4<J0 M Y R 
common peduncle, which branches out ; and each flower 
(lands on a very (lender pedicel: they are very like the 
flowers of the Italian myrtle. In Linnceus’s Flora Zey- 
lanica, the calyxes are faid to be five-toothed, the corollas 
five-petalled, and the berries white : according to Lou- 
reiro, the calyx is four-cleft, the corolla four-petalled ; 
the ftaniens about one hundred in number; the berry 
white, final!, rpundifti, one-celled, containing about eight 
feeds; but he doubts whether his plant be the fame with 
Herman’s. Native of Ceylon ; probably of other parts 
of the Eaft Indies, and of Cochinchina. Cultivated by 
Mr. Miller before 1759. 
30. Myrtus androfsemoides: racemes axillary and 
terminating, fubcompound ; pedicels three-flowered ; 
leaves ovate-oblong, feflile. The whole plant is frnooth. 
Branches obfcurely four-cornered at top. Leaves very 
large, being a hand or more in length, veined, a little at¬ 
tenuated at top, blunt, not dotted on either fide. Lou- 
reiro defcribes the fpecies to which he gives this name, as 
a very branching fmall tree or Ihrub, five feet high, with 
reddiih-white flowers, the calyx five-toothed, the corolla 
five-petalled. Berry dulky-red. Native of Ceylon, and 
perhaps of Cochinchina. 
31. Myrtus caryophyllata: peduncles trichotomous, 
terminating; calyxes undivided; leaves ovate-lanceolate, 
undotted. This is a tree with round branches. Native 
of Ceylon and other parts of the Eaft Indies: not of 
America. 
32. Myrtus acris: peduncles axillary and terminating, 
corymbed, trichotomous, longer than the leaves; leaves 
elliptic-convex, coriaceous, veined, dotted; ftem arbo¬ 
reous. This may contend the palm of elegance with moft 
trees. It grows (lowly, and flowers late, twice in a year. 
By age it acquires thicknefs and height beyond medio¬ 
crity. Trunk handfome, ftraight, forming a very lofty 
thick beautiful pyramidal head. Bark in the younger 
trees brown, then afh-coloured, finally white entirely, or 
with large yellow fpots ; it is very frnooth and even, ef- 
peeially in old trees, but here and there hangs down in 
(lender (hreds; the flavour is aftringent, not without 
fomething of aromatic. Timber very hard, red, compafif, 
ponderous, and capable of being polilhed ; uffed for the 
cogs of wheels in the fugar-mills, and other works where 
confiderable (ridlion is required. Leaves numerous, quite 
entire, fliining, bright green, with tranfverfe veins, blunt, 
attenuated into a (liort petiole ; they are always oppofite, 
commonly three or four inches long, of a very (weet aro¬ 
matic (rneil, and on account of their agreeable aftringency 
are ufed for fauce with food. Flowers fmall, white with 
a flight tinge of rednefs. Berries round, the fizeof peafc, 
crowned with the remains of the calyx, having an aro¬ 
matic fmell and tafte, which render them agreeable for 
culinary purpofes : they contain about feven or eight 
feeds. Native of the Weft Indies ; Martinico, Guada- 
lotipe, and Grenada, where it is called Bois d'Inde, and 
is fuppoled to have been introduced from the Eaft Indies. 
It is, however, a different fpecies from the M. caryophyl¬ 
lata of that country. Brown fays it is common in An¬ 
tigua and Jamaica, as well as Barbadoes, and grows ge¬ 
nerally to a confiderable fize ; that it fills the woods w'ith 
the fragrant lmell of its leaves, nearly refeinbling that of 
cinnamon ; but that the bark has no warmth cf that fort, 
though the berries refemble cloves very much, both in 
form and flavour. It is commonly called wild cinnamon 
or wild clove tree, in Antigua and Jamaica. It is the bay- 
berry of Hughes. 
33. Myrtus coriacea, or fumach-leaved myrtle: pedun¬ 
cles trichotomous, terminating; leaves roundifti-elliptic, 
convex, coriaceous, veinlefs, dotted, fliining on both fides. 
The whole of this plant is frnooth. Leaves petioled, an 
inch long, emarginate, from a reflex margin becoming 
convex, the upper furface fliining very much, veinlefs, 
tranfverfely but obliquely marked with dufky nerved 
lines; the under furface lefs fliining : the younger leaves 
veined on both fides, with minute railed dots (battered 
TUS. 
over the under furface, which vanilh in the older leaves, 
and they have dulky fpots imprefled on the upper furface. 
Native of the Weft Indies. Sent to Mr. Philip Miller 
by Mr. Robert Millar, furgeon, from Carthagena in New 
Spain. 
34. M) r rtus fragrans, or fragrant myrtle : peduncles 
axillary, trichotomous, and fimple; leaves ovate, (lightly 
convex, fomewhat coriaceous, dotted, frnooth ; ftem ar¬ 
boreous. Native of Jamaica and Guiana. 
35. Myrtus Chinenfis, or Chinefe myrtle: peduncles 
many-flowered; leaves ovate-lanceolate, ferrate, hairy. 
This is an upright (lirub; a foot and a half high, with 
few, afcending, branches. Flowers white. Native of 
China near Canton. 
36. Myrtus pimenta, pimento, Jamaica pepper, or all- 
fpice: flowers trichotomous-panicled ; leaves oblong- 
lanceolate. This tree grows to the height of thirty feet 
or more, with a ftraight trunk, covered with a frnooth 
brown bark, dividing upwards into many branches which 
come out oppofite, garniflied with oblong-acuminate 
leaves, refembiing thofe of the bay-tree in form, colour, 
and texture, but longer, (being four inches in length,) 
and placed by pairs : when thefe are bruifed or broken, 
they have a very fine aromatic odour like that of the fruit. 
The branches grow very regular, fo that the trees make 
a fine appearance ; and, as they retain their leaves through 
the year, the trees are worthy of being propagated for or¬ 
nament and (hade about the habitations of the planter*. 
The flowers are produced in large loofe bunches from the 
fide of the branches, towards their ends, each branch is 
alfo terminated by a larger bunch than the other; the 
flowers are fmall, and of an herbaceous colour. A branch 
of this is (liown on the Plate, at fig. 2. 
Mr. Miller fays they are male and female upon diftinft 
trees, and defcribes both. Swartz informs us, that the 
pimento is a polygamous tree, having the barren and fer¬ 
tile (lowers either together, or on a riiftinfet tree ; that the 
calyx, which is called the fruit, or is inferior, is prefent 
in moft of the fpecies, but by no means fuffices for the 
charadfter of a diliinfef genus, rather performing the office 
of a bradte; and that the berry is moft commonly one- 
feeded, though foinetimes it feems to be three-feeded. 
Brown fays, that fome of thefe trees are frequently ob- 
ferved to be barren, which has introduced a notion among 
the people of Jamaica, of their being male and female 
trees in general, and that fome of the male or barren trees 
were requifite in every walk ; all thofe however that he 
obferved, bore only hermaphrodite flowers ; and he was 
credibly informed that thofe called male trees, when lop¬ 
ped and broken like the reft for one or two years, bear 
very well; which he is the more apt to believe, as he never 
obferved a diftinfet male or female flower on any of them. 
He defcribes the root as branched and fpreading, the 
trunk frnooth and (hort, feldom above eight or ten inches 
in diameter, the top generally pretty much divided, and 
rifing in clofe tufts, the leaves and bark very warm, and 
full of aromatic particles, which makes the planters very 
cautious of fire in all pimento-walks, where, if it (hotvid 
once catch, it would run with great fury. 
Linnaeus (ays, that the calyx of the fruit is inferior and 
four-toothed, but the calyx of the flower fuperior and 
four-parted ; and that the berry has two (feeds. Gasrtner 
defcribes the berry as fpherical, crowned with the calyx, 
which is fiattifh, deprefied, and five-notched ; it is flelhy, 
two-celled, and gratefully aromatic : receptacle in the 
upper part of the partition. Seeds two, rounded-kidney- 
form, fomewhat convex on one fide, flat on the other, 
rufefcent, not (Lining. Integument Angle, fomewhat 
membranaceous, thin. No albumen. Embryo roundiih. 
Cotyledons linear-acuminate, very (hort. Radicle very 
long, thick, fpirally convoluted, afcending or fuperior. 
The pimento-tree is a native of the Weft Indies, and 
flowers in June, July, and Auguft. The berries are chiefly 
imported into England from Jamaica, whence the name 
Jamaica pepper. It is alio named ull-fpice, from a notion 
3 of 
