512 



BOMBACEjE. X. BOMBAX. XI. ERIODENDRON. 



Globose- fruited Silk-cotton Tree. Clt. 1824. Tree 20 feet. 



7 B. TOMENTO'SUM (St. Hil. fl. bras. 1. p. 263.) trunk un- 

 armed ; leaflets 5, ovate-lanceolate, entire, scabrous above, but 

 cinereously-tomentose beneath, and dotted with black ; peduncles 

 hoary-tomentose, inflated just under the flower, hollow inside. 

 Tj . S. Native of Brazil in the province of Goyaz near Villa 

 Boa. Flowers in axillary fascicles, silky, white ; petals ob- 

 liquely emarginate ; anthers 2-celled ? 



Tomentose Silk-cotton Tree. Fl. June. Tree 30 feet? 



8 B. ELLI'PTICUM (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 5. p. 299.) 

 trunk unarmed ; leaves palmate, with 5 rounded, elliptical, quite 

 entire, smooth leaflets, which are retuse at the apex ; calyx 

 entire. Jj . S. Native of South America. Petals rose-coloured 

 on the inside, but covered with rusty tomentum on the outside. 

 Filaments red, length of petals. 



Elliptival-leafieited. Silk-cotton Tree. Tree 60 feet. 



9 B. PARVIFLORUM (Mart. fl. bras. 1. p. 91. t. 57.) trunk 

 unarmed ; leaflets 3-5, obovate-lanceolate, obtuse or emarginate, 

 coriaceous, smooth ; peduncles and calyxes smooth ; petals to- 

 mentose, 3-times longer than the calyx ; ovary smooth. Tj . S. 

 Native of Brazil in the province of Minas Geraes at the river 

 St. Francisco. Flowers silky-villous, 3 or 4 in a fascicle, rarely 

 solitary. Anthers kidney-shaped. 



Small-flmvered Silk-cotton Tree. Fl. June, July. Tree 25 

 feet. 



10 B. PUBE'SCENS (Mart. fl. bras. 1. p. 91. t. 58.) trunk 

 unarmed ; lower leaves quinate, upper ones ternate ; leaflets 

 obovate, elliptical, emarginate, coriaceous, smooth, or covered 

 with black dots of stellate pili beneath ; pedicels inflated and 

 hollow under the flower, and are as well as calyxes, covered with 

 black dots of stellate tomentum ; petals tomentose, 3-times longer 

 than the calyx ; ovary smooth. Tj . S. Native of Brazil in the 

 province of Minas Geraes, where the tree is called Embirussu, 

 from the bark being very tough, which is made into ropes. 

 Flowers white from silky tomentum. 



Pubescent Silk-cotton Tree. Tree 25 to 30 feet. 



11 B. CORIA'CEUM (Mart. fl. bras. 1. p. 93.) unarmed ; leaflets 

 3, oblong, acutish, entire, coriaceous, smooth, marginated ; fruit 

 scabrous, pear-shaped. Tj . S. Native of Brazil on mount 

 Arara-coara on the confines of Peru. 



CormceoHS-leaved Silk-cotton Tree. Tree 30 feet. 



12 B. RETU'SUM (Mart. fl. bras. 1. p. 92. t. 59.) trunk un- 

 armed ; leaflets 3-4 or 5, obovate, retuse, smooth ; peduncles 

 and calyxes smooth ; petals 6-times longer than the calyx, 

 finely tomentose ; ovary tomentose. >2 S. Native of Brazil in 

 the province of Minas Geraes on hills. Peduncles axillary or 

 terminal, solitary, or twin. Corolla white from tomentum. 

 Anthers oblong. 



/Jeiuse-leaved Silk-cotton Tree. Fl. July. Tree 20 to 25 ft. 



13 B. MUNCU BA (Mart. fl. bras. 1. p. 93. t. 99.) trunk un- 

 armed ; leaflets 8, oblong, acuminated, quite entire, smooth ; 

 calyx cup-shaped ; petals coriaceous, reflexed ; stamens numer- 

 ous, bifid at the top. T? . S. Native of Brazil in the province 

 of the river Niger, where it is called by the inhabitants Muncuba. 

 It is also to be found on the banks of the river Amazon. Petals 

 clothed on the outside with olive villi, but white inside. 

 Flowers 2 or 3 together at the tops of the branches. 



Muncuba Silk-cotton Tree. Fl. March, April. Tree 80 to 

 ] 00 feet. 



14 B. DI'SCOLOR (H. B. et Kunth, 1. c.) trunk unarmed; 

 leaves palmate, with 5 oblong, acuminated, crenulate leaflets, 

 hairy and green above, hoary from tomentum beneath. Ij . S. 

 Native of South America in warm places near St. Felipe in the 

 province of Jaen de Bracamoros. Flowers white, about the 

 size of those of a citron. 



Tno-coloured-leaved Silk-cotton Tree. Tree 30 feet. 



f Species not sufficiently known. 



15 B. ? VILLOSUM (Mill. diet. no. 3.) leaves 5-angled, villous ; 

 stem jointed, fy . S. Native of New Spain. Flowers unknown. 

 The down enclosed in the pod is of a fine purple colour, and 

 the inhabitants of New Spain spin it and work it into garments, 

 which they wear without dyeing. 



Villous Silk-cotton Tree. Tree ? 



16 B. CUMANE'NSE (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 5. p. 

 300.) unarmed; leaves palmate, with 7 stalked, lanceolate, 

 acuminate, quite entire, smooth leaflets, which are paler beneath. 

 T? . S. Native of South America near Cumana. Perhaps dif- 

 ferent from B. septenatum. 



Cumana Silk-cotton Tree. Tree 50 feet. 



17 B. MOMPOXE'NSE (H. B. et Kunth, 1. c.) trunk prickly ; 

 leaves palmate, with 7 and 9 almost sessile, obovate-lanceolate, 

 acuminated, membranaceous, smooth leaflets, which are remotely 

 toothletted towards the apex. Jj . S. Native of South America 

 on the banks of the river Magdalena near Mompox. Flowers 

 and fruit unknown. 



Mompox Silk-cotton Tree. Tree 40 feet. 



18 B. ORINOCE'NSE (H. B. et Kunth, 1. c.) trunk unarmed; 

 leaves palmate, with 5 and 6 oblong, acuminated, quite entire, 

 membranaceous, smooth leaflets. ^ S. Native on the banks 

 of the river Orinoco. Flowers unknown. 



Orinoco Silk-cotton Tree. Tree 60 feet. 



. Cult. The species of Bombax grow best in rich loamy soil. 

 Cuttings should not be too ripe, and if they are taken off at a 

 joint they will root freely in sand under a hand-glass, in a 

 moist heat ; but plants raised from seeds brought from the 

 places of their natural growth make finer trees. ' None of the 

 species have ever flowered in our stoves, and it is not likely 

 they ever will, as the most of them acquire a height of 50 or 60 

 feet before they attempt to flower in their native countries. 



XI. ERIODE'NDRON (from cpw, erion, wool, and 

 dendron, a tree ; alluding to the capsule being filled with a fine 

 silky woolly substance). D. C. prod. 1. p. 479. Ceiba, Plum. 

 gen. 42. t 32. Gsert. fruct. 2. p. 244. t. 133. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Polyandria. Calyx naked, irre- 

 gularly 5-lobed ; lobes usually twin. Petals 5, joined together 

 as well as being connected with the column of the stamens at 

 the base. Filaments joined together into a short tube at the 

 base, but divided into 5 bundles at the apex ; which are filiform 

 and bearing each 1, 2, or S linear or anfractuous anthers at the 

 apex, which have the appearance of one anther, they are either 

 adnate or versatile. Style crowned by a 5-6-cleft stigma. The 

 rest of the character as in Bombax. Large trees with spongy 

 wood, which is of little use except for making canoes, as the larger 

 species of Bombax. The leaves are palmate. The flowers 

 are large, red, white, scarlet, rising singly or in clusters from 

 the sides or tops of the branches. 



1 E. LEIANTHE'RUM (D. C. prod. 1. p. 479.) anthers reti- 

 culated ; leaflets 5-7, ovate, cuspidate, quite entire. Tj . S. 

 Native of Brazil near Rio Janeiro. Bombax erianthus, Cav. 

 diss. 5. p. 294. t. 152. f. 1. Trunk and branches prickly. 

 Flowers subterminal and lateral at the tops of the branches. 

 Corolla large, white, woolly on the outside. Anthers adnate, 

 the whole length of the filaments. 



Smooth-anthered Wool-tree. Clt. 1818. Tree 70 feet. 



2 E. ANFRACTUOSUM (D. C. prod. 1. p. 479.) anthers versa- 

 tile, anfractuous ; leaflets 5-7-8, entire, or serrulated above, 

 lanceolate, cuspidate, glaucous beneath ; trunk usually prickly. 

 \i . S. Bombax pentandrum, Lin. spec. 959. Cav. diss. 5. p. 

 ,293. 1. 151. Bombax orientale, Spreng. syst. 3. p. 124. -Trunk 

 prickly or rarely unarmed. Corolla smaller than that of B. occi- 



