[ 5* 8 ] 
of water, the bark foon became full of a clear muci- 
lage. The young bloftoms put into water with a 
fmall quantity of oil of tartar per deliquium from a 
dark reddilh color, became a light brown j but from 
the fame proportion of oil of vitriol in water, they 
turned to a fine carmine color, which ftained the 
paper of a fine red. This points out its aftringent 
quality. 
Before I come to the botanical characters of our 
Florida Hlicium, I mu ft obferve, that it appears to 
me to be a different fpecies from the oriental one. 
The feed velTels from China, which are to be feen 
in collections of the Materia Medica, efpecially among 
foreigners, fmell very difagreeably of anifeed : our 
Florida feed veil'd is agreeably aromatic, as are the 
leaves and young branches. The flower, according 
to Kaempfer, is of a yellowifh white, and looks at a 
diftance like a Narciftus : ours is of a dark red 
color. 
Kaempfer reckons the number of petals fixteen, and 
the rays or feed-veftels eight : the number of petals 
in ours is from twenty-one to twenty-feven, and the 
feed-veftels twelve or thirteen that ripen. In refpeCt 
to the form and growth of the tree, they are much 
the fame j for inftance, they both grow to the fize of a 
cherry-tree their leaves are of an oblong oval fhape, 
pointed at both ends, ftefby, with few veins, growing 
alternately, and in tufts at the ends of the fmall 
branches. 
Dr. Linnaeus, who takes his characters of the ////- 
ciurn Anifatum (Gen. Plant, p. 244.) from Kaemp- 
fer, places it among the Dodecandria Polygynia. But 
I am perfuaded you will agree with me, that from 
the 
