196 
duous. Stamens definite, inserted into the calyx in two rows, of which the outer is often 
sterile; bursting longitudinally. Ouary superior, 1 -celled; ovule pendulous; style 
1, or none ; peltate. Drupe fibrous, 1 -seeded. Seed solitary, pendulous ; embryo 
without albumen, inverted ; cotyledons somewhat lobed, shrivelled, oily. — Trees. Leaves 
alternate, entire. Spikes or corymbs axillary or terminal. 
Affinities. Adopted from Blume. It appears very near Thymelacese, 
differing almost solely in the fibrous drupaceous fruit, lobed cotyledons, and 
the presence of a sort of involucre to the female or hermaphrodite flowers. 
Hernandia has been hitherto referred to Lauracese or Myristicacese, from both 
of which it is obviously very different. 
Geography. Natives of the Indian archipelago and Guiana. 
Properties. The bark, seed, and young leaves, are all slightly purgative. 
According to Rumphius, the fibrous roots of Hernandia sonora, chewed and 
applied to wounds caused by the Macassar poison, forai an effectual cure. The 
juice of its leaves is a powerful depilatory ; it destroys hair wherever it is ap- 
plied, without pain. The wood appears to he very light. According to Au- 
blet, that of H. guianensis takes fire readily from a flint and steel, and is used 
as amadou. The seeds of Inocarpus are entire, and have a taste similar to 
Chesnuts. 
GENERA. 
Hernandia, L. 
Inocarpus, Forst. 
Order CXLVII. AQUILARIACE^E. The Agallochum Tribe. 
Aquilarine.®, R. Brown Cong. p. 25. (1818) ; DC. Prodr. 2. 59. (1825) ; Royle Illustr. 
171. (1835). 
Essential Character. — CaZya? turbinate or tubular ; limb 5 -cleft; segments spread- 
ing, persistent, with an imbricated aestivation; the orifice furnished with 10 or 5 bearded 
scales (sterile stamens). Stamens 10 or 5, in the latter case opposite the segments of the 
calyx ; filaments, except where united to the tube of the calyx, short or 0, smooth, inserted 
into the orifice of the calyx a little lower down than the scales. Anthers narrow, oblong, 
attached by their back below the middle, 2-celled, opening internally and lengthwise. 
Ovary superior, sessile or stipitate, downy, compressed, 1 -celled, having internally upon 
each flattened side a linear prominent placenta resembling a dissepiment ; hence spuriously 
2-celled, with a very narrow partition ; ovules two, of which one is suspended from each 
placenta, tapering downwards ; style 0, or conical and threadshaped ; stigma large, simple. 
Capsule pear-shaped, compressed, sessile, or stipitate, 1 -celled, 2-valved; valves bearing in 
the middle the placentae which almost touch each other. Seeds one on each placenta, or 
one sometimes abortive, rising up by aid of a funiculus originating near the apex of the 
placenta ; furnished with a tail-like aril, which descends straight from the hilum to the 
bottom of the capsule ; albumen 0 ; cotyledons thick, fleshy, hemispherical ; radicle straight, 
superior. — Trees. Branches smooth, with a tough bark. Leaves alternate, on short stalks, 
entire, without stipules, when full grown smooth, shining, with very fine veins which run 
together into a marginal vein just within the margin. Arnott in litt. 
Affinities. De Candolle places this order between Chailletiacese and 
Terebintacese, but with indications of doubt, and an erroneous character ; and 
Brown seems willing {Congo, 444.) to consider the order a section of Chaille- 
tiacese, adding, that it would not be difficult to shew its affinity to Th^nnelaceae. 
In this I fully concur, after an examination of a specimen of Aquilaria Agal- 
lochum, for which I am indebted to the East India Company; in fact, 
Aquilariacese chiefly difier from Thymelacese in their dehiscent fruit, and pro- 
bably also in the direction of their radicle. In both orders the ovary is superior 
and 1 -celled, both have similar scale-like bodies at the orifice of the calyx, and 
