November 21, 1895] 



NATURE 



65 



established a cocal or cocoa-nut plantation with about 25,000 

 trees. Many of these are now in full bearing, and bring a regular 

 revenue to the Government. The locality is exposed to the full 

 force of the waves from the Caribbean Sea, and large quantities 

 of wreckage, sea-weeds, and drift-fruit are thrown high up on 

 the beach. The drift-fruits collected in 1884 were forwarded to 

 Kew, and most of them were easily determined. The fruit under 

 notice was, however, quite new, and it was placed in a cabinet 

 with others until sufficient material had accumulated to lead to 

 its identification. In November 1887, a further specimen was 

 sent to Kew, by Mrs. Hubbard. This, singularly enough, had 

 been picked up on the shore of Bigborough Bay, in the south of 

 England. It is quite possible in this instance it may have been 

 derived from a wreck, or thrown overboard from a passing ship, 

 but, as Mrs. Hublmrd aptly remarks, " such a fruit is not among 

 the usual articles of import, and further, our south-west coasts 

 are very likely to receive Gulf-stream waifs and strays." It was 

 still, however, undetermined. The presence of the resin-cysts 

 was always regarded as a character of some value. From the 

 large collections in the Museums of Economic Botany at Kew a 

 clue was at last obtained by the assistant, Mr. J. M. Hillier, in 



Representation of a Jamaica drift-fruit (natural size), i, external aspect; 

 2, cross-section ; 3, longitudinal section. 



the fruits of Hutniria gabonensis, belonging to the natural order 

 HtimiriaceiE. These were somewhat smaller and more globular 

 than the Jamaica drift-fruit, and, being covered with a brown 

 fibrous epicarp, looked very different. The bony endocarp was, 

 however, similar in character and plentifully furnished with 

 resin-cysts. The natural order Humiriacece is a small one, and 

 consists of plants entirely confined to tropical America, with the 

 single exception of the species already mentioned. The theory 

 was that the drift-fruit had been derived from tropical America, 

 and not from Africa. The American genera of Huniiriacete are 

 Vantanea, Humirta, and Sacoglottis. The balance of prob- 

 ability at the time was in favour of Humirta, and jMssibly of 

 H. balsamifera. The fruit of the latter was, however, unknown. 

 After the publication of the note in Nature special attention 

 was given to the subject, with the result, as shown later, that the 

 mystery connected with it was completely solved. 



In 1887, Colonel Feilden, a member of the West India 

 Exploration Committee stationed at Barbados, found a specimen 

 on the beach of that island, while two years later Dr. H. A. 

 Alford Nicholls, of Dominica, fished up a similar specimen off" the 

 <land of Mustique, between St. Vincent and Grenada. 



The most important result was, however, obtained from the 



NO. 1360, VOL. 53] 



island of Trinidad. In March 1889, Mr. J. H. Hart, Superinten- 

 dent of the Botanic Garden at Trinidad, wrote as follows : " I am 

 extremely pleased that you called my attention to the Jamaica 

 drift-fruit. I remember the specimens well, and cut several of 

 them in Jamaica at the time we were packing the set you sent to 

 Kew for the Botany o{ the Challenger Expedition. As soon as I 

 read your article in Nature, I commenced a search among the 

 material in the herbarium here, and found a drawing of Saco- 

 glottis, by Criiger,! with dissections of the flower and fruit. These 

 made it evident that the plant which produces the unknown fruit 

 is a native of Trinidad. Feeling further interested in the 

 matter, I communicated with Mr. Syl. Devenish, the friend and 

 companion of Crliger on many of his excursions, and I learnt 

 further particulars as follows. When travelling in the forest at 

 Irois, in the south-eastern part of the island, they found on the 

 beach specimens of the fruit in question. Following up the 

 stream they came to the tree producing it. from which, I pre- 

 sume, the drawings were taken. In addition, Mr. Devenish 

 gave me a fruit, which I now send, to show there can be no 

 mistake in the matter. This was collected by himself on the 

 spot, so that there can be no doubt of the identity of the species 

 we are both discussing. Mr. Devenish states that the tree is 

 very rare. He saw but two in all his travels through the island. 

 It is known locally as Cojon de Burro. It is probable that a 

 greater portion of the drift-fruits found in Jamaica and elsewhere 

 are produced on the mainland of South America, and are brought 

 down by the flood waters of the Orinoco and the Amazon." 

 On receipt of Criiger's drawings, Prof. Oliver at once expressed 

 the opinion that they afforded a satisfactory solution of the 

 problem. He stated: "The fruit of Sacoglottis amazonica is 

 unknown, but Criiger's drawings correspond well with the floral 

 analysis of the plant given by Dr. Urban." The latter mono- 

 graphed the HuviiriacecE in Martius' " Flora Brasiliensis." 



It may be mentioned, in passing, that Dr. Urban had already 

 ventured an opinion that the fruit might belong to Sacoglottis, 

 but there were no fruits available for comparison in the herbaria 

 at Kew, Berlin, or Paris. 



The Humiriacece consist of trees or shrubs mostly with balsamic 

 juice. The Balsam of Unieri, possessing the properties of 

 Peruvian and Copaiva, is the produce of Huniiria floribunda, 

 A preparation of the juice of this and H. balsamifera has the 

 odour of Storax, and is made into ointment and used internally. 

 Although very different in habit, the Humiriacece are not far 

 removed from the Flax order, Linetc. 



Sacoglottis amazonica is a moderately large tree, thirty to forty 

 feet high, with a stout stem of an ash-grey colour. The leaves 

 are alternate, slightly crenulated along the margin, and with 

 two small glands at the base. The flowers are arranged in lateral 

 panicles, petals yellowish-green, the anthers are ten in number, 

 five long, five short, joined at the base. There is an annular 

 disk closely girding the liase of the ovary ; the latter is five-celled, 

 with a solitary ovule in each cell. The fruit was unknown until 

 recently. It is described for the first time below. 



Criiger's drawings, so thoughtfully sent by Mr. Hart, con- 

 sisted of two .sheets of dissections, with descriptive notes, all 

 apparently done on the spot. They are minutely drawn, and 

 give characters that are omitted even in the elaborate drawings 

 in the " Flora Brasiliensis." They remind one of the careful 

 field notes and sketches made by Sir Joseph Hooker in the 

 Himalaya, by the late Dr. Thwaites in Ceylon, by Sir John Kirk 

 in tropical Africa, and Mr. C. B. Clarke in India. The more 

 recent botanical explorers are in no way behind their prede- 

 cessors in regard to the skill and energy shown in selecting and 

 drying their plants ; but it may be mentioned, without dis- 

 paragement of their invaluable services to science, that they do 

 not, as a rule, devote the same attention as the older botanists 

 to field notes and dissections, and thus a large amount of very 

 interesting and accurate information is lost. Such information 

 can never be obtained from the specimens themselves, however 

 well they are mounted, in our National herbaria. It is certain 

 that but for Criiger's drawings in this instance we should not, 

 even now, have had the means of determining the origin of the 

 Jamaica drift-fruit. 



Since 1889 it has been sought to obtain fresh fruits of 

 Sacoglottis amazonica from Trinidad or South America. These, 

 so far, have not been received. There can, however, be no doubt 

 of the identity of the plant. In order to obtain final evidence 

 on the subject, my colleague, Dr. Stapf, the Assistant for India 



'Dr. Herman Criiger, formerly Colonial Botanist and Superintendent of 

 the Botanic Gardens, Trinidad. 



