348 
The  Useful  American  Myrtles. 
/Am.  Jour,  Pharm. 
1      July,  1882. 
but  is  met  with  in  other  plants  and  doubtless  depends  upon  the  presence 
of  eugonol.  Eugenia  (Myrtus^  Gomez)  pseudo-earvophyllus,  DeC,  and 
Calyptranthes  aroniatica,  St.  Hilaire,  l)oth  indigenous  to  Brazil,  and 
known  there  as  craveiro  da  terra,  possess  this  flavor,  and  the  young 
flower-buds,  particularly  those  of  the  latter,  have  deen  recommended  as 
a  good  substitute  for  cloves ;  a  clove-like  flavor  is  observed  in  all  its 
parts,  and  the  ovate  fruit  is  extensively  employed  both  for  culinary- 
purposes  and  also  in  medicine. 
While  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  botanical  relationship  is  often 
indicative  of  similar  properties  and  composition,  yet  the  odorous  com- 
pounds met  with  in  the  volatile  oils  of  nearly  related  species  are  often 
very  dissimilar,  if  not  in  relation  to  their  chemical  nature,  at  least  in. 
their  sensible  properties,  more  particularly  in  their  odor.  Thus,  for 
instance,  Myrcia  (Myrtus,  Vahl)  coriacea,  DeCand.,  which  grows  in 
many  of  the  West  Indian  islands,  so  closely  resembles  the  bayberry 
tree  that  it  has  been  confounded  with  it  by  as  thorough  a  botanist  as 
Swartz,  but  the  leaves  have  a  lemon-like  odor,  entirely  distinct  from 
the  allspice-like  flavor  of  the  former,  and  it  is  very  obvious  that  the 
volatile  oil  or  the  spirit  distilled  from  them  must  have  very  different 
properties  from  those  of  good  oil  of  bay  or  of  bay  rum.  The  leaves,  like 
those  of  other  myrtles,  vary  considerably  in  shape  and  are  either  oval, 
roundish-elliptic  or  obovate,  obtuse  or  emarginate,  and  usually  opaque, 
though  marked  with  impressed  dots,  some  of  which  become  finally 
pell  acid ;  the  veins  are  not  conspicuous  and  are  usually  joined  near  the 
revolute  margin.  There  are  several  varieties  differing  in  the  pubescence 
of  the  branchlets  and  petioles,  in  the  length  of  the  peduncles,  and  the 
number  of  flowers  borne  by  them.  The  leaves  possess  antiseptic  and 
astringent  properties,  the  bark  is  employed  for  tanning,  and  the  wood 
is  used  for  dyeing  yellow,  green  and  brown. 
Eugenia  (Myrtus,  Swartz)  glabrata,  DeCaiid.,  is  acidulous  aromatic 
in  all  its  parts,  more  particularly  the  black  oblong  berries. 
Eugenia  (Myrtus,  Swartz)  procera,  Poir.,  which  is  found  in  Jamaica 
and  adjacent  islands,  and  also  in  Southern  Florida,  has  pellucid-jnuictate 
leaves  ^vhich  finally  become  leathery  and  opaque  and  then  have  but  a 
slight  odor,  while  the  flowers  are  very  fragrant. 
Eugenia  (Myrtus,  Sprengel)  foetida,  Persoon,  of  Guiana  has  leaves 
possessing  a  disagreeable  odor,  a  property  rarely  met  with  among  the 
myrtles. 
Anamomis  (Myrtus,  Swatiz ;  Eugenia,  Willdenoiv)  irdgram,  Grise- 
