CALYCIFLOEJE. 261 



pots. They are chiefly found in Guiana and Brazil. The Brazil-nuts of 

 commerce are the seeds of Bertholletia excelsa, and are formed inside a 

 large round woody seed-vessel. Couroupita guianends, the Cannon-ball 

 tree, yields a fruit containing- a pulp agreeable when fresh ; the shells, 

 like the ''pots" of Lecythis, are used for domestic purposes. The 

 bark of Lecythis Ollaria and other species is separable into line papery 

 layers, used for wrapping- cigars. L. Ollaria is one of the giants of the 

 Brazilian forests ; its seeds are called Sapucaya-nuts. 



BAKRINGTONIACE^E are a small Order of tropical trees and shrubs, 

 placed by most authors among or near the Myrtacege : their foliage agrees 

 rather with that of Lecythidaceae, although without stipules ; but their 

 flowers are destitute of the hood. The structure of their seeds has been 

 misunderstood : they are destitute of perisperm, and consist chiefly of a large 

 axis with minute cotyledons. They appear to have dangerous qualities. 

 Humboldt and Bonpland relate that when the fruit of Gustavia speciosa 

 is eaten by children their skin becomes yellow, but the discoloration dis- 

 appears in a day or two without any treatment. Bamngtonia and Gus- 

 tavia are met with in cultivation as large and showy stove-shrubs. 



are a group of Australian shrubs, of heath-like 

 aspect, distinguished from Myrtaceae proper chiefly by the fringe of scales 

 or bristles which frequently surrounds the tube of the calyx (whence the 

 name of Fringe-myrtles), and by the 1-celled (rarely 2-seeded) ovary. 

 They have no known utility. Illustrative Genera: Chameelaucium, Desf.; 

 Darwinia, Kudge; Calytrix, Labill. Some of the species are very orna- 

 mental as greenhouse plants, as the Darwinias (Ifedaroma) &c. 



BELVISIACE^E consist of a few species of handsome shrubs, belonging 

 to the genera Napoleona, Palis., and Asteranthos, Desf., formerly supposed 

 to be related to Cucurbitaceae and Passifloraceae, but apparently only 

 forms of Myrtaceae remarkable for the several concentric garnopetalous 

 circles of the corolla (or corona), the polyadelphous stamens, and flat 

 stigma. Napoleona imperialis forms a large" fruit, with an edible pulp and 

 a rind containing much tannin. The structure of the flower is curious 

 and interesting. They are natives of tropical Africa and Brazil. 



EHIZOPHORACEJE (MANGROVES) are trees or shrubs growing on 

 muddy sea-shores, with opposite leaves and deciduous convolute inter- 

 petiolar stipules ; flowers with an adherent calyx, 4-12-lobed, the lobes 

 sometimes coherent, valvate ; petals equal to the calyx-lobes in number, 

 springing from the calyx ; stamens perigynous, twice or thrice as many 

 as the petals ; ovary 2-, 3-, or 4-celled, each cell with 2 or more pendu- 

 lous ovules ; fruit 1-seeded, crowned by the calyx ; seeds aperispermic, 

 germinating and forming a very long root before the fruit falls from the 

 tree. (See fig. 9, p. 18.) Illustrative Genera: Rhizophora, Lam. ; Bru- 

 yuiera, Lam. 



Affinities, &c. This small but interesting Order consists of about 29 

 species, of very distinct habit, but somewhat complicated in their affini- 

 ties, agreeing with the Myrtaceae, Melastomaceae, Vochysiaceae, and Com- 

 bretaceae in many respects, while there is a relation with Lythraceae, 

 Cunoniaceae, &c. in others ; Endlicher, as well as Bentham and Hooker, 



