274 
Varieties. 
(  Am.  Jottb.  Phabm. 
t    June  1,  1871. 
I  have  so  often  and  in  so  many  ways  demonstrated  to  the  Academy 
that  in  plants  the  male  element  is  a  latter  and  inferior  creation,  that 
it  seems  almost  superogatory  to  point  out  that  these  plants  illustrate 
the  same  principle.  But  it  is  a  part  of  the  record  of  what  I  believe 
to  be  unobserved  facts  in  relation  to  these  species,  therefore  I  briefly 
allude  to  them.— Pro^?.  Acad,  Nat  Scl,  No.  3,  1870. 
TJie  Camphor  Tree  of  Sumatra. — Among'  the  most  luxuriant  and  valuable  trees 
of  the  island  of  Sumatra,  the  first  place  belongs  to  the  Dryobalanoips  camphora. 
The  tree  is  straight,  extraordinarily  tall,  and  has  a  gigantic  crown,  which  often 
overtops  the  other  woody  giants  by  one  hundred  feet  or  so.  The  stem  is  some- 
times twenty  feet  thick.  According  to  the  natives,  there  are  three  kinds  of 
camphor  tree,  which  they  name  "  mailenguan,"  "  marbin  tungan."  and  "  marbin 
targan,"  from  the  outward  color  of  the  bark,  which  is  sometimes  yellow,  some- 
times black,  and  often  red.  The  bark  is  round  and  grooved,  and  is  overgrown 
with  moss.  The  leaves  are  of  a  dark  green,  obioug  oval  in  shape  and  pointed. 
The  outward  form  of  the  fruit  is  very  like  that  of  the  acorn,  but  it  has  five  round 
petals.  These  are  placed  somewhat  apart  from  each  other,  and  the  whole  form 
much  resem.bles  a  lily.  The  fruit  is  also  impregnated  with  camphor,  and  is  eaten 
by  the  natives  when  it  is  well  I'ipened  and  fresh. 
The  amazing  height  of  the  tree  hinders  the  regular  gathering,  but  when  the 
tree  yields  its  fruit,  which  takes  place  in  March,  April  and  May,  the  population 
go  out  to  collect  it,  which  they  speedily  effect,  as,  if  the  fruit  be  allowed  to 
remain  four  days  on  the  ground,  it  sends  forth  a  root  about  the  length  of  a 
finger,  and  becomes  unfit  to  be  eaten.  Among  other  things,  the  fruit  prepared 
with  sugar  furnishes  a  tasty  comfit  or  article  of  confectionery.  It  is  said  that 
it  is  very  unhealthy  to  remain  near  the  camphor  tree  during  the  flowering 
season,  because  of  the  extraordinary  hot  exhulations  from  it  during  that  period. 
The  greater  the  age  of  the  tree  the  more  camphor  it  contains.  Usually  the 
order  of  the  rajah  is  given  for  a  number  of  men,  say  thirty,  to  gather  camphor 
in  the  bush  belonging  to  territory  which  he  claims. 
The  men  appointed  then  seek  for  a  place  where  many  trees  grow  together; 
there  they  construct  rude  huts.  The  tree  is  cut  down  just  above  the  roots,  after 
which  it  is  divided  into  small  pieces,  and  these  are  afterward  split,  upon  which 
the  camphor,  which  is  found  in  hollows  and  crevices  in  the  body  of  the  tree 
and,  above  all,  in  the  knots  and  swellings  of  branches  from  the  trunk,  becomes 
visible  in  the  form  of  granules  or  grains.  The  quantity  of  camphor  yielded  by 
a  single  tree  seldom  amounts  to  more  than  half  a  pound,  and  if  we  take  into 
account  Ike  great  and  long  continued  labor  requisite  in  gathering  it,  we  have 
the  natural  reply  to  the  question  why  it  fetches  so  high  a  price.  At  the  same 
time  tha;  the  camphor  is  gathered — that  is,  during  the  cutting  down  of  the  tree 
