N A U C L E A. 
perianth flefhy, unequally many-cleft. Corolla ufually 
five-cleft, with as many flamens. Style very long, con¬ 
globate every way into a large hoary head, by their united 
force concealing the golden florets. Stigma entire, tur¬ 
binate, acuminate. Fruit: a berry compounded of the 
flefhy perianths of the florets, coalefcing irregularly into 
a globular lacunofe body. Gartner defcribes it as a 
capfule, inferior, final], turbinate, corticate, crowned 
with a callous ring, the remains of the fallen flower, finooth, 
two-grained : rind coriaceous, opened at top by the 
gaping grains ; which are cartilaginous, hard, whitifli, 
convex on one fide, flightly concave on the other, one- 
celled, opening elaftically two ways at top. Receptacle 
triple : firft, of the fructification, globular; fecondly, of 
the fruit, filiform, between the'grains, and inferted into 
their upper part, as in umbellate plants ; thirdly, of the 
feed, a prominent nerve of the gaping future of the grains, 
by which the feeds hang. Seeds in each grain about fix- 
teen, linall, ovate, comprefled a little, or fomewhat angu¬ 
lar, mernbranaceous-margined, attenuated at top into a 
briftle-lhaped tail, rufefcent. Native of the Eaft Indies, 
Cochin China, and the Society Illes. The wood is yellow, 
folid, beautiful and fit for all works within doors; expo- 
led to air and wet, it rots quickly. 
2. Nauclea parvifolia, orlmall round-leaved nauclea: 
leaves oval, peduncles terminating folitaryorin threes. 
Trunk ftraight, with a brownifh-grey cracked bark. 
Branches oppofite, numerous, fpreading, forming a large 
oval lhady head. Leaves oppofite, decuflated, entire, 
fmooth. Petiole channelled ; ftipules large, oblong, ob- 
tufe, glutinous, falling; peduncles fingle or three ; when 
three, the middle one is fnorteft, near the apex jointed, 
and braCted, each fupporting a fingle globular naked head 
of florets. Flowers final], light yellow. Receptacle 
chaffy: chaffs wedge-form, hairy at their infertions. 
Calyx very minute, entire; divifions of the corolla 
pointed, fpreading; filaments inferted juft within the 
mouth of the tube; antherae ere£t ; oblong, pointed above; 
ftyle nearly twice the length of the corolla; ftigma large, 
refting on the ftyle; capfules turbinate, covered with a 
fcabrous cruft or bark, which fplits irregularly when the 
feeds are ripe: within is the proper two-celled capfule, 
each confiding of one valve, opening round the apex, and 
down on the infide. Seeds feveraf, very minute, oblong, 
tailed, inverfe, imbricated round the outfide of their 
receptacles with the infection downwards. This grows 
to a large tree, and is a native of almoft every part of the 
coaft of Coromandel, but chiefly among the mountains, 
flowering during the cold feafon. It is called bota-cadamie 
by the Telingas. The wood is of a light cheftnut colour, 
firm and clofe-grained. It is ufed for various purpofes, 
where it can be kept dry; but, if expofed to wet, it foon 
rots. This fpecies is reprefented on the annexed Plate; 
3. Nauclea purpurea, or purple nauclea : leaves oblong, 
pointed, peduncles terminating folitary or in threes. 
Trunk irregular, with a fcabrous afh-coloured bark. 
Branches oppofite, decuflated. Leaves oppofite, decollat¬ 
ed, fhort-petioled, quite entire, very fmooth and fhining 
both above and below, from four to nine inches long. 
Flowers'larger than in either of the former, and purple. 
It is a fmall tree : a native of the moift valleys among the 
Circar mountains, flowering in April or the beginning of 
the hot feafon. —Bagada of the Telingas. 
4. Nauclea Africana, or feflile-flowered nauclea: leaves 
oblong-ovate, pointed; thorns none; heads of flowers 
feflile, terminal; ftamens longer than the tube of the co¬ 
rolla, reflex.ed; ftigma oblong. Gathered by Ifert in 
Guinea. 
5. Naftclea latifolia, or broad-leaved African nauclea : 
leaves large, roundifh, fmooth; thorns none; heads of 
flowers terminal, on fhort ftalks; ftigma oblong, furrowed; 
ftipules triangular, deeply divided. Gathered by the late 
Mr. Smeathman at Sierra Leone. 
6 . Nauclea coadunata, or combined nauclea: leaves 
V®fc. XVI. No. 1139. 
m 
heart-lhaped, obtufe, fomewhat downy ; thorns none ; 
ftigma pyramidal; ftipules rounded, reticulated, combined 
at the bale. Communicated by Dr. Roxburgh from Cal¬ 
cutta under the above name. The leaves are not unlike 
thole of Ficus Bengalenlis in fhape and fize, but lefs 
coriaceous. Flowers orange-coloured. 
II. Heads of flowersaxillary. 
7. 'Nauclea gambir, or gambeer-nauclea: leaves ovate, 
pointed, fmooth; ftem climbing; branches round ; ftipules 
undivided; ilower-ftalks axillary, becoming hooked fpines. 
Native of Amboyna, in thickets, efpecially near the coaft. 
It is cultivated, according to Mr. Hunter, fecretary to the 
Afiatic Society, for the lake of the drug called gambeer, 
which is an infpiflated extraft from its leaves. In the 
Prince of Wales’s Illand, where this gentleman made his 
obfervations, a Chinefe prepared the gambeer under his 
infpebtion. This article had previoully been fuppofed 
the produce of the Mimofa catechu. The plant, however, 
is cultivated for this purpofe in Sumatra, along the Malay 
coaft, and other places, A red rich foil is preferred, on 
the fide of the hill, as the fhrubs do not thrive in inundat¬ 
ed fituations, though a rainy fealcm is favourable to the 
crop: They are propagated from feed, and are tranfl 
planted when nine inches high. Nine pounds of leaves 
yield above ten ounces of gambeer. The qualities of this 
drug are aftringent and tonic. Its firlt tafte is bitter and 
aufiere, but a permanent fweetnefs remains. A purified 
white fort is preferred for chewing with the leaves of 
betel, its molt frequent ufe. The coarler kind ferves for 
tanning and dyeing, in China and Java. The ftem of 
this (limb climbs to a great height, when it meets with 
fupport ;-and lias a rough brown bark. The branches are 
crowded, round, fmooth, the young ones oppofite, widely 
fpreading. Leaves oppofite, on fiiort ftalks, undulated, 
entire, above three inches long, and near an inch and • 
half wide, fmooth and (killing on both lides, paler beneath, 
withlbme axillary hairinefs where the veins branch from 
the mid-rib. Flower-ftalks folitary, ftraight and hori¬ 
zontal, not half the length of the leaf, round, flightly 
thickened at the bale, furniflied with a brableated joint 
towards the extremity, which finally feparates, after the 
feeds are ripe, the lower part of the fialk being permanent 
and becoming a recurved hooked fpine. The flowers 
compole a globe, about an inch in diameter; and are 
defcribed by Rumphius as purplilh and inodorous. The 
(lender capfules, almoft an inch long, are elevated on 
ftalks nearly their own length. Seeds numerous, imbri¬ 
cated, minute, with an oblong, jagged, membranous 
appendage at each end. The branches, which have at¬ 
tained the thicknefs of two fingers, are laid by Rumphius 
to difcharge, when wounded, a copious limpid fluid, which 
is a wholelome and pleafant drink. 
8. Nauclea acida, or acid-leaved nauclea : leaves ovate, 
pointed; fmooth ; ftem climbing : branches quadrangular; 
ftipules deeply divided ; flower-ftalks axillary, becoming 
hooked comprefled fpines. Sent by Mr. Hunter from 
Soongey Clooan, in the Prince of Wales's Ifland. It 
differs from the laft very effentialiy in the deep divifions 
of its broad permanent ftipules. The flower-ftalks are 
fnorter, and, when they become fpines, much broader and 
comprefled, fo much incurved as frequently to complete 
a circle. The leaves have an acid tafte. This fpecies is 
very common in Amboyna: the flowers appear in Febru¬ 
ary, and are of a dirty white, but much admired for their 
grateful and permanent fcent, like oil of cinnamon, or 
like jafmine. 
9. Nauclea fcandens, or climbing hairy nauclea: leaves 
ovate, pointed, hairy, as well as the branches; ftent 
climbing ; ftipules in two deep linear fegments; flower- 
ftalks axillary, becoming hooked hairy fpines. Native of 
various parts of the Ealt Indies: communicated by Dr. 
F. Buchanan. Diftinguifhed from the two laft by-the 
rufty hairinefs of its fquare branches, the narrowuefs of 
7 Q the 
