M A L 



M A L 



flailed, ciliate, spreading, concave ; with long 

 inear claws : the stamina have ten broadish 

 filaments, awl-shaped, erect, placed in a cy- 

 linder, united below, small : anthers cordate : 

 the pistillum is a roundish germ, very small : 

 styles three, filiform : stigmas blunt : the peri- 

 carpiuni is a globular berry, torulose, large, one- 

 celled : the seeds three, bony, oblong, bUuit, 

 angular ; with an oblong blunt kernel. 



The species cultivated are: 1. M. glabra, 

 Smooth-leaved Barbadoes Cherry ; 9.. M.pavici- 

 futia, Poniegraiiate-leavcd Barbadoes Cherry ; 

 3. il/. vrens, Stinging Barbadoes Cherry; 4. 

 M. vilida, Shining-leaved Barbadoes Cherry ; 

 5. M. aiigustiJoUa, Narrow-leaved Barbadoes 

 Cherry; 6. M. crass'ifol'ia. Thick-leaved Bar- 

 badoes Cherry ; 7. M. verlascifoUa, Mullein- 

 leaved Barbadoes Cherry ; 8. M. coccigera, 

 Scarlet Grain-bearing Barbadoes Cherry. 



The first grows to the height of fifteen, six- 

 teen, or eighteen feet, with several trunks, co- 

 vered with a clay-coloured smooth bark, and 

 dividing into many spreading branches, making 

 a pleasant round head : the leaves are opposite, 

 subsessile, acute, continuing all the year : the 

 flowers are in axillary and terminating bunches, 

 or umbels, on peduncles half an inch long, and 

 about four flowers on each, of a bright purple : 

 the pedicels have a single joint : the fruit red, 

 round, the size of a cherry, smooth-skinned, 

 having one or more furrows on the outside, and 

 contaming within a reddish, sweetish, not un- 

 pleasant, copious, juicy pulp. 



It is found in the West-Indies, flowering 

 from December to March. 



The second species rises with a shrubby stalk 

 from seven to ten or twelve feet high, dividing 

 into several slender spreading branches, covered 

 with a light brown bark : the flowers are pro- 

 duced in small umbels at the end of the 

 branches, upon short peduncles : the corolla is 

 pale rose-colour: the berry roundish, pulpy, 

 with several furrrows, red when ripe, inclosing 

 three or four hard angular seeds. It is of the 

 same size and make with our common cherries, 

 very succulent, and of a pleasant subacid taste ; 

 having much the appearance of the pomegra- 

 nate. It is a native of the West-IndieS. 



The third is a shrub, which rises with astrong 

 upright stem about three feet high, covered 

 with a brown bark, sending out several side 

 branches which grow erect : the leaves ending 

 in acute points, sessile, covered with fine bris- 

 tles, which do not appear unless closely viewed : 

 these bristles are double- pointed, and sustained 

 by pedicels of the same fragile transparent sub- 

 stance with themselves, descending from the 



middle of them : these are easily broken, but 

 the bristles enter prettv deep in, and stick close 

 to whatever has forced them off. The flowers 

 come out upon long slender peduncles froin the 

 axils at each joint, foiu", five, or six together, iti 

 a sort of whorl. It flowers in Julv and August, 

 (to October), and is found in the West- 

 Indies. 



The fourth species is a shrub, a fathom in 

 height : the stem upright, round, even : the 

 branches decussated, upright, round, covered 

 with a shining bark : the leaves decussated 

 opposite, oblong, blunt, with a convex margin, 

 nerved, veined, firm, pale-green, shining, on 

 short petioles : the racemes axillarv, sliorter 

 than the leaves, many-flowered : the flowers 

 peduacled, the same size as in the first sort, 

 yellow : the berry three-lobed, three-seeded, 

 and blood-red. It is a native of the West- 

 Indies. 



The fifth rises with a shrubby stalk seven or 

 eight feet high, covered with a bright purplish 

 bark, which is spotted and furrowed, dividing 

 towards the top into several smaller branches : 

 the leaves are numerous, about two inches long, 

 and a quarter of an inch broad, acuminate, of 

 a lucid green on their upper side, but of a russet 

 brovi'n on their under, where thev are closely 

 armed with stinging bristles : the flowers are 

 from the side and at the end of the branches in 

 small umbels, small, and of a pale-purple 

 colour: the fruit small, oval, furrowed, and dark 

 purple when ripe. It is a native of the West- 

 Indies, flowering in June. 



The sixth species is a tree, with the leaves a 

 hand in length, thick, subpelioled, quite entire, 

 pubescent above, lomentose underneath, com- 

 monly alternate : the racemes long, tomentosc; 

 and according to Brown, the upper branches 

 terminate in loose bunches of flowers, each of 

 the divisions being simple, as well as the top 

 of the main supporter, which terminates also 

 in a single spike. It is a native of the West- 

 India islands. 



The seventh has the leaves ending in the 

 petioles, a foot long, villose, clothed under- 

 neath with a very close nap : the racemes long 

 and villose. It is a native of South Ame- 

 rica. 



The eighth species is a very low shrub, 

 seldom rising more than two or three feet 

 high : the stalk thick and woody, as are also 

 the branches, which come out on every 

 side from the root upwards, and are cover- 

 ed with a rough gray bark : the leaves lucid, 

 half an inch long, and almost as much broad, 

 appearing as if cut at their ends, where they 



