224 HISTORY Of FRUITS, 



The tree is now well known in the West Indies ; and 

 when old, the timber is in request to make wheel-work 

 for various machines. 



As this tree becomes interesting to us from the mention 

 made of it in Scripture, we shall be justified in giving 

 some particulars from the Botanical Manuscript of Mr. 

 Anthony Robinson, who writes thus : 



" On the 8th July, 1759, I had the pleasure of seeing 

 the perfect flower of the hymenaea of Linnaeus expanded, 

 from which I took this description : the receptacle of the 

 cup was bell-shaped, permanent; the perianth consisted 

 of four ovate, coriaceous^ thick leaves, almost equal, 

 placed scale wise, which, for the most part, dropped as 

 soon as the petals were expanded. The leaves of the cup 

 were placed on the margin of the receptacle. The petals 

 were white, five in number, ovate, erect, patent, and 

 almost equal, as long as the cup ; the stamina were ten, 

 subulated, erect, patent filaments, one fourth longer than 

 the petals ; the germen was placed on a receptacle/arising 

 out of a hole in the centre of the receptacle, compressed 

 and small ; the style subulate, and somewhat longer than 

 the stamens ; the stigma coronated ; the anthers were 

 large, oblong, and the flower has nothing of a pyramid 

 in its form. There was great difficulty in getting a com- 

 plete flower, for the leaves of the cup dropped off with 

 the least motion. The petals were considerably perma- 

 nent, but the stamens more so. Linnaeus has described 

 the blossoms erroneously." 



This tree was first cultivated in England, in the year 

 1688. (Hortus Kewensis.) 



