QUASSIA POLTGAMA. 207 



Fence, eight feet above the ground. The trunk is ftraight, 

 fmooth and tapering, fending off its branches towards the top. 



The outfide bark is pretty fmooth, of a light gray or afh 

 ■colour, from various lichens. The bark of the roots is of a 

 yellow caft, fomewhat like the Cortex Simaruba. The inner 

 bark is tough, and compofed of fine flaxy fibres. 



The wood is of a yellow colour, tough, but not very hard- 

 It takes a good polifh, and is ufed as flooring. 



The leaves are fub-alternate ; the fmall leaves are in pairs, 

 from five to eight, (landing oppofite to each other on fhort foot- 

 ftalks, and ending with an odd one. They are of an oblong 

 oval lhape, and pointed ; the ribs reddifh, and the young leaves 

 are covered with a fine brownifh down. The flowers come 

 out in bunches or clufters from the lower part of the laft 

 fhoot before the leaves, and (land on round foot- ftalks. The 

 flowers are fmall, of a yellowifh green colour, with a very fmall 

 calyx. The male or barren tree has flowers nearly fimilar to 

 the hermaphrodite, but in it there are only the rudiments of a 

 ftyle. 



The fruit is a fmooth black drupa, round fhaped, and 

 of the fize of a pea. There is but little pulp, and the nut 

 covers a round kernel. Thefe drupes are generally three, fome- 

 times two, and often only one, attached fide ways to a roundifh 

 flefhy receptacle. It flowers in October and November, and its 

 fruit is ripe in December and January. 



Except the pulp of the fruit, every other part of this tree 

 has an intenfely bitter tafte. From this quality, Sir Joseph 

 Banks, Dr Solander, and Dr Wright in the paper above 

 mentioned, gave it the name of Picrania Amara. In tafte and 

 virtues, it is nearly equal to the ^uqjjia of Surinam, and I am 

 credibly informed, is fold in London for the ^uajjia Amara, 

 and it may be fafely ufed in all cafes where that drug has been 

 thought proper, whether as an antifeptic, or in cafes of weak- 

 ness 



