NEW  KIND  OF  MATICO. 
123 
uRamis  ramulisque  striatis  aspero-verruculoso-punctulatis,  junioribus 
appresse  hispidulis,  foliis  breviter  petiolatis,  regido  membranaceis  pellu- 
cido-punctulatis,  supra  opacis  scabriusculis,  subtus  pallidis  puberulia, 
lato-oblongis  vel  (summa)  sublanceolato-oblongis,  plus  minus  insequilate- 
ris,  acuminatis,  basileviter  inaequali  rotuudatis,  lineatomulti-(6-7)-costatis, 
araentis  erectiusculis  folio  brevioribus,  falcatim  curvatis,  pedunculo  petio- 
rum  quater  vel  quinquies  superante,  bracteis  peltatis,  ciliato-fimbriatis, 
baccis  obovato-tetragonis,  vertice  subrotundatis,  semine  conformi  leviter 
areolato." 
Miquel  also  enumerates  the  following  four  varieties : — Forma 
foliis  omnibus  lanceolato-oblongis,  from  Jamaica;  Forma  foliis 
angustioribus,  from  French  Guiana  ;  Forma  caule  ramisque  gla- 
bris,  from  Porto  Kico,  etc. ;  and  Forma  foliis  rugosioribus  et 
magis  scabris,  from  Brazil  and  Bahia.  Hence  it  is  evident  that 
the  species  varies  much  according  to  its  geographical  source, 
which  renders  it  more  probable  that,  although  the  new  matico 
differs  in  some  minor  details  from  Miquel's  description  as  given 
above,  as  it  agrees  in  the  main  with  it,  we  are  correct  in  refer- 
ring it  to  Artanthe  adunca,  Miq. 
Habitat. — Artanthe  adunca  has  a  wide  geographical  distribu- 
tion throughout  the  tropical  regions  of  America.  It  has  been 
found  in  Jamaica,  Barbadoes,  San  Domingo,  Porto  Eico,  the 
Caraccas,  Surinam,  Bahia,  Valencia,  Guiana,  and  the  Brazils. 
Its  wide  geographical  distribution  is  an  additional  argument  in 
favor  of  the  present  kind  of  matico  being  derived  from  it. 
General  Characteristics. — As  imported,  this  new  kind 
of  matico  consists  chiefly  of  dried,  more  or  less  broken,  loosely 
aggregated  or  somewhat  compressed  fibrous  leaves;  together 
with  a  very  few  flower-spikes ;  and  small  fragments  of  branches. 
It  has  a  greenish  color ;  a  strong,  agreeably  aromatic,  and  some- 
what pungent  odor,  in  some  respects  resembling  that  of  true 
matico  ;  and  an  aromatic,  somewhat  spicy,  pungent  taste. 
More  minutely  examined,  the  leaves,  (of  which  some  may  be 
found  nearly  entire)  are  then  seen  to  be  four,  five,  or  more 
inches  in  length,  and  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  and  a 
half  inches  in  breadth.  They  are  oblong,  oblong-lanceolate, 
or  oblong- ovate  in  form,  entire  at  the  margins,  acuminate- 
pointed,  and  somewhat  unequal,  and  more  or  less  rounded  at 
the  base.  They  have  short  petioles,  which  are  channelled 
above,  rounded  beneath,  and  enlarged  at  the  base,  or  part  by 
