. Annals of natural history. Natural history; Botany; Zoology; Geology. 204 Mr. Schomburgk on the Snake-nut Tree, sparely flowered; the calyx is imbricated, the corolla lias 3 petals, ovate and concave, and is of a lilac colour. What is most remarkable is however the fruit, a thin cori- aceous drupa, with a smooth nut, the kernel of which resem- bles a snake most strikingly. It is covered like the walnut with a membrane ; the embryo is roundish; the head of the snake becomes a claviform radicle, and the tail (Mirbel's scapellus or DeCandolle's 6 tigelle') bears two large foliaceous cotyledons,
. Annals of natural history. Natural history; Botany; Zoology; Geology. 204 Mr. Schomburgk on the Snake-nut Tree, sparely flowered; the calyx is imbricated, the corolla lias 3 petals, ovate and concave, and is of a lilac colour. What is most remarkable is however the fruit, a thin cori- aceous drupa, with a smooth nut, the kernel of which resem- bles a snake most strikingly. It is covered like the walnut with a membrane ; the embryo is roundish; the head of the snake becomes a claviform radicle, and the tail (Mirbel's scapellus or DeCandolle's 6 tigelle') bears two large foliaceous cotyledons, with several nerves, depressed, plaited, and applied to the radicle; the colour of the embryo and cotyledons is white, but the nerves of the latter are of a lake colour ; as soon as exposed to the air they change into a dark-brown. When the fruit is about to ger- minate, the scapellus or bends towards the base of the cotyledons, bursts the nut, and having made room for the seed-lobes, they unfold and take an erect situation, while the rhizoma has sent its roots into the No trials have been made whether the tree or its fruit po sess any medicinal properties: as already observed, the re- semblance of a snake has induced the populace to consider it an antidote for snake-poison. The tree appears to be peculiar to the lower part of the river Essequibo and its tributaries, at least it has not as yet been found anywhere else. It blos- soms in March and April, and its fruit comes to maturity in November. The above figure exhibits the appearance of the embryo after the outer shell has been removed : a, is the radicle or rhizoma ; b, the neck, tigelle, or collet; c, the two cotyledons, which have been unfolded, as they are other- wise applied to d d, and partly surround the embryo. The figures in Plate III. represent the Nut and its snake-like Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - col
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