93 Observations on the Flora of Coiirtallam. [April 



cdoratissima is most fragrant. The seeds of some of the 

 species are strongly aromatic, those of one, so much so, as 

 to have procured for it in the shops, in Europe, the name of 

 ^Ethiopian pepper. Another species the Monodora myris- 

 tica, has got the name of American nutmeg, on account of its 

 aromatic properties ; and, lastly, Mr. Royle informs us f< that 

 the seeds of the custard-apple contain a highly acrid princi- 

 ple fatal to insects, on which account the natives of India use 

 them powdered and mixed with gram, or Cicer arietinum, 

 for occasionally washing their hair." 



V. Menispermacete 

 A small, but not unimportant, Order, and like the last al- 

 most exclusively tropical. Most of the species are twining 

 shrubs, some of them of great size, chiefly confined to Ame- 

 rica and Asia. The Flore Senegambie has only threes 

 and previous to its publication, only five were known from 

 all Africa. Decandolle enumerates 84 species, twenty-two of 

 which are from equinoctial America and thirty-five East In- 

 dian. Of the latter several, on more careful examination, 

 proved to be only varieties, and have since been reduced, 

 leaving under thirty genuine species. Blume gives charac- 

 ters of 15 genuine and two doubtful species from Java. A 

 few species are found in the warmer valleys of the Himalay- 

 as. Eleven species are referred to the Peninsular flora. The 

 Courtallum one has an equal number ; two or three of which 

 are new ; raising the number for the Peninsula to 13 or 14 

 species. 



The most striking peculiarity of this Order is, the form and 

 structure' of the seed. In all the species there is a degree of 

 obliquity, which in many becomes lunulate, or bent on itself, 

 so that, in place of being straight, the ends of the seed ap- 

 proach each other, till they meet at the foot stalk. Hence, 

 if cut transversely it appears a two celled and two seeded nut, 

 but, when split vertically, is found to have only one long 

 arched cell, somewhat resembling a horse shoe, filled with a 

 single kernel. 



The flowers are generally dioecious, small and numerous. 

 The stamens six, distinct, with a small scale at the base of the 

 filaments, as in cocculus ; or they are numerous, united into 



