838 



MYRTACE^E. XXVIII. MYRCIA. 



n 1"4 Lobes of calyx roundish, full of pellucid dots. Style 

 and all the parts of the inflorescence velvety. Leaves rather 

 villous when young, adult ones glabrous, except on the nerves -y 

 the under surface, 2 inches long, and 9 lines broad deflexed. 

 Young fruit ovate. Cotyledons corrugated. Panicles twir m 

 the axils of the upper leaves. 



Deflexed Myrcia. Shrub 2 to 3 ft. 



6 M.? THOMASIA'HA (D. C. 1. c.) peduncles axillary and ter- 

 minal, opposite, racemose, usually 6-flowered ; ped.cels oppo- 

 site, 1-flowered, furnished with one bractea at the base of each ; 

 flowers 5-cleft; leaves elliptic, acuminated opaque, shining 

 above, and full of impressed dots on both surfaces, as well as the 



ranches b . S. Native of the Island of St. Thomas ex 

 herb Deless. Peduncles, bracteas, and calyxes puberulous 

 when examined by a lens. Stamens length of petals. Fruit and 

 seeds unknown. 



St. Thomas Mvrcia. Shrub 6 to 10 feet. 



7 M. CORIA'CE! (D. C. prod. 3. p. 243.) peduncles terminal, 

 panicled, glabrous, longer than the leaves; branchlets distant, 

 opposite, bearing 1-3 flowers at the apex ; flowers 5-cleft, nearly 

 naked ; leaves obovate or elliptic-roundish, obtuse, coriaceous, 

 opaque, with somewhat revolute margins, shining on both sur- 

 faces, full of impressed dots above, and are, as .well as the 

 branches, glabrous. *. S. Native of the Canbbee Islands. 

 -Plum. ed. Burm. t. 208. f. 2. Pluck, aim. loS. f. 3 Myr- 

 tus coriacea, Vahl, symb. 2. p. 59. Myrtus cotinifolia, Poir. 

 diet 4. p. 410. Myrtus acris ft, Swartz, prod, and Myrtus co- 

 riacea, Swartz, fl. ind. p. 912.? but the flowers are said to be 4 

 cleft. Bracteoles hardly any under the flowers. Berry globose, 

 size of black pepper. Seeds 1-2, nearly globose. Cotyledons 

 foliaceous, corrugately complicated. 



Coriaceous-leaved Myrcia. Clt. 1759. Shrub 4 to G ft. 



8 M. A'CRIS (B.C. 1. c.) pe- FIG. 122. 

 duncles axillary and terminal, 



trichotomous, corymbose, com- 

 pressed, longer than the leaves ; 

 flowers 5-cleft ; leaves elliptic, 

 obtuse, convex, coriaceous, quite 

 glabrous, reticulated above from 

 elevated veins, full of very fine 

 pellucid dots. b s - Native 

 of the West Indies, in mountain 

 woods and pastures. Hook. bot. 

 mag.3153. Myrtus acris, Swartz, 

 fl. ind. occ. 2. p. 909. Myrtus 

 caryophyllata, Jacq. Caryophy'l- 

 lus racemosus,Mill. diet. Myrtus 

 acris, Coll. hort. ripul. p. 49. 

 but not of Sieb. Pluk. aim. t. 

 155. f. 3. Berry oblong, accord- 

 ing to Swartz. Allied to Eugenia Pimenta, but differs in the 

 flowers being always 5-cleft. In Jamaica this tree is commonly 

 called mild cinnamon or mild clove tree. It is a handsome tree, of 

 a pyramidal form. The timber is very hard, red, and weighty, 

 capable of being polished, and used for mill cogs. The leaves 

 have a very sweet aromatic smell, and on account of their agree- 

 able astringency often used in sauce. The flowers are small 

 and white, with a slightly reddish tinge. The berries are round, 

 and are as large as peas, and have an aromatic smell and taste, 

 which renders them agreeable for culinary purposes. The tree 

 grows in Antigua, Jamaica, and Barbadoes, and fills the woods 

 with the fragrant smell of its leaves, resembling that of cin- 

 namon, i 



Sharp-tasted Myrcia, Wild cinnamon or Wild clove. Fl. May, 

 July. Clt. 1759. Tree 20 to 40 ft. 



9 M. PIMENTOIDES (D. C. 1. c.) peduncles axillary and ter- 



minal, trichotomously panicled ; flowers 5-cleft, those in the 

 forks sessile, the rest pedicellate ; leaves ovate, coriaceous, 

 opaque, shining ; branchlets acutely tetragonal, and are, as well 

 as the pedicels, glabrous. 1? . S. Native of the West India 

 Islands, and now cultivated in the East Indies. Myrtus pimenta 

 latifolia, Roxb. hort. beng. p. 37. Myrtus citrifolia, Poir. 

 diet. 4. p. 410. Div. ab. Eugenia citrifolia of the same author. 

 As variable a plant as Eugenia Pimenta, the leaves lanceolate 

 and acuminated, ex Poir., but oval and obtuse in the speci- 

 mens, some collected in Guadeloupe, and others in the bo- 

 tanic garden at Calcutta, but it differs from Eugenia Pimenta in 

 the branches being acutely tetragonal. The leaves, berries, and 

 flower-buds have a hot taste, and a fragrant smell, like those of M. 

 acris, and are used for culinary purposes. 



Pimento-like Myrcia. Fl. May. Clt. ? Tree. 



10 M. LEPTO'CLADA (D. C. prod. 3. p. 244.) peduncles axil 

 lary and subterminal, loosely panicled, glabrous, length of the 

 leaves ; pedicels 1-flowered, short ; flowers 5-cleft ; leaves ellip- 

 tic-oblong, acuminated, full of pellucid dots, and are glabrous, 

 as well as the branches. T? . S. Native of St. Domingo. Very 

 like M. multiflbra. Leaves 3 inches long, and an inch broad. 

 Flowers small. Lobes of calyx 4, 2 obtuse, and 2 acutish. 

 Berry globose, 1 -seeded. Seeds shining. Cotyledons foliaceous, 

 corrugately plicate. 



Slender-branched Myrcia. Shrub 5 to 6 ft. 



11 M. SPLE'NDENS (D. C. 1. c.) peduncles axillary and ter- 

 minal, panicled, and are as well as the branches villous ; buds 

 very villous; leaves ovate-elliptic, acuminated, full of large 

 pellucid dots, glabrous, shining above, areolate with promi- 

 nent and anastomosing veins ; flowers small, 5-cleft. J? . - 

 Native of St. Domingo and Guadaloupe, among shrubs on 

 the mountains. Myrtus splemlens, Swartz, fl. ind. occ. 2. p. 

 907. Eugenia periplocifolia, Jacq. coll. 2. p. 108. t. 4. Eugenia 

 microcarpos, Lam. diet. 3. p. 201. Eugenia laxiflora, Poir. 

 suppl. 3. p. 123. ? Leaves an inch and a half long. Berry glo- 

 bose, scarlet. Seeds 2, hemispherical. Cotyledons corrugated. 

 There are varieties of this plant with the panicles either longer 

 or shorter than the leaves, and the flowers either 4 or 5-cleft. 



Far. ft, Mini (D. C. 1. c.) peduncles shorter than the leax 

 flowers 4-cleft. Jj . S. Native of Cayenne. Eugenia Mini, 

 Aubl. <mian. 1. p. 498. t. 197. Perhaps a variety of M. nmUi- 

 fldra, but according to the figure it comes nearer to M. splendens. 

 Perhaps two species are confused under the name. Perhaps Eu- 

 genia patens of Poir. suppl. 3. p. 124. is referrible to this plant. 

 Splendent Mvrcia. Clt. 1803. Tree 12 to 20 feet. 

 12 M. MUI/TI'FLORA (D. C. 1. c.) peduncles axillary and ter- 

 minal, paniculate, longer than the leaves, and are, as well as the 

 branches, glabrous ; leaves oval, bluntly acuminated, membra- 

 nous, full of pellucid dots, with the veins rather prominent on 

 both surfaces, and confluent near the margin. *?. . Native 

 of Cayenne. Eugenia multiflbra, Rich, in act. soc. hist. nat. par. 

 1792 p. 110. Lam. diet. 3. p. 302. Myrtus multiflora, Spreng. 

 syst 2 p 485. but not of Jaume. Allied to M. splendens, but 

 differs in the flowers being small, glabrous, and 5-cleft. Frm 

 globose. Seeds 1-2, large, with a hard testa. Cotyledons f 

 ceous, corrugated. 



Many-flowered Myrcia. Shrub. 



13 M. FA'LLAX (D. C. 1. c.) panicles subterminal ; raclns com- 

 pressed; immature fruit ovate, but when mature globose ; leaves 

 glabrous, shining, elliptic, ending in a linear, obtuse, abrupt acu- 

 men, having the lateral veins hardly prominent and confluent at 

 the margins. Tj . S. Native of French Guiana. Eugenia fallax, 

 Rich. act. soc. hist. nat. par. 1792. p. 100. Leaves full of pel- 

 lucid dots. Pedicels pubescent. Lobes of calyx rounded at 

 the base, smoothish, permanent, but the tube is white and 

 downy. Seed 1. Style hooked, according to Leblond. 



