BYTTNERIACE-SL III. GUAZUMA. IV. GLOSSOSTEMON. V. COMMERSONIA. 



523 



It grows in the lowlands of Jamaica and other West India Islands, 

 forming a very agreeable shade for the cattle, and supplying 

 them with food in dry weather, when all the herbage is burned 

 up or exhausted. The pods are filled with mucilage, which is 

 very agreeable to the palate ; it can be sweetened at pleasure. 

 It has the taste of green figs. The wood is light, and so easily 

 wrought, that it is generally used by coach-makers in all the side 

 pieces. (Browne.) It is also frequently cut into staves for 

 casks. A decoction of the inner bark is very glutinous, and 

 very like that of elm. It is said to be excellent in elephantiasis, 

 a disorder to which the negroes are much subject. The old 

 bark .passes for a sudorific, and is said to be excellent in dis- 

 eases of the chest, for this purpose boil three or four ounces 

 in three pints of water, and let it be reduced to two. 



Elm-leaved Bastard-cedar or Orme d'Amerique. Fl. Aug. 

 Sep. Clt. 1789. Tree 40 to 60 feet. 



2 G. TOMENTO'SA (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 5. p. 320.) 

 leaves rather hairy above, but clothed with fine white tomentum 

 beneath. Pj . S. Bubroma tomentosum, Spreng. Perhaps suf- 

 ficiently distinct from both the other species. Flowers yellow ; 

 petals ciliated. Leaves serrated. 



Var. a, Mompoxensis (H. B. et Kunth, 1. c.) corymbs twice as 

 long as the leaves ; calyx 2-parted. Tj . S. Native of South 

 America about Mompox, at the river Magdalena, and in New 

 Andalusia. 



Var. ? /3, Cumanensis (H. B. et Kunth, 1. c.) panicles one- 

 half shorter than the leaves ; calyx 3-parted. Tj . S. Native of 

 South America near Cutnana. Perhaps a proper species. 



Tomentose-lezved. American Elm. Clt. 1816. Tree 12 feet. 



3 G. POLYBO'TRYA (Cav. icon. 3. p. 51. t. 299.) leaves vel- 

 vety-tomentose from starry down beneath, younger ones pubes- 

 cent above, adult ones smooth. ^ . S. Native of New Spain 

 and St. Domingo, and perhaps of Brazil, if Bubroma polybo- 

 tryum, Willd. enum. 806. is the same. Guacimo, Hern. mex. 

 401. f. 1. Leaves equal at the base and toothed. 



Many-racemed Bastard-cedar. Clt. 1816. Tree 20 feet. 



4 G. BLU'MII ; leaves ovate-oblong, acuminated, cordate at 

 the base, unequal-sided and unequally toothed, stellately-puberu- 

 lous above, white beneath from stellate down. lj . S. Native 

 of Java. G. tomentosa, Blum, bijdr. ex Schlecht. Linnsea. 1. 

 p. 655. but not of Kunth. 



Blume's Bastard-cedar. Tree 30 feet. 



5 G. GRANDIFLORA ; leaves large, oblong, abruptly acumi- 

 nated, quite entire, 3- nerved, pale beneath; peduncles subrace- 

 mose, and are as well as the calyxes densely tomentose. T; . S. 

 Native of Brazil. Bubr6ma grandiflorum, Willd. herb, ex Spreng. 

 syst. 3. p. 332. 



Great-Jlowered American Elm. Tree 40 feet. 



6 G. INVI'RA ; leaves subcordate, lanceolate, unequally ser- 

 rated, smoothish. 1? . S. Native of Brazil, where it is called 

 Invira. Bubroma Invira, Willd. enum. 806. 



Invira American Elm. Tree 40 feet. 



Cult. The species thrive well in a mixture of loam and 

 peat, or any rich light soil ; and cuttings root freely in any 

 kind of soil if placed under a hand-glass in heat. The seeds 

 retain their power of vegetation a considerable time. 



IV. GLOSSOSTE'MON (from y\<aaoa, glossa, tongue, and 

 aTi)n<iiv, stemon, a stamen ; in allusion to the shape of the sterile 

 filaments,) Desf. mem. mus. 3. p. 238. t. 2. H. B. et Kunth, 

 nov. gen. amer. 5. p. 311. in a note. D. C. prod. 1. p. 485. 



LIN. SYST. Monad&lphia, Polyandria. Calyx 5-parted. Pe- 

 tals 5, each terminated by a filiform point. Stamens 25-35, 

 monadelphous at the base, divided at the top into 5 distinct bun- 

 dles, with a sterile tongue-shaped filament in the middle of each 



bundle. Ovary 1, 5-celled ; cells many-seeded. Style 1. Stigmas 

 5. Capsule globose, covered with bristles. This genus is allied 

 on the one hand to Sparm&nnia and on the other to Byttneria. 



1 G. BRUGUIE'RI (D. C. prod. 1. p. 486.) Tj . F. Native of 

 Persia near Bagdad. Leaves stalked, ovate, roundish, some- 

 what lobed, toothed, hispid from starry hairs. Flowers corym- 

 bous, rose-coloured. 



Bruguiere's Glossostemon. Shrub 10 feet? 



Cult. This shrub only requires to be sheltered from the frost. 

 Cuttings will root freely in sand under a hand-glass. 



V. COMMERSONIA (in honour of Philibert Commerson, 

 M.D. a French botanist from Bourg in Brest. He accompanied 

 M. de Bougainville in his voyage round the world ; on this voyage 

 he stopped at the Isle of France, where he died in 1774, after 

 having explored that island, and collected a great number of new 

 plants). Forst. gen. 43. t. 22. H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen.'amer. 

 5. p. 311. in a note. D. C. prod. 1. p. 486. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Decdndria. Calyx 5-cleft, petal- 

 like, permanent. Petals 5, dilated and saccate at the base, with 

 inflexed margins tapering gradually into a long ligula at the top, 

 adhering to the fertile filaments at the base. Stamens 10, with 

 the filaments connate at the base, with 5 sterile petal-like fila- 

 ments, which spread stellately at the apex, alternating with 5 

 fertile 1-2-antheredones; these are opposite the petals. Anthers 

 2-lobed, opening by a chink on both sides. Styles 5. Ovary 5- 

 celled, 5-valved, each cell containing 3 or 5 ovulae. Capsules 3- 

 5-valved, echinated with villous bristles. Albumen fleshy. 

 Cotyledons flat. Inflorescence cymose. Perhaps sufficiently 

 distinct from Byttneria. 



1 C. ECHINA'TA (Forst. 1. c.) stem arboreous ; leaves ovate- 

 lanceolate, smoothish above, hoary beneath. ^ . S. Native of 

 the Moluccas, New Caledonia, as well as the Friendly and Society 

 Islands. Rumph. amb. 3. p. 119. There is a variety with cor- 

 date, ovate, or unequal leaves. Flowers panicled, hoary. 



Echinate-fruhed Commersonia. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1806. 

 Tree 20 feet. 



2 C. A'SPERA (Colebr. mss. in Roxb. fl. ind. 2. p. 383. under 

 Buttneria,) leaves broad, cordate, entire, obtuse, with a short 

 acumen, pubescent beneath, twice as long as the petioles ; umbels 

 of flowers axillary, corymbose ; capsules very large, with stout 

 short, remote thorns. Shrubby, unarmed. ^ . w . S. Native of 

 Chittagong in the East Indies. B. grandifolia, D. C. prod. 1. 

 p. 486. Stems 2 or 3 feet in circumference. Flowers small, 

 yellowish, and villous without ; pink-coloured within.. This is 

 probably the largest species known. The fruit resembles Da- 

 tura, whence its Bengalee name, Climbing Dhootura. It is a 

 large, rambling, or climbing shrub. 



Rough Commersonia. Shrub cl. 



3 C. JAVE'NSIS ; stem arboreous ; leaves ovate-oblong, acu- 

 minated, unequally cordate, scabrous from stellate down above, 

 and white beneath from tomentum. !? S. Native of Java, 

 C. echinata, Blum, bijdr. ex Schlecht. Linnsea. 1. p. 655. 



Java Commersonia. Tree. 



4 C. HERBA'CEA; leaves cordate, acuminated, toothed; calyx 

 reflexed ; mucrones of petals hairy ; peduncles axillary, few- 

 flowered. If. . S. Native on the coast of Coromandel on the 

 Circar mountains. Buttneria herbacea, Roxb. cor. 1. t. 29,. 

 Flowers small, purple. 



Herbaceous Commersonia. PI. 1 foot. 



5 C. JACKIA'NA (Wall, in Roxb. fl. ind. 2. p. 386. under Butt- 

 neria,') leaves oblong, acuminated, entire, on very short petioles ; 

 flowers axillary, corymbose, on long peduncles ; capsules echi- 

 nated, with softish thorns. J? . w . S. Native of the East Indies on 

 the hills of Penang. A large, climbing, unarmed shrub, rough 



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