136 THALAMIFLOBJE. 



This is a lofty tree, with spreading branches. The fruit is 

 held in some esteem. The fleshy and edible portion is yellow, 

 and of a sweetish somewhat aromatic taste, bearing a resem- 

 blance to that of the carrot, and of a peculiar odour. It 

 is eaten plain, or in slices, with wine and sugar, or preserved 

 in sugar. The seeds are very bitter ; but no other property 

 has hitherto been ascribed to them. A liqueiir has been ob- 

 tained by distillation from the flowers infused in spirits of wine, 

 known in Martinique by the name of Creme des Creoles. The 

 gum, obtained from the stem and branches, is employed by the 

 Negroes as an application to extract chigoes : dissolved in lime 

 juice, it destroys maggots in sores at a single dressing ; and an 

 infusion of the bark is astringent, and is useful to strengthen 

 the recent cicatrices of sores. The tree^ from the root being 

 fusiform, is not easily transplanted. The French name of the 

 fruit is aubricot sauvage : the Spaniards, like the English, retain 

 the Carib designation. 



III. CALOPHYLLUM. 



Calycine sepals 0-2-4, coloured. Petals 4>. Sta- 

 mens numerous, polyadelphous at the base, or free : 

 anthers oblong. Style thick : stigma simple or capi- 

 tate. Drupe globose or ovate, with the nut from 

 abortion 1- rarely 2-seeded. De Cand. 



Trees, with the nerves of the leaves transversely parallel, and 

 with the flowers racemose. Name, from xaXog beautiful, and 

 puXXoii a leaf. 



1. Calophyllum Calaba. Santa Maria. 

 Leaves ovate obtuse, flowers hermaphrodite or sta- 

 meniferous, racemes lateral short. 



Mali Persicae Mammese dictae folio arbor, Sloane, Cat. 180. 

 Arbor altissima foliis oblongis nitidissimis nervosis, Browne, 

 372. Calophyllum Calaba, Jacq. Amer. 269. t. 165. Swartz, 

 Obs. 2[G.De Cand. Prod. I. 562. 



HAB. Damp woods. 



FL. October, November. 



A lofty tree. Leaves shortly petiolate, ovate, obovate, or ob- 

 long, obtuse, emarginate, thick, leathery, shining, about 4 inches 

 in length. Racemes lateral, few-flowered : flowers white, frag- 

 rant, polygamous. Calycine sepals 2, subrotund, concave, ob- 

 tuse with a small point, coloured, deciduous. Petals subro- 

 tund, concave. Stamens in the fertile flowers 10 ; in the bar- 

 ren about 60 ; filaments short : anthers oblong. Ovary subro- 

 tund : style none : stigma capitate. Drupe, according to Jac- 

 quin, green, with the rind thin : nut hard, smooth, ash-coloured. 



This is a common tree, in the damp mountain districts, on 



