MENISPERMACEiE. 
15 
HAB. Mountain woods in the interior of the Island. 
FL. ? 
A tree of moderate height : branches lax, diverging ; branch- 
lets flexuose, virgate, glabrous. Leaves subdistichous, very 
shortly petiolate, oblong, acuminate at both ends, shining above, 
3 — 4 inches long. Peduncles axillary and inter-foliaceous, 
generally 3 — 4 together, rarely solitary, 3 — 4 lines long, 1- 
flowered : unexpanded flowers ovato-trigonal. Calyx 3-partite ; 
lobes very small, rounded, concave, ciliated. Petals white, 
sub-equal. Anthers 16, acuminate, subsessile, inserted on a 
globose recept.acle. Ovaries G — 8, oblong, angulated, hairy. 
Berries substipitate, coriaceous, elliptico-ovoid, glabrous, mu- 
cron, ate. 
I have not had an opportunity of examining the flowers ox- 
fruit of either of these species of Lancewood , as they have be- 
come, though formerly common, very i-are in the districts in 
which I have resided. According to Lunan, the former of 
these species is known by the name of the black, and the latter 
by that of the white Lancewood. The name Lancewood is given 
from the circumstance of the stem of the tree being straight, 
light, and tough, and therefore well adapted for the shafts of 
lances. Both species appear to be equally esteemed, and sought 
after for the shafts of chaises. 
ORDER V. ME NI SPERM ACE^E. 
Flowers by abortion unisexual, most frequently 
dioecious, very small : sepals and petals confounded, 
definite in number, deciduous. — $ Stamens mona- 
delphous or rarely free, equal in number to the petals, 
and opposite to them, or 3 or 4 times more numerous. 
— ? Ovaries few, free, rarely united together. Drupe 
in almost all berried, 1 -seeded, oblique, or lunulated : 
seed corresponding in shape : embryo curved or peri- 
pheral : albumen none or small, fleshy. 
This order is composed of twining or sarmentaceous shrubs : 
stipules none : leaves alternate, simple, i-arely compound, niu- 
cronate : flowers small, usually racemose. — The roots and the 
mature stems, are bitter, tonic, and exciting, and have been 
celebrated as diuretic and stomachic. As examples, we may 
instance Cocculus PALarATUS, a native of Southern Africa, the 
roots of which are known by the name of Colombo or Calumba : 
and the Cissamtelos pareira, a common plant in this, as 
