206 An ACCOUNT of the 



Dr Patrick Browne, and after him Mr Long, in their 

 Hiftories of Jamaica, mention this tree by the names of Xylo- 

 picrum^ Xylopia glabra, Bitter-wood or Bitter AJh. Mr Long, 

 in fpeaking of the $uajfia Amara y thinks the Bitter Am of St 

 Chriftopher's is the fame, but does not feem to know whe- 

 ther the Bitter Afh has been found in Jamaica. 



Dr William Wright, F. R. S. of London, Edinburgh, &c. 

 in his Account of the Medicinal Plants growing in Jamaica *, 

 mentions this tree under the title of Picrania Amara, a new 

 genus belonging to the clafs Pentandria Monogynia, and fays it is 

 ufed in putrid fevers as an antifeptic, and that lefs of it will do, 

 than of the ^uajfia Amara of Surinam. Dr Wright was natu- 

 rally led to place this tree in the clafs and order he has done, 

 from finding hermaphrodite flowers and feeds on the fame tree ; 

 at the fame time he remarks, that this tree has a great affinity to 

 the genus Quaflia. 



Dr Olaaf Swartz examined raoft of the plants in Jamaica 

 and the other iflands. He probably had feen the fame tree in 

 flower and fruit, and in his Prodromus, he ftyles it, " ^uaj/ia 

 " Exce/fa, floribus hermaphroditis 5dris paniculatis, foliis im- 

 " pari-pinnatis, foliolis oppofitis petiolatis, petiolo nudo.'' 



No other particular defcription of this tree has yet appeared ; 

 and as both bark and wood may be in more general ufe, I 

 have taken fome pains to examine this new fpecies, and I hope 

 the following account of it will enable the botanift, or any 

 other, to find it. I have, however, given a drawing of the 

 leaves and fructification, which will put every thing out of 

 doubt. 



The Quaflia Polygama is a very common tree in moft of our 

 woodlands. It is beautiful, tall and (lately. I have meafured 

 one, which was ioo feet in length, and ten feet in circumfe- 

 rence, 



* London Medical Journal, part 111. for 1787. 



