Myristica moschata, M. officinalis, or aromatica.—­This tree is of a larger growth than the clove, attaining a height of thirty feet, and has its leaves broader in proportion to their length; the upper surface of these is of a bright green, the under of a greyish color.  It is a dioecious plant, having male or barren pale yellow flowers upon one tree, and female or fertile flowers upon another.  The fruit is drupaceous, and opens by two valves when ripe, displaying the beautiful reticulated scarlet arillus, which constitutes mace.  Within this is a hard, dark brown, and glossy shell, covering the kernel, which is the nutmeg of the shops.

The kernels of M. tomentosa are also used as aromatics, under the name of wild or male nutmegs.

Lindley describes two other species, M. fatua, a native of Surinam, with greenish white flowers, and M. sebifera or Virola sebifera, a native of Guiana, with yellowish green flowers.

By expression, nutmegs are made to yield a concrete oil, called Adeps Myristicae, or sometimes erroneously oil of mace.  A volatile oil is also procured by distillation.  Nutmegs and mace are used medicinally as aromatic stimulants and condiments.  In large doses they have a narcotic effect.  The fleshy part of the fruit is used as a preserve.

Dr. Oxley has given such an admirable account of the nutmeg and its cultivation, as the result of 20 years experience in Singapore, that I shall draw largely from his valuable paper, which is contained in the second volume of “The Journal of the Indian Archipelago,” page 641.

The nutmeg tree, like many of its class, has a strong tendency to become monoecious, and planters in general are well pleased at this habit, thinking they secure a double advantage by having the male and female flowers on the same plant.  This is, however, delusive, and being against the order of nature, the produce of such trees is invariably inferior, showing itself in the production of double nuts and other deformities.  It is best, therefore, to have only female trees, with a due proportion of males.

The female flowers, which are merely composed of a tripid calyx and no corolla, when produced by a tree in full vigor are perfectly urceolate, slightly tinged with green at the base, and well filled by the ovary, whereas the female flowers of weakly trees are entirely yellow, imperfectly urceolate, and approach more to the staminiferous flowers of the male.

The shape of the fruit varies considerably, being spherical, oblong, and egg-shaped, but the nearer they approach sphericity of figure, the more highly are they prized.

There is also a great variety in the foliage of different trees, from elliptic, oblong and ovate, to almost purely lanceolate-shaped leaves.  This difference seems to indicate in some measure the character of the produce; trees with large oblong leaves appearing to have the largest and most spherical fruit, and those with small lanceolate leaves being in general more prolific bearers, but of inferior quality.