568 
- MALPIGHIA coccifera. 
Kermes-Oak-leaved Barhadoes- Cherry. 
ee 
DECANDRIA TRIGYNIA. 
Nat. ord. Mapicuia (MALPIGHIACER). Jussieu gen. 252. Div. I, 
Germen simplex. Fructus monocarpus. 
MALPIGHIA. Supra vol. 2. fol. 96. 
M. coccifera, foliis subovatis dentato-spinosis. Lin. sp. pl. ed. 2.1. 611. 
Malpighia coccifera. Cavan. diss. 8. 408. t. 235. fig. 2. Jacq. ic. rar. 3. t. 
470. coll. 2.311. Willd. sp. pl. 2.737. Hort. Kew. ed. 2. 3. 105. 
Malpighia humilis, ilicis cocciglandifere foliis. Plum. gen. 46. ic. 168. fig. 2. 
Frutex diffusus, ramosissimus, sempervirens, 4-pedalis ramis teretibus, 
asperis, junioribus etiam fuscis. Folia opposita, subovata, brevissimé petio- 
lata, glabra, leté virentia, nitida, parva, obtusa v. retusa, dentato- spinosa, 
rigidula, raro inermia integerrima Buxoque tunc simillima. TPedunculi in 
ramulis brevibus terminales, tum etiam alii axillares, longitudine plis minis 
foliorum, solitarii vel gemelli, plerumque uniflori, rarivs bifidi et biflort, 
geniculati, ad geniculum brevissime bracteati, infra hoc virescentes, supra 
idem purpurascentes. Flores inodort. Calyx punctatus, virescens. Petala 
rosea. Antherz lutea. Calycis pentaphylh et parvi foliola sunt lanceolata, 
acuta, concava et erectiuscula; quorum duo proxima dorso duos glandulas ob- 
longas singula gerunt; horum latus claudentia duo unicam; his intermedium 
glanduld caret. Petala inequalia ex longo gracilique ungue in subrotundam 
et crispam laminam latescunt quorum duo magis approximata locantur ad ca- 
lycis foliolum eglandulosum. Styli 3 incurvati. Bacca magnitudine Pisi 
majoris trisulcata, rubra. Semina rugosa. Jacq. coll. 1. c. 
Introduced before 1733, by Dr. Houstoun, from the 
West Indies; but the time of flowering being left in blank 
in the Hortus Kewensis, it has probably never flowered at 
Kew. 
The drawing was taken this summer, from a plant in the 
hothouse at the nursery of Messrs. Colvill in the King’s 
Road, Chelsea. 
Jacquin describes the species as a straggling numerously 
branched evergreen about 4 feet in height, with round rough 
branches which are brown instead of green even in the 
young wood. Leaves opposite nearly ovate, very shortly 
petioled, smooth, bright-green, shining, obtuse, or retuse, 
dentately spinous, rather stiff, seldom spineless and quite 
entire, but when so, very like those of the Box-tree. Pedun- 
cules terminating the short branchlets, sometimes axillary, 
