MYRTACE^E 



appearance of the rest of the ovules, and of the second cell ; so that 

 the fruit which forms a rather large elliptical purple berry is only 

 1 -seeded : this is of the same shape as the berry ; its integument 

 thin, and of a soft texture. Embryo likewise elliptical, large, green- 

 ish, fleshy, dotted. Cotyledons unequal, sinuose ; the larger one 

 partly enveloping the smaller, including the superior radicle. Bot. 

 -Mag. Stimulant and carminative, similar in effects to Eugenia 

 Pimenta. The cloves of the shops are the dried flower-buds. Oil of 

 cloves is a common remedy for toothach. 



EUGENIA. 



Calyx-tube nearly globose : limb divided down to the ovary into 

 4 or rarely 5 segments. Petals 4 or rarely 5. Stamens numer- 

 ous, distinct. Ovary 2-celled ; the cells often divided by the 

 large placentae reaching almost to the sides, and there split into 

 2 divaricating segments bearing the ovules : ovules several in 

 each cell. Berry nearly globose, crowned by the segments of 

 the calyx, eventually 1 or rarely 2-celled. Seeds 1-2, large. 

 Cotyledons very thick and fleshy, partially or completely com- 

 bined into one mass with the radicle : radicle very short, scarcely 

 distinguishable. Trees or shrubs. Leaves opposite, quite 

 entire, pellucid-dotted. Peduncles axillary or terminal, solitary, 

 or several together, simple and 1-flowered, or racemose-cymose, 

 or panicled. W. and A. 



155. E. acris W. and Am. prodr. i. 331. Myrtus acris 

 Swartzfl. ind. occ. ii. 909. Myrcia acris DC. prodr. iii. 24-3. 

 Bot. mag. t. 3153. West India Islands. (Wild Clove.) 



Arborescent, glabrous : young branches acutely 4-angled. Leaves 

 elliptic-oval, obtuse, more or less convex, coriaceous, very glabrous, 

 upper side reticulated with elevated veins, finely pellucid-dotted. Pe- 

 duncles compressed, axillary and terminal, trichotomous, corymbose, 

 rather longer than the leaves. Calyx-limb 5-partite ; segments round- 

 ish. Style filiform, acute. Berry globose, 1-4-seeded. W. and A. 

 Supposed to have been confounded with E. Pimenta, in whose aromatic 

 qualities it altogether participates. 



156. E. Pimenta DC. prodr. iii. 285. Myrtus Pimenta Linn. 

 sp.pl.Q1Q. Swartz obs. 202. Bot. Mag. t. 1236. Woodv. 

 t. 26. S. and C. ii. t. 124. West Indies. (Pimento or 

 Allspice.) 



Branches round ; twigs compressed, the younger and the pedicels 

 downy. Leaves oblong or oval, with pellucid dots, somewhat opaque, 

 smooth. Panicles axillary and terminal, trichotomous. Some flowers 

 4-fid and subsessile in the forks of the panicle. Berry globose, 

 1-seeded, black, the size of a pea. Embryo roundish with the cotyledons 

 consolidated. All the plant, especially the unripe fruit, abounds in an 

 essential oil, which is a powerful irritant and is often used to allay 

 toothach. The bruised berries are carminative, stimulating the stomach, 

 promoting digestion, and relieving flatulency. 



76 



