MAGNOLIACEjE. II. TEMUS. III. DRIMYS. 



79 



with oblong stalked coriaceous leaves. The species are power- 

 fully carminative and stomachic, especially III. anisdtum. 



1 I. FLORIDA'NUM (Ellis, in phil. trans. 1770. p. 524. t. 12.) 

 petals 27-30 dark purple, outer ones oblong, inner ones lanceo- 

 late. J? . F. Native of West Florida on the banks of the river 

 Mississippi, and in marshy places near the town of Pensacola. 

 Lam. illustr. t. 493. f. 1. Lois. herb. amat. t. 174. Curt. bot. 

 mag. 439. Lodd. bot. cab. t. 209. Bigel. amer. med. bot. t. 48. 

 The leaves when bruised smell b'ke anise, as well as the rest of 

 the plant. The bark and leaves are strongly impregnated with 

 a spicy aromatic taste and smell, approaching that of Magnolia 

 and Liriodendron, but perhaps more similar to that of Anise or 

 Coriander seeds. This aroma is preserved in the distilled water, 

 and fills the room with its fragrance while distillation is going on. 

 The medicinal properties of this shrub are not ascertained, but 

 from its bitter taste and aromatic quality it would appear to be 

 analogous with Sassafras canella and Cascarilla and other 

 aromatic barks, which are regularly consumed in the shops. 



Florida Anise-seed-tree. Fl. April, June. Clt. 1766. Shrub 

 8 feet. 



2 I. ANISA'TUM (Lin. spec. 664.) petals 27-30, yellowish, outer 

 ones oblong, inner ones linear-awl-shaped. Tj . F. Native of 

 Japan and China, where it is also cultivated in gardens as an 

 ornament. Gaert. fruct. 1. p. 338. t. 69. Lam. ill. t. 493. f. 2. 

 Clus. hist. 2. p. 202. f. 3. The capsules of this plant are im- 

 ported from China under the name of Chinese anise, they are 

 used as an aromatic condiment to communicate an agreeable 

 flavour to certain dishes. It is the material which flavours the 

 liqueur called Anisette de Bourdeaux. In Japan they place bundles 

 and garlands of this tree in their temples before their idols, and 

 on the tombs of their friends. They also burn the powdered 

 bark as incense to their idols. The plant is stomachic and car- 

 minative, and is used in the eastern countries in the colic, rheu- 

 matism, &c. The Chinese chew it after dinner as a stomachic 

 and sweetener of the breath. In some parts of the East Indies 

 the natives and the Dutch settlers mix it with their tea and 

 sherbet. A branch put into the decoction of Tetraodon hispidum 

 is supposed to increase the virulence of that poison. The bark 

 finely powdered is used by the public watchmen in Japan to 

 make a chronometer or instrument for measuring the hours, by 

 slowly sparkling at certain spaces in a box, in order to direct 

 when the public bells are to sound. 



Chinese .^mse-seed-tree. Fl. April, June. Clt. 1790. Shrub 

 8 feet. 



3 I. PARVIFLO'RUM (Mich. fl. bor. amer. 1. p. 326.) petals 

 9-12, yellowish, ovate-roundish. I? . F. Native of Western 

 Florida, near Lake George. Vent. eels. t. 22. Lois. herb. amat. 

 t. 330. Ph. fl. amer. sept. 2. p. 380. Sepals 3 ovate, somewhat 

 ciliated. A small shrub. Leaves scented. Flowers scentless. 

 The bark has exactly the flavour of the Sassafras root. 



Small-flowered Anise-seed-tree. Fl. May, June. Clt. 1790. 

 Shrub 3 feet. 



Cult. The species of this genus thrive well in a light loamy 

 soil, or a mixture of loam and peat ; and they are readily in- 

 creased by layers. Ripened cuttings planted in a pot of sand 

 will root freely under a hand-glass. 



II. TE'MUS (Temo is the name of this tree in Chili.) Mol. 

 chil. 153. Juss. gen. 435. D. C. prod. 1. p. 78. 



LIN. SYST. Polydndria, Digynia. Calyx 3-cleft. Petals 18, 

 linear, very long. Stamens 26 (27 ?) shorter than the petals ; 

 anthers globose. Ovaries 2, each terminated by a style. Car- 

 pels 2, baccate, (joined ?). Seeds arillate. An evergreen tree. 

 Leaves alternate, stalked, oval, smooth, -smelling like the nutmeg 

 when bruised. Flowers terminal, flesh-coloured. 



1 T. MOSCHA TA (Mol. chil. 153.) *} . G. Native of Chili. 



Gmel. syst. 1. p. 831. Poir. diet. 7. p. 595. Leaves crowded on 

 the branches, 2 inches long ; green shining. Flowers sweet- 

 scented ; lobes of calyx blunt ; petals flesh-coloured, narrow, 2 

 or 3 inches long. Filaments of stamens setacious, one-half 

 shorter than the petals. Berries like coffee, but exceedingly bit- 

 ter. (Mol.) 



Musk-scented Temus. Shrub 10 feet? 



Cult. This fine shrub will grow freely in a mixture of loam 

 and peat, and ripened cuttings will root freely if planted in a pot 

 of sand with a hand-glass placed over them.f 



III. DRI'MYS (from Spiftvc, drimys, acrid, or Spifivrric, dri- 

 mytes, sharpness; taste of bark.) Forst. gen. t. 42. Lam. ill. t. 

 494. Lin. fil. sup. 268. Juss. gen. 280. D. C. syst. 1. p. 442. 

 prod. 1. p. 78. 



LIN. SYST. Polydndria, Tetragynia. Carpels crowded, bac- 

 cate, many-seeded (f. 20. g.) Filaments of stamens thickest at 

 the top. Anthers twin (f. 20. d.) This genus, from the struc- 

 ture of its stamens and subpersistent calyx, is a little allied to 

 Dellma. Evergreen trees, with acrid aromatic bark, and axillary 

 and terminal flowers. 



SECT. I. ECDRI'MYS (from ev, en, well or good ; Spifivs, drimys, 

 acrid ; taste of bark, or more probably from its containing the ori- 

 ginal species of Drimys.) Calyx entire, dehiscent. Flowers small. 



1 D. AXILLA'RIS (Fort. gen. t. 42.) leaves oblong, acuminated 

 at both ends; pedicels 2-3 together, 1 -flowered; petals 6 ovate. 



J? . G. Native of New Zealand in woods. Lam. ill. t. 494. f. 

 2. Wintera axillaris, Willd. spec. 2. p. 1240. Ovaries 4- 

 seeded. The flavour of the whole plant, especially of the bark, 

 is extremely acrid and pungent. 



stxillary-Qov/ered Drimys. Shrub 10 feet. 



SECT. II. WINTE'RA (to the honour of William Winter, cap- 

 tain R.N., who went round the world with Sir Francis Drake, see 

 D. Wintera.) Calyx 2-3 parted, or of 2-3 sepals. 



2 D. WINTE'RI (Forst. gen. p. 84. t. 42.) leaves oblong, ob- 

 tuse, under surface glaucous ; peduncles almost simple, aggre- 

 gate, divided into elongated pedicels ; petals 6, oblong. Ij . F. 

 Native of the Straits of Magellan and of Statenland. Winterana 

 aromatica, Sol. med. obs. 5. p. 46. t. 1. Wintera aromatica, 

 Murr. syst. 507. Winteranus cortex, Clus. exot. 75. 



/3, punctata (Lam. diet. 2. p. 330. ill. t. 494. f. 1.) leaves 

 less glaucous and more distinctly dotted. 



This is a tree from 6 to 40 feet high, with knotty branches and 

 a thick aromatic pungent bark. Flowers milk-white about the size 

 of a hawthorn blossom, and smelling like jasmine. Berries from 

 3 to 6 of a light green colour, with a few black spots containing 

 several, usually 4, black aromatic seeds. Captain William Win- 

 ter, who went out with Sir Francis Drake, when he went round 

 the world, at his return brought the bark of this tree with him 

 from the Straits of Magellan. He had found it to be very useful 

 to his ship's crew, both instead of other spices to their meat, and 

 as a medicine very powerful against the scurvy. And Sebald de 

 Weert says, that both leaves and bark were used with their meat 

 and muscles, to correct them in so cold a climate. 



Mr. George Handyside brought home with him a specimen 

 of the leaves, flowers, and seed. He used the leaves, with other 

 herbs, in fomentations with very good success : he also gave the 

 bark inwardly, boiling half a drachm with some carminative seeds, 

 and giving to those of the crew who were very much afflicted 

 with the scurvy. It usually sweated them, and they were very 

 much relieved. He likewise administered the same medicine to 

 many of the crew who were very ill from eating the sea- lion ; 

 and were much relieved by it, although they had lost most of 

 their skin, which peeled off in large pieces (Martyn). This bark 



