3528 



XYLOPIA 



XYLOSMA 



yellowish gray and soft. Two other Ceylon trees with 

 fragrant yellow fls. are X. nigricans, with the calyx- 

 divisions divided almost to the base; and X. Chdm- 

 pionii, with blunt ovoid fl.-buds. 



AAA. African species. 



9. aethiopica, A. Rich. (Unona sethidpica, Dunal. 

 Habzelia sethibpica, A. DC.)- GUINEA PEPPER. NEGRO 

 PEPPER. HABB SELIM. GRAINS OF SELIM. AKOLA. 

 BIKUE. A leafy tree of moderate height: Ivs. coriaceous, 

 glabrous and glossy above, finely appressed pilose 

 beneath, oblong-elliptic or oblong, obtuse or narrowed 

 at the base and more or less acuminate at the apex: 

 fls. solitary or in clusters of several, short-pedicelled; 

 calyx with the segms. broadly triangular and acute; 

 petals on the outside fulvo-sericeous, linear, subcon- 

 cave at the dilated base, the outer ones with thick 

 margins, the inner ones narrower, triquetrous; stamens 

 with the dilated connective puberulous, outer circle 

 of stamens sterile, a little broader than the fertile ones; 

 carpels numerous; ovules 6-8 in a single series; mature 

 carpels subsessile, slender, cylindrical, somewhat in- 

 curved, about 2 in. long, slightly constricted between 

 the seeds, glabrous, vermilion-colored within; seeds 

 6-8, of medium size, ellipsoid, about y&in. long and 

 half as thick. This species is endemic in W. Afr. 

 where its fr. is used as a substitute for pepper. It was 

 known to old authors under the name Piper sethiopicum. 

 Closely allied to this species and similarly used are X. 

 niamniamensis of Cent. Afr., formerly brought by 

 caravan across the Sahara to the shores of the Medit., 

 and X. fiminii, Engler, of the Uganda. So precious are 

 these spices held, not only for seasoning food but for 

 use as carminatives and stomachics, that in certain 

 districts of Afr. they are circulated as money. 



W. E. SAFFORD. 



XYLOSMA (Greek, xylos, wood, and osme, odor; 

 alluding to the aromatic wood of some species). Syns., 

 Myroxylon, Hisingera. Flacourtiacese. About 45 species 



of evergreen, often spiny, trees or shrubs distributed 

 throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of both 

 hemispheres except Afr. Lvs. alternate, short-petioled, 

 usually dentate, exstipulate: fls. small, in axillary ra- 

 cemes, usually dioecious, apetalous; sepals 4-5, slightly 

 connate at the base; stamens many, distinct, surrounded 

 by a disk; ovary superior, surrounded by a disk and 

 sometimes by staminodes, 1-celled with several ovules; 

 styles 2-3, usually connate. Little known in cult.; 

 prop, by seeds and probably by cuttings of half- 

 ripened wood under glass. 



racemosa, Miq. (Hisingera racemosa, Sieb. & Zucc. 

 Myroxylon racemosum, Kuntze). TuNG-CniNG TREE. 

 Small tree or shrub, unarmed or spiny, glabrous: Ivs. 

 ovate, acuminate, rounded at the base, serrate, lJ^-2 

 in. long: fls. yellow, fragrant, scarcely ^in. across, in 

 axillary racemes Yy-\ in. long: fr. globose, M~ /^in- 

 thick, black, 2-3-seeded. Aug., Sept.; fr. in Nov., Dec. 

 Japan, Korea, E. China. S.Z. 1:88. Var. pubescens, 

 Rehd. & Wilson. Tree, to 80 ft.: branchlets pubescent: 

 Ivs. ovate to oblong-ovate, glabrous, 1J4-3 in. long. 

 Cent, and W. China. Only this variety seems to be 

 in cult, and Wilson pronounces it one of the handsomest 

 evergreen trees of China; it has proved hardy in S. 

 England and probably will do well in the southern 

 states and Calif. 



Sdlzmannii, Eichl. Shrub, to 15 ft., glabrous, the 

 sts. and older branches armed with stout branched 

 spines: Ivs. chartaceous, ovate to ovate-oblong, obtuse 

 or obtusely acuminate, cuneate at the base, crenate- 

 dentate, \ 1 A~^ in- long: fls. greenish yellow, fascicled; 

 sepals ciliate; disk of the pistillate fl. annular; styles 

 2, 2-parted at the apex: fr. black, 3-4-seeded. Brazil, 

 Argentina, Paraguay. 



X. Aquifdlium, Sprague. Lvs. holly-like or occasionally nearly 

 entire, haying pair of glands at base of blade, 2-4 in. long: racemes 

 short, axillary, of very small fls.: Styles 6-7. Habitat unknown, 

 probably Polynesia or Austral. ALFRED REHDER. 



