Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 1 (1843).djvu/416

Rh it has occurred to me that a few notes on this " colossus of the vege- table kingdom," even if they contain nothing new, may not be out of place in the pages of * The Phytologist.'

The Baobab is a native of Senegal and other parts of the western coast of Africa, from the Niger to Benin, "a part of the world," says Adanson, " which has always been justly looked upon as the mother of monsters." This celebrated French naturalist resided in Senegal for about five years, and was probably the first botanist who had the advantage of studying the Baobab in its native country. In 1756 M. Adanson communicated a very full account of this remarkable tree to the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris; his paper, together with an admirable summary of it, were published in the Memoires of the Academy in 1761, and appear to be the chief source whence subse- quent writers have derived their knowledge of the Baobab.

A letter from Adanson to Linnaeus, written four years after the re- turn of the former from Senegal, and previously to the publication of the memoir mentioned above, contains the characters of his new ge- nus, and several remarks upon it ; the following is an extract from this letter, which is printed in the ' Correspondence of Linnaeus and other Naturalists,' ii. 467.

" Paris, Oct. 2, 1758.

u Among numerous new observations in natural history which I have formerly com- municated to the Acadimie des Sciences, is a complete description of the Bahobab, which Bernard de Jussieu has named Adansonia, and of which I had long ago given a description before your letter reached me. B. de Jussieu had refrained from sending you this description during my absence, that he might not deprive me of the opportu- nity of giving you pleasure. I therefore now send the essential parts of the character which you ask for, taken from the Memoirs of the Academy intended for publication, or rather from my own Latin manuscripts, according to the plan of your Genera Plantarum, as I mean to give them to the public.

"Adansonia.

"Calyx. Perianth simple, of one leaf, cup-shaped, divided half way down into five revolute segments, deciduous. [Fig. <?].

"Corolla. Petals five,* nearly orbicular, ribbed, revolute, united by their claws to the stamens and to each other. [Fig. h],

"Stamina. Filaments numerous (about 700), united in their lower part into a co- nical tube, which they crown at the top, spreading horizontally. — [Fig. d.~ Anthers kidney-shaped, incumbent.

"Pistil. Ovary nearly ovate. Style very long, tubular, variously twisted. Stig- mas from 10 to 14, prismatic, shaggy, spreading from the centre.

petals only are shown ; in his separate figure of the corolla there are five petals, which is the normal number.
 * In Adanson's figure of the flower, of which fig. b at p. 436 is a fac-simile, four