27 CINNAMODENDRON CORTICOSUM 



of tlie cells (normally 20) frequently more or less abortive, and 

 thus varying in number, orange, dehiscing vertically. Pistil 

 superior, cylindrical flask-shaped, smooth, surrounded at the base 

 by a short, white, cup-shaped hypogynous disk ; ovary large, 1- 

 celled, with 5 (or 4) large and prominent parietal placentas, to 

 which are attached numerous (about 60) uniform stalked ovules ; 

 style short and thick, slightly narrower than the ovary, extending 

 just beyond the staminal tube ; stigmas 5 (or 4) in a star round 

 the capitate summit of the style. Fruit a smooth broadly ovoid 

 berry J inch long, somewhat tapering at the base, and supported by 

 the persistent, thickened sepals, with a strong blunt point at its 

 apex, 1 -celled; pericarp thin, with the 5 (or 4) large dilated 

 placentas projecting far into the cavity, and the 10 20 seeds 

 (some abortive) densely packed and surrounded with mucilage. 

 Seeds about ~ inch long, somewhat reniform, compressed and 

 slightly keeled, surface finely shagreened, bright brown, with 

 the small hilum in the concavity, inner coat membranous, white ; 

 embryo very small, excentric, curved, near the surface of the 

 copious rather fluid endosperm, radicle long, terete, near the 

 hilum, cotyledons small. 



Habitat. This tree is confined to the island of Jamaica, where 

 it seems to be local, growing in the higher mountain woods of 

 S. John, S. Thomas in the Yale and Bath parishes. Though 

 long known, this tree remained undescribed till less than twenty 

 years ago, when Mr. Miers gave full and accurate botanical 

 characters. It is stated in the ' Botanical Magazine ' to grow 

 also in the island of S. Thomas. Specimens have been in culti- 

 vation at Kew and the Botanic Society's garden for some years, 

 and it flowered for the first time in the latter place in 1874. 



In our description of the floral envelopes we have followed 

 Miers and Eichler ; the authors of the ' Genera Plantarum ' 

 consider the outer envelope as 3 bracts, and the " corona " as a 

 corolla, our corolla being the calyx. The details of the 'Bot. 

 Mag/ figure are incorrect, especially the ovary, which is repre- 

 sented as 3-celled. 



The only other species of the genus is the Brazilian G. axillaris, 



