﻿198 MR. J. MIERS ON THE LECYTHIDACE^ 



acutatis, apice rotundatis, et in acumen breve acutum repente constrictis 



mar 



nibus oTOssule et crennlato-serratis, supra sublucentibus, vix opacis, rufescent 



viridibus, subcoriaeeis, nervis pruinosis patentibus arcuatim nexis, venis creberrime 

 reticulatis, costa striolata, immersa, subtus pallide vel ocbraceo-brunneis, subniten- 

 tibus, costa striolata nervisque prominentibus ; petiolo valido, supra piano et margi- 

 nato, subtus convexo, limbo 24plo breviore : pauicula terminali, laxe ramosa, folio 

 subsequilonga, ramisque vix crassis, longiusculis, patentissirais ; racbi crebriliora, 

 angulato-striata, rugulosa, prominenter nodosa ; floribus sessilibus, cum nodis articu- 

 latis ; calyce primum globoso, dcmum in lobos 2 diviso, lobis bemispbsericis concavis, 

 crassiusculis, patentibus, apice obsolete crcnulatis, extus pruinosis ; ovario infero, 

 turbinate, 4-loculari, vertice intra discum parvo, radiatim striate ; stylo subbrevi, 

 subinflexo. In regione Amazonica et Guiana : v. s. in herb. Hook., Para (Martim) ; 

 in Amazonas, sine loco (Burchell, 9226, 9314, 9879 in parte) : t\ fr. s. in Mus. Kew. 



■ 



(Spruce) ; in 31us. Brit, (sine loco). 



This species differs from tlie former in its loftier growth, its immense trunk bare to a 

 great height, stouter branches, leaves of a more rufescent hue, with more numerous closer 

 nerves, more reticulated, on much shorter petioles, in its broader panicle with several 

 long branches spreading horizontally, in the rounder and more entire calycine lobes. It 

 forms a tree above 120 feet hifirh, with a trunk 14 feet in diam. up to a height of 50 feet, 



and quite bare to the height of 100 feet ; its leaves are 10-15 in. long, 3|-4i in. broad, 

 on a petiole 3 to 6 lines long ; the panicle is about 10 in. long, with about 5 horizontal 

 branches 3-5 in. long ; the floriferous nodes are ^\ in. apart. The fruit (Plate XXXVIL 

 figs. 4-7) is globular, 4-4J in. in diam., with a much thicker, rougher, darker, and 



more cracking resilient bark 3 lines thick ; the endocarp is 4 lines thick, subosseous 



the inconspicuous calycary zone is 9-12 lines below the summit ; the upper zone, 6 lines 

 in diam., has a sharp edge, concave and widening inwards ; the operculum, of the same 

 diameter, rises little above the mouth, is pulvinately depressed, radiately sulcated, 

 shortly umbonate at the apex, persistently attached to the columella, which is at first 

 slender, 4-angular, gradually swelling to the base into a club-shaped placenta, upon 

 which the erect crowded seeds are affixed by a nearly basal ventral hilum ; as this colu- 

 mella shrivels in drying, it draws along with it the operculum into the cavity of the cell, 

 the cavity of the shell, originally 4-celled, becomes unilocular by the withering ot ^ 

 slender dissepiments, and contains 20 sharply triquetral seeds, which are closely com 

 pacted, entirely filling the cavity, without the trace of any pulp. 



These seeds are known in commerce as Brazil nuts ; the amount exported from r 

 alone m six months of the year 1863 was 18,862 alquieres ; and from Hanaos, on the BjO 

 Negro, 9976 alquieres. Taking this to be the average export for 1 year, tbe yie 

 amounts to about 2^ millions of the fruits, or 50 millions of seeds, occupymg the 

 bulk of 60,000 bushels : this does not include the several other large quantities exporte 

 from the Eio Orinoco, Demerara, Cayenne, Maranhao, and other places. These seeds, m 

 Brazil, may be valued at about 30 shillings per bushel. The hard fruits which fall to c 

 round are broken in the forests by Indians, where a man and a boy will break abou 



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