ! Murray ; Distin ! Cuming ; Gotte ; Prior ! Harris ! Fl. Jam. 6603. — 

 A native of Mexico, and cultivated throughout the tropics. Grows 

 spontaneously in the West Indies. 



A handsome tree. Leaves elliptical or broadly elliptical, 7-25 cm. 1., 

 4-15 cm. br., on upper surface glabrous, nerves flat, veins areolate, pro- 

 minulous, beneath sparingly puberulous nerves prominent, veins pro- 

 minulous. Inflorescence and flowers tomentellous. Flowers light green. 

 Periani^i-segments 5-5*5 mm. 1., elliptical-oblong. Berry in cultivated 

 specimens from 10 even to 20 cm. 1., pear-shaped ; pericarp thick, edible. 



" The fruit is held in the greatest esteem . . . the pulp is of a pretty 

 firm consistence, and has a delicate rich flavour . . . but is so rich and mild, 

 that most people make use of some spice or pungent substance to give it 

 a poignancy ; and for this purpose some make use of wine, some of sugar, 

 some of lime-juice, but most of pepper and salt. Most sorts of creatures 

 are observed to feed on this fruit with pleasure " (Browne). " The large 

 stone is used for marking linen. The cloth is held over the stone, and the 

 letters pricked out by a needle through the cloth and into the seed. The 

 stain is a reddish-brown, which never washes out " (Wright).] 



1. P. alpigena Spreng. Syst. ii. 268 (excl. syn. Kunth) 

 (1825); inflorescence few-flowered, long-stalked, paniculate, longer 

 than or subequalling the leaves ; flowers 5 mm. 1. ; outer segments 

 of perianth about half as long as the inner ; filaments half as long 

 again, to twice as long as the anthers, anthers all 4-celled. — 

 Griseh. loc. cit.; Meisn. torn. cit. 48; Mez torn. cit. 167. Laurus 

 alpigena Stc. Fl. Ind. Occ. 704 (1798). 



Wild Pear. 



In fl. June-Sept. ; in fr. Aug. -Jan. ; Swartz ; Macfadyen ! Cinchona, 

 J.P. 1012, Morris I Hart ! Sheldon ; Tweedside, 2000-2500 ft. ; Plato ; Old 

 England, 3000-4000 ft. ; Green Valley, 2000 ft. ; Berwick, 2200 ft. ; Troy, 

 1200 ft. ; Han-is I Fl. Jam. 5235, 5468, 6487, 5492, 6509, 6826, 6840, 6842, 

 5854, 5957, 6971, 9486. 



Tree to 75 ft. high. Leaves elliptical or obovate-elliptical, cuneate at 

 base, rounded at apex, on upper surface nerves impressed, veins areolate, 

 puberulous especially on the nerves or glabrate, beneath nerves prominent, 

 veins more or less prominulous or areolate, tomentellous, 7-12 cm. 1., 

 4-7 cm. br. Inflorescence and flowers tomentellous. Perianth, outer 

 segments 2-8-2*4 mm. 1., inner 4-6 mm. 1. Berry globose, '8-1 cm. I. 



2. P. Hamsli Mez in Notizhl. Berl. Bot. Gart. i. 325 (1897) ; 

 inflorescence many-flowered, long-stalked, aubcorymbose, longer 

 than the leaves ; flowers 4—5 mm. 1, ; outer segments of perianth 

 about half as long as the inner ; filaments about twice as long as 

 the anthers ; anthers all 4-celled. — Urb. Symb. Ant. i. 308. 



Wild Pear. 



In fl. July, Aug. ; in fr. Oct.-April ; Cinchona, J.P. 1263, Hart I Silver 

 HiU, Watt\ Chester Vale; Old England, 3500 ft.; Clydesdale, 4000 ft.; 



