BOTANY. 
245 
18. BYTTNERIACEiE. 
Pterospermum, Schreb. 
94. P. suberifolium, Willd. — A tree said by Roxburgh to grow 
in the Island. Bot. Mag. 1526. — Hah. E. Indies. 
Melliania, Ait. ; — Trochetia, D.C. 
95. *M. erythroxylon, Ait. ; Trochetia erythroxylon , Benth. et 
Hk. f.— The Redwood of the Islanders. Grows to a tree twenty 
feet in height, with handsome slender foliage of a pale green ; the 
flowers first appear pure white, changing after a day to pink, and 
finally to a brownish-red as they begin to fade. The wood is hard, 
and of a dull-brown colour. One or two specimens of this beautiful 
indigenous plant still remain growing amongst the Cabbage-trees, 
Ferns, and other native plants in the glens near Dianas Peak and 
High Peak, alt. 5. It is, however, very quickly disappearing, and 
ere long will probably become altogether extinct. Some cultivated 
specimens exist in gardens as low down as alt. 3‘7 ; but altogether not 
more than seventeen or eighteen plants are now to be found in the 
Island — viz., two at Arnos Yale; one at Oakbank ; three or four at 
Bowers’s, in Sandy Bay ; two at Sam. Alexander’s ; one at Southens ; 
six or eight young trees at The Hermitage ; one at Diana s 1 eak ; 
and one at High Peak. It flowers in June. Plate 28. Also Bot. 
Mag. 1000. 
96. *M. melanoxylon, Ait. ; Trochetia melanoxylon , Benth. et 
Hk. f.— The Native Ebony of St. Helena. This plant I believe to be 
now extinct. It formerly grew on the outer portions of the Island 
near the coast, at alts, of 2 to 4, where the weatherbeaten stems 
are still found deeply embedded in the surface soil. The last plant 
I saw was a small one growing in the garden at Oakbank, about 
twenty-five years ago, but it is not tliere now, and I bave seaicliec 
the whole Island over for another, but in vain. The leaves were 
dark-green, and the flowers white; the wood is very hard, heavy 
black in colour, and extremely brittle. It is still collected and turned 
into ornaments, which are much prized on account of its laii y. 
That this tree once formed a considerable portion of the vege- 
tation clothing the Island on those parts that are now quite barren, 
is strongly evidenced by the many references to it m the local re- 
cords. Plate 29. 
