154 MIMOSACEAE. 



2. OHKYSOBAI.AinJS L. Sp. PI. 513. 1753. 



Trees or shrubs, with coriaceous, entire or undulate-margined leaves, and 

 small, white or greenish, perfect flowers in terminal or axillary cymes or 

 panicles. Calyx with a oampanulate or turbinate tube and a 5-lobed limb, the 

 lobes imbricated, nearly equal. Petals 5, deciduous. Stamens numerous, with 

 slender filaments. Ovary inferior, sessile, 1-celled; ovules 2, erect; style fili- 

 form, basal or lateral. Drupe pulpy, with a hard 5-6-ridged stone. [Greek, 

 golden date.] About 3 species, 2 of them American, the other African. Type 

 species: Chrysoialanus Icaco L. 



Fruit oval or globose ; petals cuneate. 1. C. Icaco. 



Fruit obovoid ; petals spatulate. 2. 0. pellocarpus. 



1. Chrysobalanus Icaco L. Sp. PI. 513. 1753. 



An evergreen tree or shrub, attaining a maximum height of about 10 m., 

 with a trunk sometimes 3 dm. in diameter, the thin bark brownish, the twigs 

 glabrous or nearly so, reddish brown. Leaves elliptic to obovate or nearly 

 orbicular, 4-8 cm. long, glabrous, rounded, obtuse or emarginate at the apex, 

 narrowed at the base, dark green and shining above, dull beneath, the petioles 

 short, stout; cymes peduncled, several-many -flowered, shorter than the leaves; 

 calyx pubescent, its lobes triangular-ovate, acute, about 2.5 mm. long; petals 

 white, cuneate-spatulate, twice as long as the calyx-lobes; drupes various, 

 globose or oval, pink, white or purple, '2-4 cm. long. 



Coastal thickets and. woodlands and especially on the borders of swamps. 

 Great Bahama, Andros, New Providence, Eose Island, Great Guana, Great Exuma, 

 Eleuthera, Cat Island, Watling's, Crooked Island, Inagua, Dellis' Cay (Caicos) and 

 Ambergris Cay (Turk's Islands) : — Florida; West Indies; Mexico to northern conti- 

 nental South America ; tropical Africa. Poek-fat Apple. Coco Plum. Catesby, 1 : 

 pi. 25. 



2. Chrysobalanus pellocarpus Q. ¥. W. Meyer, Prim. PI. Esseq. 193. 1818. 



CJirysobalamis Icaco pellocarpus DC. Prodr. 2; 525. 1825. 



Similar to the preceding species, but not attaining as large size, usually a 

 shrub 2 m. high or less, sometimes a small tree. Leaves usually smaller, 6 cm. 

 long or less, rounded or abruptly acute at the apex; cymes shorter than the 

 leaves; petals spatulate; drupe mostly obovoid, or oblong-obovoid, 1.5-2 cm. 

 long, purple. 



Borders of swamps, Great Bahama, Andres, New Providence and Great 

 Exuma : — Florida ; Cuba to Porto Eico ; Guadeloupe ; South America. Probably a 

 race of C. Icaco. 



Family 3. MIMOSACEAE Eehb. 



Mimosa Family. 



Herbs, shrubs or trees, with alternate, commonly 2-3-pinnate leaves, 

 the stipules various, and small regular mostly perfect flowers in heads, 

 spikes or racemes. Calyx 3-6-toothed or 3-6-lobed, the teeth or lobes 

 mostly valvate in the bud. Corolla of as many distinct or united petals, 

 also valvate. Stamens distinct, or monadelphous. Ovary 1-celled; style 

 simple. Fruit a legume. Seeds without endosperm; cotyledons fleshy. 

 About 40 genera and 1500 species, mostly tropical. 



A. stamens numerous, at least more than 10. 

 Stamens united below Into a tube. 

 Pods not plastically dehiscent. 



