559 



Drugs, No. 8, 1885, p. 26; Scott Elliot, Col Rep. Misc. No. 3, 

 1893, p. 21); the Kernels have yielded 70 per cent, of soHd 

 brown fat which could probably be used for soap-making after 

 being decolorised (Col. Rep. Ann. No. 737, 1912, p. 34; JVIisc. 

 No. 88, 1914, p. 568) ; readily inflammable and burning Hke 

 tapers, Golungo Alto (Welwitsch) and contains a red juice, 

 used for skin disease, Sherbro (Garret, Herb. Kew). A juice 

 from the bark is used as a mouth lotion for the common complaint 

 ^' thrush," by the natives Ibadan, S. Nigeria (Punch, Herb. 

 Kew). The wood is said not to last (Foster, Nig. Trees & PL 

 p. 60) to be soft and perishable (Punch, I.e.) ; but ^' fairly good 

 ior roof shingles," Ashanti (Chipp, No. 73, 1912, Herb. Ke^v); 

 white, readily attacked by ants, used for joinery and cabinet- 

 making, Congo (De Wildeman, PL Util. Congo, ii. 1904, p. 362). 



A dioecious tree 30-120 ft. high; 3-5 ft. in diam. *' does not 

 shed its leaves during blossoming , ' ' Ibadan Forest Reserve 

 (Punch, Lc), female flowers on the branchlets of 2 or 3 years' 

 growth below the leaves corymbosely clustered, the male flowers 

 are arranged in dense thjrrsoid panicles which fall together under 

 the male trees, forming heaps on the ground that resemble 

 human ordure, hence the negro name (see above) in Golungo 

 Alto, meaning '' dirt tree " (Hiern, Cat. Welw. Afr. PL iv. p. 913). 

 Welwitsch (Lc.) further describes the female tree as being very 

 productive, each tree bearing many " alquiers " (23 pints) of 

 fruits. 



Ref. — " Pycnanfhus Seeds," in Bull. Imp. Inst. vi. 1908, 

 pp. 377-380 and Col. Rep. T>Iisc. No. 88, 1914, pp. 567-570. 



Mykistica, Linn. 



Myristica fragrans, Houtt, Handleid. iii. p. 333. 



A tree, 30-40 ft. high, with spreading branches ; dioecious. 

 Leaves about 4 in. long and 2 in. wide, alternate, lanceolate, 

 acuminate, coriaceous, shining dark green above, pale green 

 below. Male flowers, small, cymose, yellowish; female flowers 

 solitary or two or three together ; small yellowish. Fruit fleshy 

 more or less globular, about 2 in. or more through, orange yellow. 

 Seed (" Nutmeg '* of commerce) globular-oval about 1 in. in 



diam. hard, aromatic, enclosed in a scarlet arillus (the ** mace '* 

 faded in colour — of commerce). 



III. — Plukenet, Phytog. t. 209 {Niix moschata &c.) : Son- 

 iierat, Voy. Nouv. Guinee, tt. 116, 117, 118; Rumpf, Amb. ii, 

 t. 4 {Nux myristica) ; Gaertner, Fruct. Sem. PL i. t. 41 (Jf . 

 officinalis) ; Plenck. lc. t. 425 {M. officinalis) ; Diet. Sc. Nat. 

 t. 14 [M. aromatica) ; Roxb. PI. Corom. t. 274 {31. aromatica) ; 

 Ha^iie, Darst. Beschr. Gewachse, ix. t. 12 {31. moschata) ; 

 Hooker, Exotic Flora, ii. tt. 155, 156 {M. officinalis)] Bot. Mag. 

 tt. 2756, 2757 {31. officinalis) ; Nees von Esenbeck, Plant, Medic. 

 Diisseld. t. 133 {M. aromatica^ moschata) ; Desc. Ant. vii. t. 662 



