them are placed the ovules. Berry rounded, with a short blunt point, 
nearly as large as a cherry : of a rather dry, coriaceous texture, dotted : 
within, the cells appear to contain a pulpy mass, the receptacular plates 
being apparently dissolved, and the pulp .filled with minute, subreni- 
form, reddish-brown seeds. 
A very singular and interesting plant, of which I have 
made the drawings and my description from excellent speci- 
mens, both dried and preserved in spirits, which were sent me 
by the Reverend L. Guilding from St Vincent's. Of this 
island, as well as others of the West Indies, and upon the con- 
tinent of South America, it is a native, climbing to a great 
height upon the trees, and bearing a profusion of large umbels, 
which, especially when seen in flower, displaying their yellow 
stamens, may not unaptly be compared to many Candelabras. 
Scarcely any one who had not seen the sterile shoots when in a 
growing state, attached to the rest of the plant, could suspect 
them to belong to the same individual, so totally different are 
the leaves both in their shape and texture : they are indeed 
exactly what are described by Willdenow as characteristic 
of his Maixgravia picta, which is probably the same species 
as the present. A third species is the M. coriacea of Vahl, 
with the leaves veinless, and the pedicels whorled. But I must 
here observe, that the foliage in this individual varies with re- 
gard to the distinctness of its nerves, and that the pedicels are 
not, strictly speaking, umbellate ; they do not all rise from a 
common point at the extremity of the stem, but are somewhat 
verticillate, having their receptacle lengthened out. A fourth 
species, M. spic^ora of Jussieu, is a very distinct plant, 
with the pedicels spiked. 
JusslEU, in a valuable memoir on this genus, published in 
the 14th volume of the Annales du Museum, suggested the 
propriety of forming a distinct order, containing Marcgravia, 
Antholoma of Labillardiere, and Norantea of Aublet ; 
and De Candolle, in his Prodromus, adding Ruyschia of 
Jacquin (Simarouba, Aublet) to the number, has consti- 
tuted the Order Marcgraviacece^ and placed it next to Gutti- 
ferce. 
Introduced into our gardens in the year 1792, according to 
Hortus Kewensis ; but it appears never to have flowered in 
our stoves. 
Fig. 1. Fertile branch. Fig. 2. Sterile branch. Fig. 3. Flower, from 
which the corolla. Fig. 4. is removed. Fig. 5. Stamen. Fig. 6. Pistil. 
Fig. 7. Section of the germen. Fig. 8. Fruit. Fig. 9. Seeds. — All but 
Figs. 1, 2, & 8. more or less magnified. 
