MENISPERMACE^;. 15 



1 1 A I}. Mountain woods in the interior of the Island. 



FL. ? 



A tree of moderate height : branches lax, diverging ; branch- 

 lets flexuose, virgate, glabrous. Leaves subdistichous, very 

 shortly petiolate, oblong, acuminate at both ends, shining above, 

 3 4 inches long. Peduncles axillary and inter-foliaceous, 

 generally 3 4 together, rarely solitary, 3 4 lines long, 1- 

 flowered : unexpanded flowers ovato-trigonal. Calyx 3-partite ; 

 lobes very small, rounded, concave, ciliated. Petals white, 

 sub-equal. Anthers 16, acuminate, subsessile, inserted on a 

 globose receptacle. Ovaries 6 8, oblong, angulated, hairy. 

 Berries substipitate, coriaceous, elliptico-ovoid, glabrous, mu- 

 cronate. 



I have not had an opportunity of examining the flowers or 

 fruit of either of these species of Lancewood, as they have be- 

 come, though formerly common, very rare in the districts in 

 which I have resided. According to Lunan, the former of 

 these species is known by the name of the black, and the latter 

 by that of the white Lancewood. The name Lancewood is given 

 from the circumstance of the stem of the tree being straight, 

 light, and tough, and therefore well adapted for the shafts of 

 lances. Both species appear to be equally esteemed, and sought 

 after for the shafts of chaises. 



ORDER V. MENISPERMACE^. 



Flowers by abortion unisexual, most frequently 

 dioecious, very small : sepals and petals confounded, 

 definite in number, deciduous. $ Stamens mona- 

 clelphous or rarely free, equal in number to the petals, 

 and opposite to them, or 3 or 4 times more numerous. 

 9 Ovaries Tew, free, rarely united together. Drupe 

 in almost all berried, 1-seeded, oblique, orlunulated : 

 seed corresponding in shape : embryo curved or peri- 

 pheral : albumen none or small, fleshy. 



This order is composed of twining or sarmentaceous shrubs : 

 stipules none : leaves alternate, simple, rarely compound, mu- 

 cronate : flowers small, usually racemose. The roots and the 

 mature stems, are bitter, tonic, and exciting, and have been 

 celebrated as diuretic and stomachic. As examples, we may 

 instance COCCULUS PALMATUS, a native of Southern Africa, the 

 roots of which are known by the name of Col&mba or Calumba : 

 and the CISSAMPELOS PAREIIIA, a common plant in this, as 



