ANONACE^:. X. OROPHEA. XL DUQUETIA. 



97 



duncles short, 1 -flowered ? bracteolate. 1? . S. Native of South 

 America near Espinal. Dun. mon. anon. p. 120. t. 17. A tree 

 with blackish branches. Capsules 5-7, indehiscent. 

 Willow-leaved Bitter-wood. Tree 40 feet. 



4 X. LIGUSTRIFO'LIA (Dun. mon. anon. p. 121. t. 18.) leaves 

 oblong, acutish, smooth ; peduncles short, few-flowered, bracteo- 

 late. Tj . S. Native of South America near Buga in Popayan. 

 H. B. et Kth. nov. amer. spec. 5. p. 63. Petals and sepals on the 

 outside clothed with brown-velvety hairs. Capsules indehiscent. 



Privet-leaved Bitter-wood. Tree. 



5 X. GLA'BRA (Lin. spec. 1367.) leaves oblong-ovate, smooth; 

 peduncles 1 -flowered, solitary or in pairs ; carpels smooth. ^ 

 S. Native of die islands of Barbadoes and Jamaica. Dun. mon. 

 anon. p. 121. t. 19. Pluk. aim. 395. t. 238. f. 4. Flower- 

 buds oblong, pubescent on the outside. 



The wood, bark, and berries of this tree have an agreeable 

 bitter taste, not unlike that of an orange-seed. The wild pigeons 

 feed much upon the latter, and owe that delicate bitterish flavour 

 so peculiar to them in the season wholly to this part of their 

 food. Fresh gathered from the tree, they are agreeable to the 

 palate and grateful to the stomach. The bitter quality of this 

 tree is communicated with great facility. A handful of the 

 shavings immersed in water and instantly taken out again will 

 render it of a very bitter taste. Sugar sent over in hogsheads 

 made of this wood was so bitter that no person would purchase 

 it. Bedsteads and presses made of it are proof against cock- 

 roaches and other insects. Carpenters who work the wood per- 

 ceive a bitter taste in their mouths and throats. A decoction of 

 it is said to be of service in colics, and to create appetite. This 

 species is called bitter-mood in Jamaica. Perhaps all the species 

 of this genus partake more or less of this bitter quality. 



<SWo</-leaved Bitter-wood. FL? Clt. 1820. Tree 40 feet. 



6 X. MARTINICE'NSIS (Spreng. syst. 2. p. 636.) leaves obovate- 

 oblong, tapering into the petiole, smooth on both surfaces, but 

 of a different colour beneath ; branchlets angular ; peduncles 

 racemose. T/i . S. Native of Martinico. 



Martinico Bitter-wood. Tree 20 feet. 



7 X. NI'TIDA (Dun. mon. anon. p. 122. t. 20.) leaves oblong- 

 lanceolate, smooth, upper surface shining; peduncles branched, 

 many-flowered ; calyx nearly entire. Jj . S. Native of Ca- 

 yenne in the mountains of Oyac. 



Shining-leaved Bitter- wood. Fl. ? Tree 28 feet. 



8 X. ACUMINA'TA (Dun. mon. anon. p. 122. t. 16.) leaves 

 oblong-elliptical, long-pointed, quite smooth, capsules 1-valved, 

 2-seeded. Tj . S. Native of Cayenne and Portorico. Seeds 

 black, fetid, convex on the outside, and flat on the inside. 



Acuminated-leaved. Bitter-wood. Tree 



9 X. PRINOI'DES (Dun. mon. anon. p. 122. t. 15.) leaves 

 oblong-lanceolate, acuminated, bluntish at the apex, smooth, 

 membranous ; flowers solitary ; capsules 2-valved. J? . S. 

 Native of Cayenne. Seeds as in the preceding species. 



Prinos-like Bitter-wood. Tree. 



10 X. GRANDIFLO'RA (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 40.) stem arbo- 

 reous ; branches clothed with rufous down ; leaves elliptical-lan- 

 ceolate, acute, obtuse at the base, puberulous above and downy 

 beneath ; peduncles very short, 2-flowered ; outer petals linear, 

 acutish, inner ones triquetrous, 2-eared at the base. Jj . S. 

 Native of Brasil in the province of Rio Janeiro. Leaves distich, 

 smooth, 4 inches long and l^ broad. Petals clothed with rufous 

 silky pubescence. 



Great-flowered Bitter-wood. Fl. Feb. Tree 20 feet. 



11 X. SERI'CEA (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 41.) stem arboreous ; 

 branches clothed with rufous down ; leaves lanceolate- oblong, 

 with long points, smooth above, but silky beneath ; peduncles 

 quite short, 3-flowered ; petals erect, outer ones oblong-linear, 

 blunt, inner ones triquetrous ; berries few, almost dry, smooth, 



VOL. i. PAKT H. 



1-valved. Tj . S. Native of Brazil in the province of Rio 

 Janeiro in woods. St. Hil. pi. usu. bra. t. 33. Embzra Pindaiba, 

 Pis. bras. 71. with a figure. Ibira Margr. bras. 99. with a 

 figure. Unona carmativa, Amd. diss. 48 ? 



The tree is called Pao d. Embira and Pindaiba in Brasil. The 

 bark is thready and tough, and is useful for making cables and 

 cordage. The bark of a number of the other species is employed 

 for the same purposes. The fruit is truly aromatic, with the 

 smell of a pear, and its taste is very agreeable. It might be 

 employed as an excellent condiment. 



Silky Bitter-wood. Tree 20 feet. 



12 X. BRASILIE'NIS (Spreng. neue. entd. 3. p. 50.) leaves lan- 

 ceolate, acuminated, coriaceous, under surface pilose ; branchlets 

 as well as erect 1 -flowered peduncles, hairy; petals thickish, 

 velvety, spreading, t? . S. Native of Brasil. This plant is said 

 to be very like X.frutescens. 



Brasil Bitter-wood. Tree 20 feet. 



Cult. All the species of this genus require a stove heat. They 

 grow best in sandy loam, or a mixture of loam and peat ; and 

 ripened cuttings will root in sand under a hand-glass, plunged in 

 a moderate heat. The seeds when procured from their native 

 countries should be sown immediately in pots in the same sort of 

 soil recommended for the plants, and placed in a hot-bed. These 

 seeds soon lose their vegetative property. 



X. ORO' PHEA (from opo<j>r], oropJie, the top of any thing ; 

 cohesion of inner petals at apex.) Blum, bijdr. fl. ned. ind. ex 

 Schlecht. Linnasa 1. p. 496. 



LIN. SYST. Hexo-Ennedndria, Tri- Tetragynia. Calyx 3-parted. 

 Petals 6, in two series, outer ones smallest, inner ones stalked, 

 cohering at the apex in the form of a calyptra. Stamens 6-9, 

 alternate ones usually sterile. Anthers 2-celled, adnate out- 

 wardly. Ovaries 3, rarely 4, villous, at first approximating, but 

 at length diverging, 2-seeded. Stigma blunt. Carpels 3-4, 

 rarely solitary from abortion, sessile, baccate, cylindrical, 1-2- 

 seeded. Seeds adhering to the top of the cell. Shrubs. 



1 O. HEXA'NDRA (Blum, bijdr. fl. ned. ind. ex Schlecht. 

 Linnaea. 1. p. 496.) leaves ovate-lanceolate; peduncles axillary 

 and terminal, solitary, somewhat racemose ; pedicels 1 -flowered ; 

 flowers hexandrous. Tj.S. Native of Java. 



Hexandrous Orophea. Shrub. 



2 O. ENNEA'NDRA (Blum. 1. c.) leaves oblong ; peduncles 

 supra-axillary, or opposite the leaves, usually 3-flowered ; pedi- 

 cels in fascicles ; flowers enneandrous. fj . S. Native of Java. 



Enneandrous Orophea. Shrub. 



Cult. The species of Orophea will thrive well in a mixture 

 of loam, peat and sand, and ripened cuttings will root if planted 

 in a pot of sand, with a hand-glass placed over them, in heat. 

 None of the species have yet been introduced into the gardens 

 of Europe.f 



XL DUQUE'TIA (to the honour of James Joseph Duquet, 

 once professor of theology and philosophy in the college of 

 Troyes. He wrote commentaries on most of the books of the 

 New Testament, and a collection of letters on piety : born at 

 Montbrison 1649, died 1733.) St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 35. t. 7. 



LIN. SYST. Polyandria, Polygynia. Receptacle large, trans- 

 versely 2-parted, cylindrically globose, honey-combed. Carpels 

 numerous, free, 3-5-angled, acuminated with the permanent 

 style, tapering at the base into a thick hardly narrower pedicel, 

 woody, very thick, 1 -seeded, indehiscent, deciduous. Seed 

 erect, fixed to the bottom of the carpel. A small tree, with 

 alternate simple quite entire leaves, furnished with stipulas, short 

 petioles, which are jointed at the base, and extra-axillary, soli- 

 tary, 1 -flowered, peduncles. This genus differs materially from 

 the rest in the presence of stipulas. 



O 



