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| DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF PLANTS
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| THE, EXOTIC COLLECTION
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THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
WILLIAM SAUNDERS,

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| WASHINGTON:

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.

1872.

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DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF PLANTS

IN

THE EXOTIC COLLECTION

THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

PREPARED BY

Meni bAM SAUNDERS;

SUPERINTENDENT OF GARDENS AND GROUNDS.

Westin G TON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
L372.

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Novre.—tThis descriptive catalogue is prepared for the purpose of serv-
ing as a guide to those who desire to inspect and study the plants in the
conservatories of the Department. It is not intended for distribution,
tut to remain in the building.

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——

DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF PLANTS.

ABELMOSCHUS MOSCHATUS.—This plant is a native of Bengal. lis
seeds were formerly mixed with hair-powder, and are still used to per-
fume pomatum. The Arabs mix them with their coffee-berries. In the
West Indies the bruised seeds, steeped in rum, are used, both externally
and internally, as a cure for snake-bites.

ABRUS PRECATORIUS.—Wild Liquorice. This twining, leguminous
plant is a native of the East, but is now found in the West Indies, and
other tropical regions. It is chiefly remarkable for its small oval seeds,
which are of a brilliant scarlet color, with a black scar at the place
where they were attached to the pods. These seeds are much used for
necklaces and other ornamental purposes, and are employed in India as
a standard of weight, under the name of Rati. The weight of the famous
Koh-i-noor diamond is known to have been ascertained in this way.
The roots afford liquorice, which is extracted in the same manner as
that from the true Spanish Liquorice plant, the Glycyrrhiza glabra.

ABUTILON VENOSUM.—This Malvaceous plant is common in col-
lections, as are others of the genus. ‘They are mostly fiber-producing
species. The fiowers of A. esculentum are used aS a vegetable in
Brazil. .

A. INDICUM furnishes fiber fit for the manufacture of ropes. Their
leaves contain a large quantity of mucilage. |

ACACIA HOMOLOPHYLLA.—This tree furnishes the scented Myall
wood, a very hard and heavy wood, of an agreeable odor, resembling
that of violets. Fancy boxes for the toilet are manufactured of it.

ACACIA BRASILIENSIS.—This plant furnishes the Brazil wood, which
yields a red or crimson dye, and is used for dyeing silks. The best
quality is that received from Pernambuco.

ACACIA DEALBATA.—The Silver Wattle tree of Australia. The bark
is used for tanning purposes. It is hardy south.

ACACIA MELANOXYLON.—The wood of this tree is called Myall wood
in New South Wales. It is also called Violet wood, on account of the
strong odor it has of that favorite flower; hence it is in great repute
for making small dressing-cases, &c.

ACACIA MOLLISSMIA.—The Black Wattle tree of Australia, which fur-
nishes a good tanning principle. These trees were first called wattles
from being used by the early settlers for forming a network or wattling
of the supple twigs as a substitute for laths in plastering houses.

ACACIA CATECHU.—The drug known as catechu is principally pre-
pared from this tree, the wood of which is boiled down, and the decoction
subsequently evaporated, so as to form an extract much used as an
astringent. .

The Acacias are very numerous, and yield many useful products.
Gum-arabic is produced by several species, as A. vera, A. Arabica, A.
Adansonii, A. verek, and others. It is obtained by spontaneous exuda-
tion from the trunk and branches, or by incisions made in the bark,
from whence it flows in a liquid state, but soon hardens by exposure to
the air. The largest portion of the gum comes from Barbary. Gum-

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senegal is produced by A. vera. By some it is thought that the timber
of A. Arabica is identical with the Shittim tree, or wood of the Bible.
From the flowers of A. farnesiana a choice and delicious perfume is
obtained, the chief ingredient in many valued “balm of a thousand
flowers.” The pods of A. concinna are used in India as a soap for
washing; the leaves are used for culinary purposes, and have a pecu-
liarly agreeable acid taste. The seeds of some species are used, when
cooked, as articles of food. From the seeds of A. Niopo the Guahibo
Indians prepare a snuff, by roasting the seeds and pounding them in a
wooden platter. Its effects are to produce a kind of intoxication and
invigoration of spirits. The bark of several species is extensively used
for tanning, and the timber, being tough and elastic, is valuable for the
manufacture of machinery, and other purposes where great strength
and durability are requisite.

ACALYPHA TRICOLOR.—A native of New Caledonia. This closely
resembles the Stringwood plant of St. Helena, which is now supposed
to be extinct. The name was given on account of the logg spikes of
reddish-colored flowers which hung in great profusion from the twigs,
which are also possessed by A. tricolor.

ACROCOMIA SCLEROCARPA.—This palm grows all over South America.
It belongs to the same tribe as the Cocoa-nut palm. The young leaves
are eaten as a vegetable.

ADANSONIA DIGITATA.—The Baobab tree is a native of Africa. It
has been called the tree of a thousand years, and Humboldt speaks of
it as “the oldest organic monument of our planet.” Adanson, who
traveled in Senegal in 1794, made 2 calculation to show that one of
these trees, thirty feet in diameter, must be 5,150 years old. The bark .
of the Baobab furnishes a fiber, which is made into ropes and also

manufactured into cloth. The fiber is so strong as to give rise to a
common saying in Bengal, “as secure as an “elephant bound with
Baobab rope.” The pulp of the fruit is slightly acid, and the juice
expressed from it is valued as a specific in putrid and pestilential
fevers. The ashes of the fruit and bark, boiled in rancid palm oil,
make a fine soap.

ADENANTHERA PAVONINA.—A tree that furnishes Red Sandal wood.
A dye is obtained by simply rubbing tne wood against a wet stone,
which is used by the Brahmins for marking their foreheads after
religious bathing. The seeds are used by Indian jewelers as weights,
each seed weighing uniformly four grains. Pounded and mixed with
borax, they form an adhesive substance. ‘They are sometimes used as
food. The plant belongs to the Leguminose. 3

ADHATODA VASICA.—This plant is extolled for its charcoal in the
manufacture of powder. The flowers, leaves, roots, and especially the
fruit, are considered anti-spasmodic, and are administered in India in
asthma and intermittent fevers.

JEGLE MARMELOS.—This plant belongs to the Orange family, and
its fruit is known in India as Bhel fruit. It is like an orange; the
thick rind of the unripe fruit possesses astringent proprieties, and, when
ripe, has an exquisite flavor and perfume. The fruit, and other parts of
the plant, are used for medicinal purposes; and a yellow dye is pre-
pared from the skin of the fruits.

AGATI MuAareOnn —A genus of the Pea family, a native of the
East Indies, but cultivated in many tropical countries for the beauty of
its flowers. The seed-pods are very peculiar, being about eighteen
inches in length, and not thicker than a common quill. In India the
flowers, pods, and young leaves are used in curries. The juice of the

iat |

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flowers is used in curing dimness of sight. The bark is powerfully
tonic and bitter, and considered effective in small-pox. Being a rapid
grower, and but thinly covered with leaves, the tree is used for the
purpose of training Betel Pepper.

AGAVE AMERICANA.—This plant is commonly known as American
Aloe; but it is not a member of that family, as it claims kindred with
the Amaryllis tribe of plants. It grows naturally in a wide range of
climate, from the plains in South America to elevations of ten thousand
feet. It furnishes a variety of products. The plants form impenetrable
fences; the leaves furnish fibers of various qualities, from the fine thread
known as pita-thread, which is used for twine, to the coarse fibers
used for ropes and cables. Humboldt describes a bridge of upward of one
hundred and thirty feet span over the Chimbo in Quito, of which the
main ropes (four inches in diameter) were made of this fiber. It is also
used for making paper. The juice, when the watery part is evaporated,
forms a good soap, (as detergent as Castile,) and will mix and form a
lather with salt water as well as with fresh. The sap from the heart-
leaves is formed into pulque. This sap is sour, but has sufficient sugar
and mucilage for fermentation. This vinous beverage has a filthy odor ;
but those who can overcome the aversion to this fetid smell indulge
largely in the liquor. <A very intoxicating brandy is made from it.
Razor-strops are made from the leaves; they are also used for cleaning
and scouring pewter.

AGAVE SISALANA.—The Sisal Hemp plant was introduced into Florida
many years ago, for the sake of its fiber, but its cultivation has not been
prosecuted to a commercial sucges8. Like many others of the best veg-
etable fibers found in leaves, it contains a gummy substance, which pre-
vents the easy separation of the fiber from the pulp.

ALEURITES MoLtuccaNna.—The Candleberry tree, much cultivated in
tropical countries for the sake of its nuts. The nuts or kernels, when
dried and stuck on a reed, are used by the Polynesians as a substitute
for candles and as an article of food; they are said to taste like walnuts.
When pressed, they yield largely of pure palatable oil, used as a dry-
ing-oil for paint, and known as artists’ oil. The cake, after the oil has
been expressed, is a favorite food for cattle. Therootof the tree affords
a brown dye, which is used to dye cloths.

ALGAROBIA GLANDULOSA.—The Mezquit tree, of Texas, occasionally
reaches a height of 25 to 30 feet. It yields very hard, durable wood,
and affords a large quantity of gum resembling gum-arabic, and answer-
ing every purpose of that gum; but as it has not to be imported, it is
not much used.

ALLAMANDA CATHARTICA.—This plant belongs to the family of
Apocynacee, Which contains many poisonous species. It is often eculti-
rated for the beauty of its flowers; the leaves are considered a valua-
ble cathartic, in moderate doses, especially in the cure of painters’ colic ;
in large doses they are violently emetic. It is a native of South Amer-
ica.

ALOE SOCOTRINA.—Bitter Aloe. <A plant of the Lily family, which
furnishes the finest aloes. The bitter, resinous juice is stored up in

‘greenish vessels, lying beneath the skin of the leaf, so that when the

leaves are cut transversely, the juice exudes, and is gradually evapora-
ted to a firm consistence. The inferior kinds of aloes are prepared by
pressing the leaves, when the resinous juice becomes mixed with the
mucilaginous fluid trom the central part of the leaves, and thus is pro-
portionately deteriorated. Sometimes the leaves are eut and boiled,
and the decoction evaporated to a proper consistence. This drug isim-

8

ported in chests, in skins of animals, and sometimes in large calabash-
gourds, and although the taste is peculiarly bitter and disagreeable, the
perfume of the finer sorts is aromatic, and by no means offensive. It
is common in tropical countries.

_ ALSOPHILA AUSTRALIS.—The beautiful tree-fern attains a height of
stem of 25 to 30 feet, with fronds spreading out into a crest 26 feet in
diameter. These plants are among the most beautiful of all vegetable
productions, and in their gigantic forms indicate, in a meager degree,
the extraordinary beauty of the vegetation on the globe previous to
the formation of the coal measures.

ALSTONIA SCHOLARIS.—The Pali-mara, or Devil tree, of Bombay.
The plant attains a height of 80 or 90 feet ; the bark 1s powerfully bitter,
and is used in India in medicine. It is of the family of Apocynacee.

AMOMUM MELEGUETTA.—Malaguetta Pepper, or Grains of Paradise;
belongs to the Ginger family, Zingiberacew. The seeds of this and
other species are imported from Guinea; they have a very warm and
camphor-like taste, and are used to give a fictitious strength to adul-
terated liquors, but are not considered particularly injurious to health.
The seeds are aromatic and stimulating, and form, with other seeds of
similar plants, what are known as Cardamoms.

AMYRIS BALSAMIFERA.—This plant yields the wood called Lignum
Rhodium. It also furnishes a gum resin analogous to EKlemi, and sup-
posed to yield Indian Bdellium.

ANACARDIUM OCCIDENTALE.—The Cashew Nut tree; is cultivated in
the West Indies and other tropical countries. The stem furnishes a
milky juice, which becomes hard and black when dry, and is used as a
varnish. It also secretes a gum, like gum-arabic.. The nut or fruit
contains a black, acrid, caustic oil, injurious to the lips and tongue of
those who attempt to crack the nut with their teeth; it becomes innoc-
uous and wholesome when roasted, but this process must be carefully
conducted, the acridity of the fumes producing severe inflammation of
the face if approached too near.

ANANASSA SATIVA.—The well-known Pine-Apple, the fruit of which
was described three hundred years ago, by Jean de Lery, a Huguenot
priest, as being of such excellence that the gods might luxuriate upon
it, and that it should only be gathered by the hand of a Venus. It is
supposed to be a native of Brazil, and to have been carried from thence
to the West, and afterward to the East Indies. It first became known
to Europeans in Peru. It is universally acknowledged to be one of the
most delicious fruits in the world. Like all other fruits that have been
a long time under cultivation, there are numerous varieties that vary
greatly, both in quality and appearance. .

ANDIRA INERMIS.—This is a native of Senegambia. Its bark is an-
thelmintic, but requires care in its administration, being powerfully
narcotic. It has a sweetish taste but disagreeable smell, and is gener-
ally given in the form of a decoction, which is made by boiling an
ounce of the dried bark in a quart of water, until it assumes the color
of Madeira wine. Three or four grains of the powdered bark acts as a
powerful purgative. The bark is known as Bastard Cabbage bark, or
Worm bark. It is almost obsolete in medicine.

ANDIRA ANTHELMINTICA.—This plant is called the Cabbage tree in
the West Indies. Its bark is anthelmintic and powerfully narcotic.

ANDROPOGON SCH ANANTHUS.—The sweet-scented Lemon grass; is a
native of Malabar. An essential oil is distilled from the leaves, which
is used in perfumery. It is a favorite herb with the Asiatics, both for

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medicinal and culinary purposes. Tea from the dried leaves is a favorite
beverage of some persons.

ANONA CHERIMOLIA.—The Cherimoyer of Peru, where it is exten-
sively cultivated for its fruits, which are highly esteemed by the inhab-
itants, but not so highly valued by those accustomed to the fruits of
temperate climates. The fruit, when ripe, is of a pale greenish yellow
color, tinged with purple, weighing from three to four pounds; the skin
thin, the flesh sweet, and about the consistence of a custard; hence,
often called custard-apples.

ANONA SQUAMOSA.—The sweet-sop; is a native of the Malay Islands,
where it is grown for the fruits. These are ovate in shape, with a thick
rind, which inecloses a luscious pulp. The seeds contain an acrid prin-
ciple, and, being reduced to powder, form an ingredient for the destrue-
tion of insects.

ANONA MURICATA.—The sour-sop; isanative of the West Indies, and
produces a fruit of considerable size, often weighing over two pounds.
The pulp is white and has an acrid flavor, which is not disagreeable.

ANONA RETICULATA.—The common Custard apple of the West Indies;
has a yellowish pulp, and is not so highly esteemed as an article of food
as some others of the species. It bears the name of Condissa in Brazil.

ANTIARIS SACCTDORA.—The Sack tree, so called from the fibrous bark
being used as sacks. For this purpose, young trees of about a foot in
diameter are selected, and cut into junks of the same length as the sack
‘required. ‘The outer bark is then removed, and the inner bark loosened
by pounding, so that it can readily be separated by turning it inside out.
Sometimes a small piece of the wood is left to form the bottom of the sack.
The fruit exudes a milky, viscid juice, which hardens into the consist-
ency of bees-wax, but becomes black and shining.

ANTIARIS INNOXTA.—The Upas tree. Most exaggerated statements
respecting this plant have passed into history. Its poisonous influence
was Said to be so great as not only to destroy all animal life, but even
plants could not live within ten miles of it. The plant has no such viru-
lent properties as the above, but as it inhabits low valleys in Java, where
carbonic acid gas escapes from crevices in volcanic rocks, which fre-
quently proves fatal to animals, the tree was blamed wrongly. It is,
however, possessed of poisonous juice, which, when dry and mixed with
other ingredients, forms a venomous poison for arrows, and severe effects
have been felt by those who have climbed upon the branches for the
purpose of gathering the flowers.

ARALIA PAPYRIFERA.—The Chinese Rice Paper plant. The stems
are filled with pith of very fine texture and white as snow, from which
is derived the article known as rice-paper, much used in preparing arti-
ficial flowers.

ARAUCARIA IMBRICATA.—The Chili pine. This tree is a native of
the mountains of Southern Chili, reaching up to the line of snow. The
seeds form a considerable portion of the food of the natives; they are
eaten either roasted or boiled. They are also dried and pounded into a
kind of flour, which is considered very nutritious. A kind of spirituous
liquor is obtained from distillation of the seeds. The branches and un-
ripe fruit exude, when bruised, a milky juice, which changes to a yellow-
colored resin, which is highly prized for its medicinal virtues by the
Chilians. The wood is strong, heavy, and takes a high polish.

ARAUCARIA BIDWILLI.—The Bunya-Bunyaof Australia; formsalarge
tree, reaching from 150 to 200 feet in height. The cones are very large,
and contain 100 to 150 seeds, which are highly prized by the aborigines
as food. They are best when roasted in the shell, cracked between two

10

stones, and eaten while hot. In flavor they resemble roasted chestnuts.
During the season of the ripening of these seeds, the natives grow sleek
and fat. That part of the country where these trees most abound is
called the Bunya-Bunya country.

_ ARAUCARIA BRASILIENSIS.—The Brazilian Araucaria grows at great
elevations. The seeds of this tree are commonly sold in the markets of
Rio Janeiro as an article of food. The resinous matter which exudes
- from the trunk is employed in the manufacture of candles.

ARAUCARIA CUNNINGHAMI.—The Morton Bay pine. This Australian
tree forms a very Straight trunk, and yields a timber of much commer-
cial importance in Sydney and other ports. It is chiefly used for house-
building and some of the heavier articles of furniture.

ARAUCARIA EXCELSA.—This very elegant Evergreen is a native of
Norfolk Island. Few plants can compare with it in beauty and regu-
larity of growth. The wood is of no particular value, although used for
building purposes in Norfolk Island.

ARDISIA CRENATA.—A native of China. The bark has tonie and

astringent properties, and is used in fevers and for external application
in the cure of ulcers, We.

ARECA CATECHU.—This palm is cultivated in all the warmer parts
of Asia for its seed. This is known under the name of Betel-Nut, and
is about the size of a nutmeg. The chewing of these nuts is a common
practice of hundreds of thousands of people. The nut is cut into small
pieces, mixed with a small quantity of lime, and rolled up in leaves of

the betel-paper. The pellet is chewed, and is hot and aerid, but pos-:

sesses aromatic and astringent properties. It tinges the saliva red and
stains the teeth. The practice is considered beneficial rather than other-
wise, just as chewing tobacco-leaves, drinking alcohol, and eating chicken-
salad are considered healthy practices in some portions of the globe. A
kind of catechu is obtained by boiling down the seeds to the consistence
of an extract, but the chief supply of this drug is Acacia catechu.

ARGANIA SIDEROXYLON.—This the Argan tree of Morocco. It is
remarkable for its low-spreading mode of growth. ‘Trees have been
measured only 16 feet in height, while the circumference of the branches
was 220 feet. The fruit is much eaten and relished by cattle. The
wood is hard and so heavy as to sink in water. A valuable oil is ex-
tracted from the seeds.

ARISTOLCHIA GRANDIFLORA.—The Pelican flower. This plant be-
' longs to a family famed for the curious construction of their flowers, as
well as for their medical qualities. In tropical America various species
receive the name of ‘‘Guaco,” which is a term given to plants that are
used in the cure of snake-bites. Even some of our native species, such
as A. Serpentaria, is known as snake-root, and is said to be esteemed
for curing the bite of the rattlesnake. It is stated that the Egyptian
jugglers use some of these plants to stupify the snakes before they
handle them. A. bracteata and A. indica are used for similar purposes
in India. It is said that the juice of the root of A. anguicida, if intro-
duced into the mouth of a serpent, so stupifies it that it may be handled
with impunity. The Indians, after having ‘ guaconized” themselves,
that is, having taken Guaco, handle the most venomous snakes without
injury.

-ARTANTHE ELONGATA.—A plant of the Pepper family, which furnishes
one of the articles known by the Peruvians as Matico, and which is used
by them for the same purposes as cubebs; but its chief value is as a
styptic, the rough leaves of the plant having the power of staunching
blood, an effect probably produced by its rough under-surface, acting

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11

s
mechanically, like lint. It has been employed internally to check
hemorrhages, but with doubtful effect. Its aromatic bitter stimulant
properties are like those of cubebs, and depend on a volatile oil, a
dark green resin, and a peculiar bitter principle called maticin.

ARTOCARPUS INCISA.—This is the Bread Fruit tree of the South Sea
Islands, where its introduction gave occasion for the historical incidents
arising from the mutiny of the “ Bounty.” The round fruits contain a
white pulp, of the consistence of new bread. It is roasted before being
eaten, but has little flavor. The tree furnishes a viscid juice containing
ecaoutchoue, which is used as glue and for calking canoes. In the South
Sea Islands the Bread Fruit constitutes the principal article of diet; it
is prepared by baking in an oven heated by hot stones.

ARTOCARPUS INTEGRIFOLIA.—The Jack of the Indian Archipelago ;
is cultivated for its fruit, which is a favorite article among the natives,
as also are the roasted seeds. The wood is much used, and resembles
mahogany. Bird-lime is made from the juice.

ASCLEPIAS CURASSAVICA.—This plant is used in the West Indies as
an emetic, and goes by the name of Ipecacuanha, but is not the true
drug of that name.

ASTRAGALUS GUMMIFER.—A pea-flowering plant, that yields the gum-
like substance called Tragacanth. The gum exudes naturally from the
bark in the same way that gum exudes from the bark of Cherry or Plum
trees. The seeds are used for mixing with coffee-beans.

ATTALEA COHUNE.—This palm furnishes Cahoun nuts, from which is
extracted cohune oil, used as a burning-oil, for which purpose it is
superior to cocoa-nut oil. Piassaba fiber is furnished by this and A.
Junifera, the seeds of which are known as Coquilla nuts; these nuts
are 3 or 4 inches long, oval, of a rich brown color, and very hard;
they are much used by turners for making the handles of doors, um-
brellas, &c., The fiber derived from the decaying of the cellular mat-
ter at the base of the leaf-stalks is much used in Brazil for making
ropes. It is largely used in England and other places for making
coarse brooms, chiefly used in cleaning streets.

AVERRHOA CARAMBOLA.—The Caramba of Ceylon and Bengal.
The fruit of this tree is about the size of a large orange, and, when ripe,
is of a.rich yellow color, with a very decided and agreeable fragrance.
The pulp contains a large portion of acid, and is generally used as a
pickle or preserve. In Java it isused both in the ripe and unripe state
in pies; a sirup is also made of the juice, and a conserve of the flowers.
These preparations are highly valued as remedies in fevers and bilious
disorders.

AVERRHOA Briiret.—This is called the Blimbing, and is cultivated
to some extent in the East Indies. The fruit is cblong, obtuse-angled,
somewhat resembling a short, thick cucumber, with a thin, smooth,
green rind, filled with a pleasant, acid juice.

BACTRIS MAJOR.—The Marajah palm, of Brazil, grows upon the
banks of the Amazon River. It has a succulent, rather acid fruit, from
which a vinous beverage is prepared. B. minor has a stem about 14
feet high and about an inch in diameter. These stems are used for
walking-canes, and are sometimes called Tobago canes.

BALOGHIA LUCIDA.—This euphorbiaceous plant is a native of New
Holland, where it is called Blood-wood. The wood is close-grained, im-
pregnated with a resinous substance, and burns readily in a green state.
A blood-red sap oozes from the trunk when cut, which forms an indel-
ible paint.

BALSAMOCARPON BREVIFOLIUM.—This shrub is the Algarrobo of the

k2

Chilians. It belongs to the Pea family. Its pods are short and thick,
and are transformed into a cracked resinous substance, which is astrin-
gent, and is used for dyeing black and for making ink.

BALS SAMODENDRON Myrria.—A native of Arabia Felix, and produces
a gum resin, sometimes called Opobalsamum, which was considered by
the ancients as a panacea for almost all the ills that flesh is heir to.
B. Mukul yields a resin of this name, and is considered identical with
the Bdellium of Dioscorides and of the Scriptures. The resin has cor-
dial and stimulating properties, and is burnt aS an incense.

BAMBUSA ARUNDINACEA.—The Bamboo cane is a gigantic grass, cul-
tivated in many tropical and semi-tropical countries. The Chinese use
it, In one way or other, for nearly everything they require. Almost
every article of furniture in their houses, including mats, screens, chairs,

tables, bedsteads, and bedding, are made of bamboo. The masts, sails,
and riegin g of their ships consist chiefly of bamboo. They Rave treatises
and volumes on its culture, showing the best soil and the seasons for
planting and transplanting this useful production.

BAPHIA NITIDA.—This plant furnishes the Camwood of commerce.
it is of a deep red color, aad yields a brilliant but not permanent dye;
with a mordaunt of sulphate of iron, it produces the red color of the
bandana handkerchief.

BAROSMA CRENULATA.—This is a native of the Cape of Good Hope,
and produces the Buchu leaves of commerce. They contain a powerfully
smelling volatile oil, and are used in medicine.

-BARRINGTONIA SPECIOSA.—A native of the Moluceas, generally found
near the sea. A burning-oil is expressed from the seeds; mixed with
bait they are used to inebriate fish, which are then easily captured.

BATATAS JALAPA.—A native of Mexico, and was at one time sup-
posed to produce the Jalap of the pharmacopeia. Although not the
true Jalap plant, the roots possess purgative properties, and are proba-
bly sometimes substituted for true jalap.

BAUHINIA VAHLIL—The Maloo-Climber of India, where the gigantic
shrubby stems often attain a height of 300 feet, running over the tops
of the tallest trees, and twisting so tightly around their stems as to kill
them. The exceedingly tough fibrous bark of this plant is used in India
for making ropes and in the construction of suspension-bridges. It is
also used medicinally.

BEAUCARNEA RECURVIFOLIA.—This Mexican plant is remarkable for
the large bulbiform swelling at the base of the stem. It is a plant of
much elegance and beauty, resembling a drooping fountain.

BERGERA KoniG1.—The Curry-Leat tree of India. The fragrant, aro-

matic leaves are used to flavor curries. The leaves, root, and bark are
used medicinally. The wood is hard and durable, and from the seeds a
clear, transparent oil, called Simbolee oil, is extracted.

BERRYA AMMONILLA.—This furnishes the Trincomalee wood of the
Philippine Islands and Ceylon, and is largely used for making oil-casks,
and for building boats, for which it is well adapted, being light and
strong.

BERTHOLLETIA EXCELSA.—This furnishes the well-known Brazil nuts,
or cream nuts, of commerce. “The tree is a native of South America,
and attains a height of one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet. The
fruit is nearly round, and contains from 18 to 24 seeds, which are so
beautifully packed in the shell that, when once removed, it is found
impossible to replace them. <A bland oil j is pressed from the ‘seeds, which
is used by artists; and at Para the fibrous bark of the tree is used for
calking ships, as a substitute for oakum. ;

13

BIGNONIA ECHINATA.—A native of Mexico, where it is sometimes
called Maraposa butterfly. The branches are said to be used in the
adulteration of sarsapariila. B. Chica, a native of Venezuela, furnishes
ared pigment, which is obtained by macerating the leaves in water,
and is used by the natives for painting their bodies. . Aerere furnishes
the natives of French Guiana with a substitute for ropes in its long
flexible stems. JB. alliacea is termed the Garlic shrub, because of the
powerful odor of garlic emitted from its bruised leaves and branches.
These plants all have showy flowers, and the genus is represented with
us by such beautiful flowers as are produced by B. radicans and B.
capreolata.

BrxA ORELLANA.—Arnotta plant.. The seeds of this plant are thinly
coated with red waxy pulp, which is separated by stirring them in water
until it is detached, when it is strained off and evaporated to the con-
sistence of putty, when it is made up into rolls; in this condition it is
known as flag or roll arnotta, but, when thoroughly dried, it is made into
cakes and sold as cake arnotta. It is much used by the South American
Caribs and other tribes of Indians for painting their bodies; paint being
almost their only article of clothing. It is used in various countries for
coloring cheese and butter. It is also used by silk-dyers and varnish-
makers.

BLIGHIA SAPIDA.—The Akee Fruit tree of Guinea. The fruit is about
three inches long by two inches wide; the seeds are surrounded by a
spongy substance, which iseaten. It has asub-acid, agreeable taste. A
small quantity of semi-solid fatty oil is obtained from the seeds by pres-
sure.

BOHMERIA NIVEA.—A plant of the Nettle family, which yields the
fiber known as Chinese grass. The beautiful fabric called grasscloth,
which rivals the best French cambric in softness and fineness of texture,
is manufactured from the fiber of this plant. It is a plant of the easiest
culture, and has been introduced into the Southern States, where it
grows freely; but the difficulty of separating the fiber in an expeditious -
manner has not yet been overcome. When once machinery is perfected
so as to enable its being cheaply Becuared for the manufacturer, a great
demand will arise for this fiber.

BOLDOA FRAGRANS.—A Chilian plant, einen yields small edible fruits;
these, as well as all parts of the plant, are very aromatic. The bark is
used for tanning, and the wood is highly esteemed for making charcoal.

BORASSUS FLABELLIFORMIS.—The Palmyra palm. The parts of this
tree are applied to such a multitude of purposes that a poem in the
Tamil language, although enumerating 800 uses, does not exhaust the
catalogue. In old trees the wood becomes hard and is very durable.
The leaves are from 8 to 10 feet long, and are used for thatching houses,
making various mattings, bags, &c. They also supply the Hindoo with
paper, upon which he writes with a stylus. A most important product
called toddy or palm wine is obtained from the flower spikes, which
yield a great quantity of juice for four or five months. Palm-toddy is
intoxicating, and, when distilled, yields strong arrack. _ Very good vin-
egar is also. ‘obtained from it ; and large quantities of jaggery or palm
sugar are manufactured from the toddy. The fruits are large and have
a thick coating of fibrous pulp, which is cooked and eaten, or made into
jelly. The young Palm plants are cultivated for the mar ket, as cab-
bages are with us, and eaten, either when fresh or after being dried in
the sun.

BOsSWELLIA THURIFERA.—This Coromandel tree furnishes the resin
known as olibanum, which is supposed to have been the frankincense of

14

the ancients. It is sometimes used in medicine as an astringent and
stimulant, and is employed, for its grateful perfume, as an incense in
churches.

BRACHYCHITON POPULNEUM.—This Australian tree furnishes a soft
wood which contains gum-mucilage. The tap-roots of the young trees,
as well as the younger roots of the large trees, are eaten as food. The
seeds are also eaten, and the bark is used for making fishing nets. The
thickened appearance at the base of the stem shows a tendency to
gout.

BROMELIA KARATAS.—The Corawa fiber, or Silk-Grass of Guiana, is
obtained from this plant, which is very strong, and much used for bow:
strings, fishing lines, nets, and ropes.

BROMELIA PINGUIN.—This is very common as a hedge or fence plant
in the West Indies. The leaves, when beaten with a blunt mallet and
macerated in water, produce fibers from which beautiful fabrics are
manufactured. The fruit yields a cooling juice much used in fevers.

BROSIMUM GALACTODENDRON.—The Cow tree of South America,

which yields a milk of as good quality as that from the cow. It forms

large forests on the mountains near the town of Cariaco and elsewhere
along the sea-coast of Venezuela, reaching to a considerable height.
In South America the Cow tree is called Palo de Vaca, or Arbol de
Leche. Its milk, which is obtained by making incisions in the trunk,
so closely resembles the milk of the cow, both in appearance and quality,
that it is commonly used as an article of food by the inhabitants of the
places where the tree is abundant. Unlike many other vegetable milks,
it is perfectly wholesome, and very nourishing, possessing an agreeable
taste, and a pleasant balsamic odor; its only unpleasant quality being a
slight amount of stickiness. The chemical analysis of this milk has
shown it to possess a composition closely resembling some animal sub-
stances; and, like animal milk, it quickly forms a cheesy scum, and,
after a few days’ exposure to the atmosphere, turns sour and putrifies.
It contains upward of 30 per cent. of a resinous substance called ga-
lactine.

BRosmMUM ALICASTRUM.—The Bread-Nut tree of Jamaica. The nuts
or seeds produced by this tree are said to form an agreeable and nutri-
tious article of food. When cooked they taste like hazel-nuts. The
young branches and ‘shoots are greedily eaten by horses and cattle, and
the wood resembles mahogany, and is used for making furniture.

BROWNEA GRANDICEPS.—A very beautiful plant, of the leguminous
family. The flowers are large and fine. The leaves droop during the
day so as almost to hide the flowers from view, and protect them “from
the heat of the sun, but as soon as evening comes, the leaves become
erect, So as to expose the flowers to the dews. In Venezuela it is called
Rosa del Monte, or Palo de Cruz.

Brya EBENUS.—Jamaica, or West India Ebony tree, is not the plant
that ‘yields the true ebony-wood of commerce. Jamaica ebony is of a
ereenish-brown color, very hard, and so heavy thatit sinksin water. It

takes a good polish; and is used by turners for the manufacture of nu-
merous kinds of small wares. .

BRYOPHYLLUM CALYCINUM.—This is oftentimes called the Leaf plant,
from the circumstance that small buds form at the notches on the margin
of the leaves, which, when laid on damp soil, form new plants. It isa

native of the East Indies. In the Mauritius it is used as a fomentation
or poultice in intestinal complaints.

BYRSONIMA SPICATA.—A’ Brazilian plant, furnishing an astringen
bark used for tanning, and which also contains a red ‘coloring: matter

7. — 7’

15

employed in dyeing. The berries are used in medicine, and a decoction
of the roots is used for ulcers.

CAESALPINIA PULCHERRIMA.—This beautiful flowering leguminous
plant i is a native of the East Indies, but cultivated in all the tropics.
In Jamaica it is called the « Barbados flower.” The wood is sought
after for charcoal, and a decoction of the leaves and flowers is used in
fevers.

CASALPINIA SAPPAN.—The brownish-red wood of this Indian tree
furnishes the Sappan wood of commerce, from which dyers obtain a red
color, principally used for dyeing cotton-goods. Its root also affords an
orange-yellow dye.

CASALPINIA BonDuUCc.—A tropical plant, bearing the seeds known as
Nicker nuts, or Bondue nuts. These are often strung together for neck-
laces. The kernels have a very bitter taste, and the oil obtained - from
them is used medicinally.

CALAMUS Rorane.—This is one of the palms that furnish the canes
or rattans used for chair-bottoms, sides of pony-carriages, and similar
purposes. ©. rudentum and C. viminalis furnish flexible canes. In
their native countries they are used for a variety of manufacturing pur-
poses, also for ropes and cables employed by junks and other coasting
vessels. In the Himalayas they are used in the formation of suspen-
sion-bridges across rivers and deep ravines. C. Scipionum furnishes
the well-known Malacca canes used for walking-sticks. They are natu-
rally of a rich brown color. The clouded and mottled appearance which
some of these present is said to be imparted to them by smoking and
steaming.

CALLITRIS QUADRIVALVIS.—This coniferous plant is a native of Bar-
bary. It yields a hard, durable, and fragrant timber, and is much
employed in the er ection of Inosques, &e. by the Africans of the North.
The resin that exudes from the tree is used’ in varnish, under the name
of gum-sandarach. In powder, if forms a principal ingredient of the
article known as pounce.

CALOPHYLLUM CALABA.—This is called Calaba tree in the West
Indies, and an oil, fit for burning in lamps, is expressed trom the seeds.

CALOTROPIS GIGA \NTEA.—The imner bark of this plant yields a-valua-
ble fiber, capable of bearing a greater strain than hemp. All parts of it
abound in a very acrid milky juice, which hardens into a substance
resembling gutta-percha; but in its fresh state it is a valuable remedy
in cutaneous diseases. The bark of the root also possesses similar medi-

cal qualities; and its tincture yields mudarine, a substance that has the
property of gelatinizing when heated, and returning to the fluid state
when cool. ‘Paper has been made from the silky down on the seeds.

CAMELLIA JAPONICA.—A well-known green-house plant, cultivated
for its large double flowers. The seeds furnish an oil of an agreeable
odor, which is used for many domestic purposes. The leaves are some-
times used to adulterate tea, to which they impart a pleasant odor.

CAMPHORA OFFICINARUM.—This tree belongs to the Lanrace. Cam-
phor is prepared from the wood by boiling chopped branches in water,
when, after some time, the camphor becomes deposited, and is purified
by sublimation. It is mainly produced in the island of Formosa. The
wood of the tree is highly prized for manufacturing entomological cabi-
nets.

CANELLA ALBA.—This is a native of the West Indies, and furnishes ¢
pale olive-colored bark, with an aromatic odor, and is used as a tonic.
It is used by the natives as a spice.

CAPPARIS SPINOSA.—The Caper plant is a native of the south

16

of Europe and in the Mediterranean regions. It is abundant about
Gibraltar, and the military stationed there frequently cut capers.
This commercial product consists of the flower-buds, and sometimes the
unripe fruits, pickled in vinegar. The wood aud bark possess acrid
_ qualities, which will act as a blister when applied to the skin.

CARAPA GUIANENSIS.—A meliaceous plant, native of tropical Amer-
ica, where it grows to a height of sixty to eighty feet. The bark of this
tree possesses febrifugal properties and is also used for tanning. By
pressure the seeds yield a liquid oil called carap-oil or crab-oil, suitable
for burning in lamps.

CARICA PAPAYA.—This is the South American Papaw tree, but is
cultivated in most tropical countries. It is also known as the Melon-
Apple. The fruit is of a dingy orange-color, of an‘oblong form, about
eight to ten inches long, by three or four inches broad. It is said that
the juice of the tree, or an infusion of the leaves and fruit, has the prop-
erty of rendering tough fiber quite tender; an ancient elastic gander
will thus be softened into an edible pulp. Animals fed upon the fruit
and leaves will have very tender and juicy flesh.

CARLUDOVICA PALMATA.—Is a pandanaceous plant from Panama and
southward. Panama hats are made from the leaves of this plant. The
leaves are cut when young, and the stiff parallel veins removed, after
which they are slit into shreds, but not separated at the stalk end, and
immersed in boiling water for a short time, then bleached in the sun.

CARYOPHYLLUS AROMATICUS.—This myrtaceous plant produces the
well-known spice called cloves. It forms a beautiful evergreen, rising
from twenty to thirty feet in height. The cloves of commerce are the
unexpanded flower-buds; they are collected by beating the tree with
rods, when the buds, from the jointed character of their stalks, readily
fall, and are received on sheets spread on purpose; they are then dried
in the sun. All parts of the plant are aromatic, from the presence of a
volatile oil. The oil is sometimes used in toothache and as a carmina-
tive in medicine.

CARYOTA URENS.—This fine palm is a native of Ceylon, and is also
found in other parts of India, where it supplies the native population
with various important articles. Large quantities of toddy, or palm-
wine, are prepared from the juice, which, when boiled, yields very good
palm-sugar or jaggery, and also excellent sugar-candy. Sago is also
prepared from the central or pithy part of the trunk, and forms a large
portion of the food for the natives. The fiber from the leaf-stalks is of
great strength; it is known as Kittul or Kittool fiber, and is used for
making ropes, brushes, brooms, &c. A wooly kind of seurf, scraped oif
the leaf-stalks, is used for calking boats, and the stem furnishes a
small quantity of wood.

CASIMIROA EDULIS.—A Mexican plant, belonging to the Orange fam-
ily, with a fruit about the size of an ordinary orange, which has an
agreeable taste, but is not considered to be wholesome. The seeds are
poisonous ; the bark is bitter, and is sometimes used medicinally.

CASSIA ACUTIFOLIA.—The Cassias belong to the leguminous family.
The leaflets of this and some other species produce the well-known
drug called senna. That known as the Alexandria senna is produced
by the above. Hast Indian senna is produced by C. elongata. Aleppo
senna is obtained from C. obovata. The native species, C. marylandica,
possesses similar properties. The seeds of C. Absus, a native of Egypt,
are bitter, aromatic and mucilaginous, and are used asa remedy for oph-
thalmia. C. fistula is called the Pudding-Pipe tree, and furnishes the
cassia-pods of commerce. The seeds of C. occidentalis, when roasted, are

ET

used as a substitute for coffee in the Mauritius, and in the interior of
Africa.

CASTILLOA ELASTICA. Gas is a Mexican tree, which yields a milky
juice, forming caoutchouc, but is not collected for commerce except in a
limited way.

CASUARINA QUADRIVALVIS.—This Tasmanian tree produces a very
hard wood, of a reddish color, often called Beef wood. It is marked
with dark stripes, and is much’ used in some places for picture-frames
and ecabinet-work. This belongs to a curious family of trees, having no
leaves, but looking like a gigantic specimen of Horse-Fail gr: ass, a weed
to be seen in wet places.

CATHA EDULIS.—This plant is a native of Arabia, where it attains
the height of seven to ten feet. Its leaves are used by the Arabs
in preparing a beverage like tea or coffee. The twigs, with leaves
attached, in bundles of fifty, and in pieces from twelve to fifteen inches
in length, form a very considerable article of commerce, representing in
Arabia the Paraguay tea in South America and the Chinese tea in
Europe. The effects produced by a decoction of the leaves of Cafta, as
they are termed, are described as similar to those produced by strong
green tea, only more pleasing and agreeable. The Arab soldiers chew
the leaves when on sentry duty, to keep them from feeling drowsy. Its
use is of great antiquity, pr eceding that of coffee. Its stimulating
effects induced some Arabs to class it with intoxicating substances, the
use of which is forbidden by the Koran, but a synod of learned Mussul-
mans decreed that, as it did not impair the health or impede the observ-
ance of religious duties, but only increased hilarity and good humor, it
was lawful to use it.

CECROPIA PELTATA.—The South American Trumpet tree, so called be-.
cause its hollow branches are used for musical instruments. The Waupe
Indians form a kind of drum by removing the pith or center of the
branches. The inner bark of the. young branches yields a very tough
fiber, which is made into ropes. The milky juice of the stem hardens
into caoutchoue.

CEDRELA ODORATA.—This forms a large tree in the West India Islands,
and is hollowed out for canoes; the wood is of a brown-color and a fra-
grant odor, and is sometimes imported under the name of Jamaica cedar.

CEPH ZLIS IPECACUANHA.—This Brazilian plant produces the true
ipecacuanha, and belongs to the Cinchonacee. The root is the part used
in medicine, and its emetic properties are due to a chemical principle
called emetin.

CEPHALOTUS FOLLICULARIS.—The New Holland Pitcher plant, a
native of swampy places in King George’s Sound. It has a very short
or contracted stem, with spoon-shaped stalked leaves, among which are
mingled small pitcher-like bodies, placed on short, stout stalks, and closed
at the top with lids like the true Pitcher plants, the Nepenthes.

CERATONIA SILIQUA.—The Carob beau. This leguminous plant is a
native of the countries bordering on the Mediterranean. The seed pods
contain a quantity of mucilaginous and saccharine matter, and are used
as food for cattle. Besides the name of Carob beans, these pods are
known as Locust pods, or St. John’s bread, from a supposition that they
formed the food of St. John in the wilderness. It is now generally ad-
mitted that the locusts of St. John were the animals so-called, and which
are still used as an article of food in some of the Eastern countries.
There is more reason for the belief that the husks mentioned in the
parable of the prodigal son were these pods. The seeds were at one

2P

18

time used by singers, who imagined that they softened and cleared the
voice.

CERBERA THERETIA.—The name is intended to imply that the plant
is as dangerous as Cerberus. The plant has a milky, poisonous juice.
_ The bark is purgative; the unripe fruit is used by the natives of Trayv-
ancore to destroy dogs; their teeth become loosened and fall out.

CEREUS GIGANTEA.—The Suwarrow of the Mexicans; is a native of
the hot, arid, and alinost desert regions of New Mexico, found growing
in rocky places, in valleys, and on mountain sides, often springing out
of mere crevices in hard rock, and imparting a singular aspect to the
scenery of the country, its tall stems often reaching forty feet in height,
with upright branches looking like telegraphic posts for signaling from
point to point of the rocky mountains. The fruits are about two or
three inches long, of a green color and oval form; when ripe they burst
into three or four pieces, which curve back so as to resemble a flower.
Inside they contain numerons little black seeds, imbedded in a crimson-
colored pulp, which the Indians make into a preserve. They also eat
the ripe fruit as an article of food.

CEREUS MAcDoONALDIa.—A night-blooming Cereus, and one of the
most beautiful. The flowers when fully expanded are over a foot in
diameter, having numerous radiating red and bright orange sepals and
delicately white petals. It is a native of Honduras.

CEROXYLON ANDICOLA.—The Wax Palm of New Grenada; was first
deseribed by Humboldt and Bonpland, who found it on elevated mount-
ains, extending as high as the lower limit of perpetual snow. Its tall
trunk is covered with a thin coating of a whitish waxy substance, giv-
ing ita marbled appearance. The waxy substance forms an article of
commerce, and is obtained by scraping the trunk. It consists of two
‘parts of resin and one of wax, and, when mixed with one-third of tal-
low, it makes very good candles. The stem is used for building pur-
poses, and the leaves for thatching roofs.

CHAMADOREA ELEGANS.—This belongs to a genus of Palms natives
of South America. The plant is of tall, slender growth; the stems are
used for walking-canes, and the young, unexpanded flower-spikes are
used as a vegetable.

CHAMA&ROPS FortTuNU.—This Palm is a native of the north of China,
and is hardy here. In China, the coarse brown fiber obtained from the
leaves is used for making hats and also the garments called So-e, worn
in wet weather.

CHAMZROPS HUMILIS.—This is the only European species of Palm,
and does not extend further north than Nice. The leaves are commonly
used in the south of Europe for making hats, brooms, baskets, We.
From the leaf-fiber a material resembling horse-hair is prepared, and
the Arabs mix it with camel’s hair for their tent-covers.

CHEIROSTEMON PLATONOIDES.—The Hand-Flower tree, or Macpaixo-
chitlquahuiti of the Mexicans. It derives its popular name from the
circumstance that the stamens, which are of a bright red color, are
united together for a length of four inches, when they separate into
five curved claw-like rays, and thus bearsome resemblance to the human
hand.

CHLORANTHUS OFFICINALIS.—The roots of this plant are an aromatic
stimulant, much used as medicine in the island of Java; also, when
mixed with anise, it has proved valuable in malignant small-pox. -

CHLOROXYLON SWIETENIA.—The Satin. Wood tree of tropical coun-
tries. Itis prneipally used for making the backs of clothes and hair

Re

brushes, and for articles of turnery-ware; the finest mottled pieces are
cut into veneers, and used for cabinet-inaking. |

CHRYSOBALANUS Icaco.—The Cocoa Plum of the West Indies. The
fruits are about the size of a plum, and are of various colors, white, yel-
low, red, or purple. The pulp is sweet, a little austere, but not disagree-
able. The fruits are preserved and exported from Cuba and other West
India islands. The kernels yield a fixed oil, and an emulsion made with
them is used medicinally.

CHRYSOPHYLLUM CAINITO.—The fruit of this plant is known in the
West Indies as the Star apple, the interior of which, when cut across,
shows ten cells, and as many seeds disposed regularly round the center,
giving a star-like appearance, as stars are generally represented in the
most reliable almanacs. It receives its botanic name from the golden

silky color on the underside of the leaves.

Crpotium BARoMETZ.—The Tartarian Lamb about which ancient
travelers have told so wondrous a tale, of a plant growing on the plains
west of the Volga, having the appearance of a lamb. The lamb was
said to grow upon a stalk, upon which it turned and bent to the herb-
age which served for its food, and when the grass dried up it died. The
enudex of this plant presents a rude appearance of an animal covered
with silky hair, and in old plants this silky mass is large and light-col-
ored. This fibrous substance is used as ¢ styptic; this property is at-
tributable to the rapidity with which its filaments, acting by capillary
attraction, absorb the aqueous particles of the blood, and thus causes
its immediate coagulation. It is a very beautiful fern.

CINCHONA CALISAYA.—The yellow bark of Bolivia. This is one of
the so-called Peruvian Bark trees. The discovery of the medicinal value
of this bark is a matter of fable and conjecture. The name Cinchona is
derived from the wife of a viceroy of Peru, who is said to have taken the
drug from South America to Europe in 1639. Afterward, the Jesuits
used it; hence it is sometimes called Jesuit’s bark. It was brought most
particularly into notice when Louis XIV of France purchased of Sir R.
Talbor, an Englishman, his heretofore secret remedy for intermittent
fever, and made it public.

There are various barks in commerce classified under the head of
Peruvian barks. Their great value depends upon the presence of cer-
tain alkaloid substances called quinine, cinchonine, and quinidine, which
exist in the bark in combination with tannic and other acids. Quinine
is the most useful of these alkaloids, and this is found in greatest quan-
tities in Calisaya bark. The gray bark of Huanueco is derived from
Cinchona micrantha, which is characterized by its yield of cinchonine,
and the Loxa or Loja barks are furnished in part by Cinchona officinalis,
and are especially rich in quinidine. There is some uncertainty about
the trees that produce the various kinds of bark. These trees grow in
the forests of Boiivia and Peru, at various elevations on the mountains,
but chiefly in sheltered mountain valleys, and all of them ata consid-
erable distance below the ae or snow line. They are destroyed by
the slightest frost.

CINNAMOMUM ZEYLANICUM.—A. tree belonging to the Lauracee,
which furnishes the best cinnamon. It is prepared by stripping the
bark from the branches, when it rolls up into quills, the smaller of which
are introduced into the larger, and then dried in the sun. Cinnamon is
much used as a condiment for its pleasant flavor, and its astringent
properties are of medicinal value. It is cultivated largely in Ceylon.

CINNAMOMUM CAssIA.—This furnishes Cassia bark, which is much
like cinnamon, but thicker, coarser, stronger, less delicate in flavor, and

ar

cheaper; hence it is often used to adulterate cinnamon. The unex
panded flower-buds are sold as Cassia-buds, possessing properties simi-
lar to those of the bark. It is grown in Southern China, Java, and
tropical countries generally.

CISSAMPELOS PAREIRA.—The Velvet plant of tropical countries. The
root furnishes the Paretra brava of druggists, which is used in medi-
cine.

CISTUS OREDICUS. —This plant yields gum Ladanum or Labdanum.
It is a native of Crete, and other islands of the Mediterranean. The
gum is collected during the heat of the day, by trailing or tossing a
bunch of leather thongs over the bushes, to which the gum adheres. It
is also collected from the beards of goats which browse among the
plants. The gum emits a pleasant balsamic odor, from the presence of
a volatile oil. It was formerly used in medicine, now principally as a
perfume.

Cirrus LimonuM.—The Lemon; this plant is found growing natu-
rally in that part of India which is beyond the Ganges. It was un-
known to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It issupposed to have been
brought to Italy by the Crusaders. Arabian writers of the twelfth cen-
tury notice the Lemon as being cultivated in Egypt and other places.
The varieties of the Lemon are very numerous, and valued for their
agreeable acid juice and essential oil. They keep for a considerable
time, especially if steeped for a short period in salt water.

CITRUS MEDICA.—The Citron; is found wild in the forests of Northern
India. The Jews cultivated the Citron at the time they were under sub-
jection to the Romans, and used the fruit in the Feast of the Taber-
nacles. There is no proof of their having known the fruit in the time
of Moses, but it is supposed that they found it at Babylon, and brought
it into Palestine. The citron is cultivated in China and Cochin-China.
It is easily naturalized, and the seeds are rapidly spread. In its wild
state it grows erect; the branches are spiny, the flowers purple on the
outside and white on the inside. The fruit furnishes the essential oil of
eitron and the essential oil of cedra. There are several varieties ; the
fingered citron is a curious fruit, and the Madras citron is very long and
narrow; the skin is covered with protuberances.

Cirrus LimeETraA.—The Lime is used for the same purposes as the
lemon, and by some it is preferred, the juice being considered more
wholesome, and the acid more agreeable. There are several varieties,
some of them being sweet and quite insipid.

CITRUS DECUMANA.—The Shaddock ; has the largest fruit of the fam-
ily. It is a native of China and Japan, where it is known as Sweet Ball.
The pulp is acid or sub-acid, and in some varieties nearly sweet. From
the thickness of the skin the fruit will keep a considerable time without
injury.

Cirrus AURANTIUM.——The Orange is generally supposed to be a na-
tive of the north of India. It was introduced to Arabia during the
ninth century. It was unknown in Europe in the eleventh century.
Oranges were cultivated at Seville toward the end of the twelfth céntury,
and at Palermo in the thirteenth. In the fourteenth century they were
plentiful in several parts of Italy. There are many varieties of the
orange in cultivation. The blood- red, or Malta, is much esteemed; the
fruit is round, reddish-yellow outside, ‘and the pulp irregularly mottled
with crimson. The Mandarin or Tangerine orange has a thin rind
which separates easily from the pulp, and is very sweet and rich. The
St. Michael’s orange is one of the most productive and delicious varie-
ties, with a thin rind and very sweet pulp. The Seville or Bitter orange

ent

i!

is used for the manufacture of bitter tincture and candied orange-peel.
The Bergamot orange has peculiarly fragrant flowers and fruit, from
each of which an essence of a delicious quality is extracted.

CLITORIA TERNATEA.—The flowers of this climbing-plant afford a2
slue dye in Cochin-China; and they are used for coloring boiled rice in
Amboyna. The root is said to be as powerfully purgative as jalap, and
is used to promote sickness and vomiting.

CLUSIA ROSEA.—A tropical plant, which yields abundantly of a
tenacious resin from its stem, which is used for the same purpose as
pitch ; it is first of a green color, but, when exposed to the air, it assumes
a brown or reddish tint. The Garibs use it for painting the ‘bottoms of
their boats.

CoccoOLOBA UVIFERA.—Known in the West Indies as the Seaside
grape, from the peculiarity of the perianth, which becomes pulpy, and
of a violet color, and surrounds the ripe fruit. The pulpy perianth
has an agreeable acid flavor. An astringent extract is prepared from
the plant, which is used in medecine.

Cocos PLUMOSUS.—A Brazilian species, highly ornamental in its
long, arching leaves, and produces quantities of orange-colored nuts, in
size about as large as a chestnut, inclosed in an edible pulp.

CocuUS NUCIFERA.—The Cocoa-Nut palm. This palm is cultivated
throughout the tropics so extensively that its native country is not
known. One reason of its extensive dissemination is accounted for by
the fact of its growing so close to the sea that the ripe fruits are washed
away by the waves, and afterward cast upon far-distant shores, where
they soon vegetate. It is in this way that the coral islands of the In-
dian Ocean have become covered with these palms. Every part of this
tree is put to some useful purpose. The outside rind or husk of the
fruit yields the fiber from which the well-known cocoanut matting is
manufactured. Cordage, clothes and other brushes, brooms, and hats
are made from this fiber, and, when curled and dyed, it is used for stuf-
fing mattresses and cushions. An oil is produced by pressing tue
white kernel of the nut, which is used for cookin’g when fresh, and by
pressure affords stearine, which is made into candles, the liquid being
used forlamps. The kernel is of great importance as ‘an article of food,
and the milk affords an agreeable beverage. While young they yield a
delicious substance resembling blane-mange. The leaves are used for
thatching, for making mats, baskets, hats, &c.; combs are made from
the hard footstalk; the heart of the tree is used as we use cabbages.
The brown fibrous network from the base of the leaves is used as sieves,
and also made into garments. The wood is used for building and for
furniture. The flowers are used medicinally as an eens = 200 and the
roots as a febrifuge.

CODLEUM VARIEGATUM.—A native of Walecexs, where it is cultivated
for its foliage, which is used to decorate houses on occasions of festivity.
The bark and root excite a burning sensation in the mouth when
chewed. It is nearly allied to the Croton-Oil plant.

CoFFEA ARABICA.—The Coffee plant belongs to the Cinchonacea,
and is a native of Abyssinia, but is now cultivated in many tropical
regions. It cannot be successfully cultivated in a climate where the
temperature, at any season of the year, falls below 55 degrees. The
beans or seeds are roasted before use, and by this process they gain
nearly one-half in bulk, and lose about a fifth in weight. Heat also
changes their essential qualities, causing the development of the vola-
tile oil and peculiar acid to which the aroma and flavor are due. The

ya

berries contain theine; so also do the leaves, and in some countries the
latter are preferred.

CoLA ACUMINATA.—An African tree, which has been introduced into
the West Indies and Brazil, for the sake of its seeds, which are known
as Cola, or Kolla, or Goora’ nuts, and extensively used as a sort of con-
diment by the natives of Africa. A small piece of one of these seeds is
chewed before each meal as a promoter of digestion. It possesses pro-
pert ties similar to the leaves of coca, and contains theine.

COLOCASIA ESCULENTA.—This plant has been recommended for pro-
fitable culture in this country, for its edible root-stock. It is cultivated
in the Sandwich Islands, under the name of Tara. The young leaves
are cooked and eaten as spinach or greens in Egypt. They are very
acrid, but lose their acridity when Doiled and water changed. The
roots are filled with starch, and have been long used as food in various
semi-tropical countries.

CONDAMINEA MACROPHYLLA.—This plant belongs to the Cinchona
family, and contains tonic properties. The Peruvian bark gatherers
adulterate the true Cinchona bark with this, but it may be detected by
its white inner surface, its less powerful bitter taste, and a viscidity
not possessed by the Cinchonas.

CONVOLVULUS SCAMMONIA.—This plant furnishes the seammony of
the druggists.

Cooxta PUNCTATA. small-growing tree from China, which pro-
duces a fruit known as the Wampee. This fruit is a globular berry,
with five or fewer compartments filied with juice. It is much esteemed
in China.

COPAIFERA OFFICINALIS.—This tree yields Balsam of Copaiba, used
in medicine. The balsam is collected by making incisions in the stem,
when the liquor is said to pour out copiously; as it exudes, it is thin
and colorless, but immediately thickens and changes to a clear yellow.

COPERNICA CERIFERA.—The Carnauba, or Wax Palm of Brazil;
grows about 40 feet high, and has a trunk six or eight inches thick,
composed of very hard wood, which is commonly employed in Brazil
for building and other purposes. The upper part of the young stem is
soft, and yields a kind of sago, and the bitter fruits are eaten by the
Indians. 'The young leaves are coated with wax, called Carnaub wax,
which is detached by shaking them, and then melted and run into
cakes; it is harder than bees-wax, and has been used for making
candles. The leaves are used for thatch, and, when young, are eaten by
cattle. |

CoPpRosMA ROBUSTA.—A Cinchonaceous shrub. The leaves of this
plant were largely used in some of the religious ceremonies of the New
Zealanders.

CoRDIA SEBESTENA.—A tropical plant, bearing succulent mucilagin-
ous and emollient fruit, employed in medicine.

CorpIA Myxa.—This produces succulent, mucilaginous, and emol-
lient fruits, which are eaten. These qualities, combined with a slight
astringency, have led to their use as pectorals.

CoryvPHA UMBRACULIFERA.—The Talipot palm is a native of Cey-
lon, producing gigantic fan-like leaves. These leaves have prickly
stalks six or seven feet long, and, when fully expanded, form a néarly
complete circle of thirteen feet i in diameter. Large fans made of these
leaves are carried before people of rank among the Cinghalese ; they are
also commonly used as umbrellas, and tents are made by neatly joining
them together; they are also used as a substitute for paper, being writ-

23

ten upon with a style. Some of the sacred books of the Cinghalese are
composed of strips of them. The hard seeds are used by turners.

COUROUPITA GUIANENSIS.—The fruit of this tree is called, from its
appearance, the Cannon-ball fruit ; its shell is used as a drinking-vessel,
and, when fresh, the pulp is of an agreeable flavor.

CRESCENTIA CUCURBITINA.—The Calabazo de Playa of the Panam-
ians. The fruit has a very brittle shell, and has been reported to possess
poisonous properties, which is doubted.

CROTON TicLiumM.—A plant of the family Huphorbiacee, from the In-
dian Archipelago, which produces the seeds from whence croton-oil is
extracted. It is a very powerful medicine, and even in pressing the
seeds for the purpose of extracting the oil, the workmen are subject to
irritation of the eyes and other casualties.

Croton CASCARILLA.—This plant furnishes Cascarilla bark, used as
an aromatic bitter tonic, having no astringency. It has a fragrant
smell when burnt, on which account it has been mixed with smoking-
tobacco.

CUBEBA OFFICINALIS.—A native of Java, which furnishes the cubeb
fruits of commerce. These fruits are like black pepper, but stalked,
and have an acrid, hot, aromatic taste, frequently used medicinally.

CUPRESSUS SEMPERVIRENS.—This is the Cypress of Persia and the
Levant, celebrated by Oriental poets for its elegance of form, and the
special tree planted in Mohammedan and Armenian cemeteries.

CUPRESSUS FUNEBRIS.—A native of China, and much used in that
country for planting in cemeteries. As it attains age, its branches
droop like a Weeping Willow, and is supposed to have been the tree
represented on the ‘‘ willow pattern” of China-ware, at one time so much
in use all over the globe.

CURCUMA LONGA.—A plant belonging to the Zing giberacece, the roots
of which furnish turmeric. This pow der is used in India as a mild
aromatic, and for other medicinal purposes. It also enters into the
composition of curry-powder, and a sort of arrow root is made from the
young tubers.

CuRCUMA ZEDOARIA.—This plant furnishes Zedoary tubers, much
used in India as aromatic tonics.

CYATHEA MEDULLARIS.—This beautiful tree-fern is a native of
Australia, where it attains a height of twenty-five to thirty feet, having
fronds from ten to fifteen feet in length. It contains a pulpy substance
in the center of the stem, of a starchy, muecilaginous nature, which is a
common article of food with the natives. The trees have to be destroyed
in order to obtain it.

CYBISTAX ANTISYPHILITICA.—A plant of the order of Bignoniacea,
called Atunyangua in the Andes of Peru, where the inhabitants dye
their cotton cloths by boiling them along with the leaves of this plant;
the dye is a permanent blue. The bark of young shoots is much
employed in medicine.

CYCAS REVOLUTA.—The Sago paltwn of gardens. The stem of the
plant abounds in starch, which’ is highly esteemed in Japan. A gum
exudes from the trunks of the old plant. which is employed medicinally
by the natives of India.

CYCAS CIRCINALIS.—A native of Malabar, where a kind of sago is
prepared from the seeds, which are dried and powdered ; medicinal
properties are also attributed to the seeds.

CYCLOPIA GENISTOIDES.—A native of South Africa, where the leaflets
of the plant are used in infusion or decoction for promoting expectora-

24

tion in chronic catarrh. It is called Bush Tea, and has an agreeable
tea-like smell, with a sweet astringent taste.

DACRYDIUM FRANKLINII.—Called Huon pine, because of its being
found growing near the Huon River, in Tasmania. It belongs to the
Yew family. It furnishes valuable timber, very durable, and is used for
ship and house building; some of the wood is very beautifully marked,
and is used in furniture-making and cabinet-work.

DAMARA AUSTRALIS.—A singular plant of the Conifere family, called
the Kauri pine. It forms a tree of 150 to 200 feet in height, and pro-
duces a hard, brittle resin like copal, which is used in varnish.

DASYLIRION ACROTRICHUM.—A plant of the Pine-Apple family, from
Mexico. The leaves contain a fine fiber, which may be ultimately more
extensively utilized than it is at present.

DESMODIUM GYRANS.—An interesting plant of the Pea family, called
the Moving plant, on account of the rotatory motion of the leaflets.
These move in all conceivable ways, either steadily or by jerks. Some-
times only one leaf or two on the plant will be affected; at other times a
nearly simultaneous movement may be seen in all the leaves. These
movements are most energetic when the thermometer marks about 80
degrees. This motion is not due to any external or mechanical irritation.

DIALIUM ACUTIFOLIUM.—The Velvet Tamarind, so called, from the
circumstance that its seed-pods are covered with a beautiful black velvet
down; the seeds are surrounded by a farinaceous pulp of an agreeable
acid taste.

D.inpum.—Is the Tamarind plum, which hasa delicious pulp of slightly
acid flavor.

DICKSONIA ANTARCTICA.—The large tree-fern of Australia. This
plant attains the height of 30 or more feet, and its fronds or leaves
spread horizontally some 20 to 25 feet. It is found in snowy regions,
and would be perfectly hardy south. It is one of the finest objects of
the vegetable kingdom when of sufficient size to show its true beauties.

DIEFFENBACHIA SHGUINA.—This has acquired the name of Dumb
Cane, in consequence of its fleshy, cane-like stems, rendering speech-
less any person who may happen to bite them, their acrid poison causing
the tongue to swell to an immense size. An ointment for applying to
dropsical swellings is prepared by boiling the juice in lard. Notwith-
Standing its acridity, a wholesome starch is prepared from the stem.

DILLENIA SPECIOSA.—An East India tree, bearing a fruit which is
used in curries and for making jellies. Its slightly acid juice, sweetened
with sugar, forms a cooling beverage. The wood is very tough, and is
used for making gun-stocks. i

DION EDULE.—A Mexican plant, bearing large seeds containing a
quantity of starch, which is separated and used as arrow-root.

Diospyros KAkt.—The Chinese Date Plumor Persimmon. The fruits
are as large as a medium-sized apple, of a bright-red color, and contain
a yellow, semi-transparent pulp, resembling the flesh of a plum both in
appearance and flavor. The Chinese dry them in the sun and make
them into sweetineats; they are sometimes imported, and in appearance
resemble large-sized preserved figs.

DIPrerrx ¢ ODORATA.—This Leguminous plant yields the fragrant seed
known as Tonka or Tonga Bean, used in scenting snuff and other pur-
poses of perfumery. The odor resembles that of new-mown hay, and
is due to the presence of cowmarine. The tree is a native of Cayenne,
and grows sixty to eighty feet high.

DORSTENIA CONTRAYERVA.—A plant from tropical America, the

25

roots of which are used in medicine, under the name of Contrayerva
root.

DRACZNA DRAcO.—The Dragon’s Blood tree of Teneriffe. This
liliaceous plant attains a great age and enormous size. The resin
obtained from this tree has been found in the sepulchral caves of the
Guanehes, and hence it is supposed to have been used by them in em-
balming the dead. Trees of this species, at present in vigorous health,
are supposed to be as old as the pyramids of Egypt.

DRACANOPSIS AUSTRALIS.—Ti, or Cabbage tree of New Zealand.
The whole of this plant is fibrous, and has been used for paper-making.
The juice of the roots and stem contains a small amount of sugar, and
has been used for producing alcohol.

Drovys WINTERI.—This plant belongs to the Magnolia family, and
furnishes the aromatie tonic known as Winter’s bark. It is a native of
Chili, and the Straitsof Magalhaens.

DRYOBALANOPS AROMATICA.—A native of the island of Sumatra.
It furnishes a liquid called camphor-oil, and a crystalline solid known
as Sumatra or Borneo camphor. Camphor-oil is obtained from incisions
in the tree, and has a fragrant, aromatic odor; it has been used for
scenting soap. The solid camphor is found in cracks of the wood, and
is obtained by cutting down the tree, dividing it into blocks and small
pieces, from the interstices of which the camphor is extracted. It dif-
fers from the ordinary camphor in being more brittle, and not condens-
ing on the sides of the bottle in which it is kept. It is much esteemed
by the Chinese, who attribute many virtues to it. It has been long
known, and is mentioned by Marco Polo in the thirteenth century.

DURIO ZIBETHINUS.—A common tree in the Maylayan Islands, where
its fruit forms a great part of the food of the natives. It is said to
have a most delicious flavor combinéd with a most offensive oder, but
when once the repugnance of the peculiar odor is overcome, it becomes
a general favorite. The unripe fruit is cooked and eaten, and the seeds
roasted and used like chestnuts.

DUVANA DEPENDENS.—This Anacardiaceous plant is a native of
China. The leaves are charged with resinous matter, which is expelled
with great force when they are thrown in water, causing them to be
driven about in a lively manner.

EHRETIA BUXIFOLIA. —-in Indian shrub, regarded as an antidote to
vegetable poison.

ELIS GUINEENSIS.—The African Oil palm is a native of Southwest-
ern Africa, but has been introduced into other tropical regions. It
grows to a height of twenty to thirty feet, and bears dense heads of
fruit. The oil is obtained by boiling the fr wits in water and skimming
off the oil as it rises to the surface. It is used in the manufacture of
candles. In Africa it is eaten as butter by the natives.

ELZIS MELANOCOCCA.—A Palm from tropical America, which pro-
duces large quantities of oil.

EL@OCARPUS HINAU.—A New Zealand tree, of the Linden family.
The bark affords an excellent permanent dye, varying from light brown
to deep black. The fruits are surrounded by an edible pulp, and they
are frequently pickled like olives.

ELETTARIA CARDAMOMUM.—This plant furnishes the fruits known
as the Small or Malabar cardamoms of commerce. The seeds are used
medicinally for their cordial aromatic pr operties, which depend upon the
presence of a volatile oil. In Indiathe fruits are chewed by the natives
with their betel.

EMBLICA OFFICINALIS.—A plant belonging to Euphorbiaceae, a native

26

of India. In Borneo the bark and young shoots are used to dye cotton
black, for which purpose they are boiled with alum. The fruits are
made into sweetmeat, with sugar, or eaten raw, but they are exceedingly
acid; when ripe and dry, they are used, in medicine, under the name of |
_Myrobalam Emblict. The natives of Travancore have a notion that the
plant imparts a pleasant flavor to water, and therefore place branches of
the tree in their wells, especially when the water is charged with an ac-
cumulation of impure vegetable matter.

EMPETRUM NIGRUM.—The Crowberry. This small, shrubby plant is
a native of moors and hill-sides, on the north of the eastern continent.
It affords abundant food for the moor game in the north of Scotland,
and the berries are eaten by the Highlanders, and also by the Russians,
it extending into that country. The seeds furnish a purplish dye, when
boiled in alum-water.

ENCKEA UNGUICULATA.—A plant of the family Piperacew, having
an aromatic fruit like a berry, with a thick rind. The roots are used
medicinally in Brazil.

ENTADA SCANDENS.—This Leguminous plant has remarkable pods,
which often measure six or eight feet in length. The seeds are about
two inches across, and half an inch thick, and have a hard, woody, and
beautifully polished shell, of a dark-brown or purplish color. These
seeds are frequently converted into snuff-boxes and other articles, and
in the Indian bazaars they are used as weights.

EPERUA FALCATA.—The Wallaba tree of Guiana. The wood is of a
light-brown color, marked with whitish streaks, hard and heavy; being
impregnated with a resinous oil, it is very durable. The bark is bitter,
and the Indians employ a decoction of it as an emetic. A resinous gum
is also produced, which has the reputation of healing wounds.

ERIODENDRON ANFRACTUOSUM.—The Silk-Cotton, or God tree of the
West Indies. The fruit is a capsule, filled with a beautiful silky fiber,
which is very elastic, but, as it cannot be woven, it is only used for stuf-
fing cushions.

ERYTHRINA UMBROSA.—This is a favorite tree for growing in masses,
for the purpose of sheltering cocoa-nut plantations, and inducing a proper
degree of moisture in their neighborhood.

ERYtHROXYLON Coca.—The leaves of this plant, under the name of
Coca, are much used by the inhabitants of South America as a mastica-
tory. It forms an article of commerce among the Indians, who carefully
dry the leaves and use them daily. Their use, in moderation, acts as a
stimulant to the nervous system, and enables those who chew them to
perform long journeys without any other food. It has been found by
analysis that the leaves contain a portion of theine, more than the ordi-
nary percentage found in Chinese tea.

KUCALYPILUS AMYGDALINA.—The Peppermint tree; is a native of Tas-
mania; produces a thin transparent oil possessed of a pungent odor re-
sembling oil of lemons, and tasting like camphor, and has great solvent
properties. The genus Eucalyptus is extensive and valuable. The
greater portion form large trees, known in Australia as Gum trees.

EK. GLOBULUS.—The blue gum, is a rapid-growing tree, attaining to a
large size. Recently it has attracted attention, and gained some repute
in medicine as an anti-periodic. The leaves have also been applied to
wounds with some success. It produces a strong camphor-smelling oil,
which has a mint-like taste, not at all disagreeable.

E. GIGANTEA.—The stringy bark gum furnishes a strong durable
timber, used for ship-building and other purposes. . robusta contains
large cavities in its stem, between the annual concentric circles of wood,

so oh

27

filled with ared gum. Many of the species yield gums and astringent
principles, and also a species of manna. The timber of these trees has
been pronounced to be unsurpassed, for strength and durability, by any
other timber known. The leaves of these trees are placed vertically to
the sun, a provision suited to a dry and sultry climate.

EUGENIA JAMBOSA.—A tropical plant, belonging to the Myrtle fam-
ily, which produces a pleasant rose-flavored fruit, known as the Rose-
apple or Jamrosade.

EUGENIA UGnNiI—This small foliaged Myrtaceous plant is a native of
Chili. It bears a glossy black fruit, which has an agreeable flavor and
perfume, and is highly esteemed in its native country. The plant is
hardy in the Southern States.

EUPHORBIA CANARIENSIS.—This plant grows in abundance in the
Canary Islands and Teneriffe, in dry, rocky districts, where little else
can grow, and where it attains a height of 10 feet, with the branches
spreading 15 or 20 feet. It is one of the kinds that furnish the drug
known as euphorbium. The milky juice exudes from incisions made in
the branches, and is so acrid that it excoriates the hand when applied
to it. As it hardens, it falls down in small lumps, and those that col-
lect it are obliged to tie a cloth over their mouth and nostrils to exclude
the small dusty particles, as they produce incessant sneezing. Asamed-
icine its action is violent, and itis now rarely employed. There are a vast
number of species of euphorbia, varying exceedingly in their general
appearance, but all of them havinga milky juice which contains active
properties. Many of them can scarcely be distinguished from cactuses
so far as relates to external appearances, but the milky exudation fol-
lowing a puncture determines their true character. EH. grandidens is a
tall-growing, branching species, and attains a height of 30 feet. The
natives of India use the juice of LH. antiquorum, when diluted, as a pur-
gative. The juice of . heptagona and other African species is employed
to poison arrows; the juice of EH. Cotinifolia is used for the same pur-
pose in Brazil. The roots of H. Gerardiana and EF. Pithyusa are emetic,
while . thymifolia and FH. hypericifolia possess astringent and aro-
matic properties. The poisonous principle which pervades these plants
is more or less dissipated by heat. The juice of EH. Cattimandoo fur-
nishes caoutchouc of a very good quality, which, however, becomes
brittle, although soaking in hot water renders it again pliable. Z.
phosphorea derives the name from the fact of its sap emitting a phos-
phorescent light, on warm nights, in the Brazilian forests.

EUTERPE EDULIS.—The Assai palm of Para; grows in swampy lands,
and produces a small fruit thinly coated with clotted fibrous flesh, of
which the inhabitants of Para manufacture a beverage called assai.
The ripe fruits are soaked in warm water, and kneaded until the fleshy
pulp is detached. This, when strained, is of a thick creamy consistence,
and, when thickened with cassava farina and sweetened with sugar,
forms a nutritious diet, and is the daily food of a large number of people.

KEUTERPE MONTANA.—The center portion of the upper part of the
stem of this West Indian palm, including the leaf-bud, is eaten either
when cooked as a vegetable or pickled, but the tree must be destroyed
in order to obtain it.

EXC@CARIA SEBIFERA.—This Euphorbiaceous plant is the Tallow
tree of China. The fruits are about half an inch in diameter, and con-
tain three seeds, thickly coated with a fatty substance, which yields the
tallow. This is obtained by first steaming the seeds, then bruising
them to loosen the fat without breaking the seeds, which are removed
by sifting. The fat is then made into flat circular cakes, and pressed,

28

when the pure tallow exudes in a liquid state, and soon hardens into a
white, brittle mass. Candles made from it get soft in hot weather, which
is prevented by coating them with insect-wax. <A liquid oil is obtained
from the seeds by pressing. The tree yields a hard wood, used by the
Chinese for printing-blocks, and its leaves are used in dyeing black.

Exoconium PurGA.—tThis plant furnishes the true jalap-tubers of
commerce. They owe their well-known purgative properties to their
resinous ingredients. Various species of Ipomcea furnish a spurious
kind of this drug, which is often put in the market as the genuine article.

EXOSTEMMA CARIB#UM.—This West India plant has become natu-
ralized in Southern Florida. It belongs to the Cinchona family, and is
known as Jamaica bark. It is also known as Quinquina Caraibe. The
bark is reputed to be a good febrifuge, and also to be employed as an
emetic. It is supposed to contain some peculiar principle, as the frac-
ture displays an abundance of small crystals. The capsules, before they
are ripe, are very bitter, and their juice causes a burning itching on the
lips.

FERONIA ELEPHANTUM.—The Wood apple or Elephant Apple tree of
India; belongs to the family Awrantiacee. It forms a large tree in Cey-
lon, and yields a hard, heavy wood, of great strength. It yields a gum,
which is mixed with other g gums, and sold under the name of Hast Indian
gum-arabic. The fruit is about the size of an orange, and contains a
pulpy flesh, which is edible, and a jelly is made from it, which is used
in cases of dysentery. The leaves have an odor like that of anise, and
the native India doctors employ them as a stomachic and carminative.

FEUILLZA CORDIFOLIA.—The Sequa or Cacoon Antidote of Jamaica ;
belongs to the Cucumber family, and climbs to a great height up the
trunks of trees. The seeds are employed as a remedy m a “variety of
diseases, and are considered an antidote against the effects of poison ;
they also contain a quantity of semi-solid tatty oil, which is liberated
by pressing and boiling them in water.

FIcus INDICA.—The famous Banyan tree of history. Specimens of
the Indian fig are mentioned as being of immense size. One in Bengal
spreads over a diameter of three hundred and seventy feet. Another
covered an area of seventeen hundred square yards. It is one of the
sacred trees of the Hindoos. It was known to the ancients. Strabo de-
scribes it, and it is noticed by Pliny. Milton also alludes to it as fol-
lows

Branching so broad along, that in the ground

The bending twigs take root ; and daughters grow
About the mother tree; a pillared shade,

High overarched, with echoing walks between.
There oft the Indian herdsman, shunning heat,

Shelters in cool; and tends his pasturing herds
At loop-holes cut through thickest shade.

FICUS RELIGIOSA. ree of the Hindoos, which they hold
in such veneration that, if a person cuts or lops off any of the branches,
he is looked upon with as great abhorrence as if he had broken the leg
of one of their equally sacred cows. The seeds areemployed by Indian
doctors, in medicine.

Ficus ELASTICA.—This afer’ is known as the India-rubber tree. It
is a native of the East Indies, and is the chief source of caoutchoue
from that quarter of the globe, although other species of Ficus yield this
gum, as well as several plants of other genera. It is a plant of rapid
growth, and, from the larger branches, roots descend to the earth, like
the Banyan tree.

ye ey

29

FLACOURTIA SEPIARIA.—A bushy shrub, used in India for hedges.
Its fruits have a pleasant, sub- acid flavor when perfectly ripe, but ‘the
unripe fruit is extremely astringent. The Indian doctors use a liniment

made of the bark, in cases of gout, and an infusion of it as a cure for
snake-bites.

FouRCROYA CUBENSE.—This plant is closely related to the Agave,
and, like many of that genus, furnishes a fine fiber, which is known in
St. Domingo as Cabuya fiber. These plants are very magnificent when
in flower, throwing up Stems twenty to thirty feet in height, covered
with many hundreds of yuecea-like blossoms.

FRANCISCEA UNIFLORA.—A Brazilian plant, called Mercurio vegetal ;
also known as Manaca. The root, and, to some extent, the leaves, are
used in medicine; the inner bark and all the herbaceous parts are nau-
seously bitter ; it is regarded as a purgative, emetic, and alexipharmic ;
in over-doses iti is an acrid poison.

GALIPEA OFFICINALIS.—This South American tree furnishes Angos-
tura bark, which has important medical properties, some physicians in
South America preferring it to cinehona, in the treatment of fevers. Its
use has been greatly retarded by bark of the deadly Nux-Vomica tree
having been inadvertently sold for it. As this bark is sometimes used
in bitters, a mistake, as above, might prove as fatal as cholera.

GARCINIA MANGOSTANA.—This tree produces the tropical fruit called
Mangosteen, a beautiful fruit, having a thick, sueculent rind, which
contains an astringent juice, and exudes a gum similar to gamnboge. The
esculent interior contains a juicy pulp, having the whiteness and solu-
bility of snow, and of a refreshing, delicate, delici jous favor. The bark
of the tree is used as a basis for black dye, and it has also some medi-

‘inal value.

GARDENIA FLORIDA and GARDENIA RADICANS.—Are known as Cape
Jasmines, from a supposition that they were natives of the Cape of
Good Hope. The genus belongs to the Cinchona family. G. lucida fur-
nishes a fragrant resin, Somewhat similar to myrrh. The fruit of G. cam-
panulata is used as a cathartic, and also to wash out stains in silk.
G. gunmifera yields a resin something like Elemi.

GASTROLOBIUM BILOBUM.—A Leguminous plant, having poisonous
properties. In Western Australia, where it is a native, farmers often
lose their cattle through their eating the foliage. Cats and dogs that
eat the flesh of these poisoned cattle are also poisoned. G.obtusum and
G. spinesum possess Similar properties.

GENIPA AMERICANA.—This belongs to the Cinchona family, and _ pro-
duces the fruit called genipap or marmalade box. It is about the size
of an orange, and has an agreeable flavor.

GEONOMA SCHOTTIANA.-A pretty Brazilian palm; the leaves are
used for thatching huts, and other parts of the plant are utilized.

GEOPHILA RENIFORMIS.—A creeping plant, belonging to the Rubi-
acer. The root, when reduced to powder, acts upon the respiratory
passages as an irritant, producing spasmodic asthma. With some per-
sons the mere odor of the root excites difficulty of breathing, with a
feeling of suffocation.

GOUANIA DOMINGENSIS.—A plant of the Buckthorn family. Known
in Jamaicaas Chaw-Stick, on account of its thin branches being chewed
as an agreeable stomachic. Tooth-brushes are made by cutting pieces
of the stem to convenient lengths, and fraying out the ends. A tooth-
powder is prepared by pulverizing the dried stems, It is said to possess
febrifugal properties; and, owing to its pleasant bitter taste, it is used
for flavoring cooling beverages.

30

GREVILLEA ROBUSTA.—The Silk Oak tree of Australia; a tree that at-
tains a large size, and is remarkable for the graceful beauty of its
foliage.

GRIAS CAULIFLORA.—The Anchovy Pear of Jamaica. The fruit is
pickled and eaten like the Mango, having a similar taste.

USER Ua OFFICINALE.—The wood of this tree is called Lignum- Vite.
A resin, called gum guaiacum, exudes from the stem, and is otherwise
obtained ‘ftom the wood by artificial means. It is of a greenish brown
color, with a balsamic fragrance, and is remarkable for the changes of
color it undergoes when brought into contact with various substances.
Gluten gives ita blue tint ; nitric acid and chlorine change it succes-
Sively to green, blue, and brown. The resin, as also the bark and wood,
are used medicinally.

GUAZUMA TOMENTOSA.—This plant is nearly allied to the Chocolate-
Nut tree, and yields fruits that abound in mucilage, as also does the
bark of the young shoots. The mucilage is given out in water, and has
been used as a substitute for gelatine or albumen, in clarifying cane-
juice in the manufacture of sugar. The timber is light, and is employed
for the staves of sugar-hogsheads; it is known in Jamaica as Bastard
Cedar. A strong fiber is obtained from the young shoots.

GUILIELMA SPECIOSA.—The Peach palm of Venezuela. The fruits
are borne in large drooping bunches, and their fleshy outer portion con-
tains starchy matter, which forms a portion of the food of the natives.
They are cooked and eaten with salt, and are said to resemble a potato
in flavor. A beverage is prepared by fermenting them in water; and
the meal obtained from them is made into bread. The wood of old trees
is black, and so hard as to turn the edge of an ax.

H4#EMATOXYLON CAMPECHIANUM.—The Logwood tree. This dye-
stuff is largely used by calico-printers, and other dyeing manufacturers.
It is also used as an ingredient in some writing-inks, and for the proper
eoloring and crusting of port-wine.

HARDENBERGIA MONOPHYLLA.—An Australian climbing-plant of the
Leguminous family. The long, carrot-shaped, woody root was called, by
the early settlers in that country, sarsaparilla, and is still used in infu-
sion as a substitute for that root. }

HARTIGHSEA SPECTABILIS.—A New Zealand tree, called Wahahe by
the natives, who employ the leaves as a substitute for bops, and also
prepare from them a spirituous infusion as a stomachic medicine.

HELIcONIA BIHAL—A plant of the order Musacee, from South America.
The young shoots are eaten by the natives, and the fruits are also col-
lected and used as food. It also furnishes a usetul fiber.

HIBISCUS ROSA SINENSIS.—The flowers of this malvaceous plant con-
tain a quantity of astringent juice, and, when bruised, rapidly turn
black or deep purple; they are used by the Chinese ladies for dyeing their
hair and eyebrows, and in Java for blacking shoes.

HIPPOMANE MANCINELLA.—This is the poisonous Manchineel tree of
South America and other tropical regions. The virulent nature of the
juice of this tree has given it a reputation equal to that forced upon the
Upas tree of Java. The juice is certainly very acrid, and even its smoke,
when burning, causes temporary blindness. The fruit is equally dan-
gerous, and, from its beautiful appearance, is sometimes partaken of by
those who are unaware of its deleterious properties, but its burning
effects on the lips soon causes them to desist. Indians are said to poison
their arrows with the juice of this tree.

HuRA CREPITANS.—This tropical plant is known as the Sand Box
tree. Its deep-furrowed, rounded, hard-shelled fruit is about the size of

oe SANS

ol

an orange, and, when ripe and dry, its bursts open with a sharp noise
Jike the report of a pistol; hence, it is also called the Monkey’s Dinner-
Bell. An emetic oil is extracted from the seeds, and a venomons, milky
juice is abundant in all parts of the plant.

HYMEN ZA COURBARIL.—The Locust Tree of the West Indies; also
ealled Algarroba in tropical regions. This is one of the very largest-
erowing trees known, and living trees in Brazil are supposed to have
been growing at the commencement of the Christian era. The timber
is very hard, and is much used for building purposes. A valuable resin,
resembling the anime of Africa, exudes from the trunk, and large lumps
of it are found about the roots of old trees.

HYPH NE THEBAICA.—The Doum, or Doom palm, or Gingerbread of
Egypt; grows also in Nubia, Abyssinia, and Arabia. The fibrous; mealy
husks of the seeds are eaten, and taste almost like gingerbread. Teo
eat them, however, is equal to eating hay.

IcIcA HEPTAPHYLLA.—The Incense tree of Guiana; is a tall-growing
tree, furnishing wood of great durability. It is called Cedar Wood on
account of its fragrant odor. The balsam from the trunk is highly odor-
iferous, and used in perfumery, and is known as balsam of acouchi; it
is used in medicine. The balsam and branches are burned as incense
in churches.

ILEX PARAGUAYENSIS.—This is the Tea plant of South America, where
it occupies the same important position in the domestic economy of the
country as the Chinese tea does in this. The maté is prepared by drying
and roasting the leaves, which are then reduced to a powder and made
into packages. When used, a small portion of the powder is placed in
a vessel, sugar is added, and boiling water poured over the whole. It
has an agreeable, slightly aromatic odor, rather bitter to the taste, but
very refreshing and invigorating to the human frame after severe fatigue.
It acts in some degree as an aperient and diuretic, and in over-doses
produces intoxication. It contains the same active principle, theine, as
tea and coffee, but not their volatile and empyreumatic oils.

ILLICIUM ANISATUM.—This magnoliaceous plant is a native of China,
and its fruit furnishes the star anise of commerce. In China, Japan,
and India, it is used as a condiment in the preparation of food, and is
chewed as a promoter of digestion, and the native physicians prescribe
it asa carminative. It is the flavoring ingredient of the preparation
Anisette de Bordeaux. Its flavor and odor are due toa volatile oil, which
is extracted by distillation, and sold as oil of anise, which is really a dif-
ferent article.

ILLICIUM FLORIDANUM.—A native of the Southern States. The
leaves are said to be poisonous; hence, the plant is sometimes called
Poison Bag. The bark has been used as a substitute for cascarilla.

ILLICIUM RELIGIOSUM.—A Japanese species, which reaches the size of
a small tree, and is held sacred by the Japanese, who form wreaths of
it with which to decorate the tombs of their deceased friends, and they
also burn the fragrant bark as incense. Their watchmen use the pow-
dered bark for burning in graduated tubes, in order to mark the time,
as it consumes slowly and uniformly. The leaves are said to possess
poisonous properties.

_ INDIGOFERA TINCTORIA.—The Indigo plant is a native of Asia, but
is Cultivated and naturalized in many countries. The use of indigo as
a dye is of great antiquity. Both Dioscorides and Pliny mention it, and
it is supposed to have been employed by the ancient Egyptians. The
indigo of commerce is prepared by throwing the fresh-cut plants into
water, where they are steeped for 12 hours, when the water is run off

]

32

into a vessel, and agitated, in order to promote the formation of the blue
coloring-matter, which does not exist ready formed in the tissues of the
plant, but is the result of the oxidation of other substances contained
in them. The coloring-matter then settles at the bottom; it is then
‘boiled to a certain consistency, and afterward spread out on cloth
frames, where it is further drained of water, and pressed into cubes or
cakes for market.

IPOMHA PURGA. species of jalap is obtained from this convol-
vulaceous plant; this is a resinous matter, contained in the juices.

IRIARTELLA SETIGERA.—A South American palm, growing in the
underwood of the forests on the Amazon and Rio Negro. The Indians
use its slender stems for making their blow-pipes, or eravatanas, through
which they blow small poisoned arrows with aceuraecy to a considerable
distance.

JACARANDA MIMOSIFOLIA.—This belongs to the Bignonia family, and,
like many of the genus, is employed in medicine,

JAMBOSA MALACCENSIS..This Indian plant belongs to the Myrtle
family. It produces a good-sized edible fruit, know! nas the Malay
Apple.

JASMINUM SAMBAC TRIFOLATUM.—A native of South America. The
flowers are very fragrant, and an essential oil, much used in perfumery
under the name of jasmine oil, is obtained from this and other species.

JATROPHA GLAUCA.—An East Indian plant, the seeds of which fur-
nish an oil when crushed, which is used in medicine.

JATROPHA CuRCAS.—The Physic Nut tree of tropical America. This
plant contains a milky, acrid, glutinous juice, which forms a permanent
stain when dropped on linen, and might form a good marking-ink.
Burning oil is expressed from the seeds in the Philippine Islands; the
oil, boiled with oxide of iron, is used in China as a varnish. It is used
in medicine in various ways, the leaves for fomentations, the juice to
ulcers, and the seeds as purgatives.

JUBHA SPECLABILIS.—The Coquito palm of Chili. The seed, or nut,
is called Coker-nut, and has a pleasant, nutty taste. These are used by
the Chilian confectioners in the preparation of sweetmeats, and by the
boys as marbles, being in shape and size very like them. The leaves
are used for thatching, and the trunks or stems are hollowed out and
converted into water-pipes. A wet sirup, called Miel de Palma, or
palm honey, is prepared by boiling the sap of this tree to the consistency
of treacle, ‘and i is much esteemed for, domestic use as sugar. The sap is
obtained by cutting off the crown of leaves, when it immediately begins
to flow, and continues for several months, provided a thin slice is shaved
off the top every morning. Full-grown trees will thus yield ninety
gallons.

K @MPFERIA GALANGA.—This plant belongs to the family of Gingers.
The root-stocks have an aromatic fragrance, and are used medicinally
in India, as well as in the preparation of perfumery. The flowers
appear before the leaves, upon very short stems.

KNIGHTIA EXCELSA.—A New Zealand tree, of the family Proteacee,
forming a narrow columnar growth sometimes of great height, showing

conspicuously in the forests of that country. The timber is valued for
its mottled red and brown colors, and, as it splits readily, is much used
for shingles.

KRAMERIA TRIANDRA.—This is one of the species that vield the
Rhatany roots of commerce. In Peru an extract is made from this
species, which is a mild, easily assimilated, astringent medicine. It acts
as a tonic, and is used in intermittent and putrid fevers. It is also

33

styptic, and, when applied in plasters, is used in curing weers. The
color of the infusion of the roots is blood-red, on which account it is
used to adulterate, or rather it forms an ingredient in the fabrication of
port-wine.

KYDIA CALYCINA.—An Indian plant of the family Bytineriacea.
The bark is employed in infusion as a sudorific, and in cutaneous dis-
eases; and its fibrous tissue is manufactured into cordage.

LAGETTA LINTEARIA.—The Lace-Bark tree of Jamaica. The inner
bark consists of numerous concentric layers of fibers, which interlace
in all directions, and thus present a great resemblance to lace. Arti-
cles of apparel are made of it.

LAPAGERIA ROSEA.—A twining plant from Chili. The flowers are
very beautiful, and succeeded by berries, which are said to be sweetand
eatable. The root has qualities closely resembling sarsaparilla, and
used for the same purposes.

LATANIA RUBRA.—A very beautiful palm from the Mauritius. , The.
fruit contains a small quantity of pulp, whieh is eaten by the natives,
but it is not considered very palatable by travelers.

LAWSONIA INERMIS.—This is the celebrated Henna of the Hast. The
use of the powdered leaves as a cosmetic is very general in Asia and
Northern Africa, the practice having descended from very remote ages,
as is proved by the Egyptian muminies, the parts dyed “being usually
the finger and toe nails, the tips of the fingers, the palms of the hands,
and soles of the feet, imparting a reddish color, considered by Oriental
belles as highly ornamental. Henna is prepared by reducing the leaves
to powder, and, when used, is made into a pasty mass with water, and
spread on the part to be dyed, being allowed to remain for twelve hours.
The plant is known in the West Indies as Jamaica Mignonette.

LECYTHIS OLLARIA.—This tree produces the hard, urn-shaped fruits
known in Brazil as Monkey Cups. The seeds are eatable, and sold as
Sapucaia nuts. The fruit-vessels are very peculiar, being six inches in
diameter, and having closely fitting lids, which separate when the seeds
are mature. The bark is composed of a great number of layers, not
thicker than writing-paper, which the Indians separate, and employ for
clgar-wrappers.

LEPTOSPERMUM SCOPARIUM.—A plant known throughout Australia
as Captain Cook’s Tea tree, from the circumstance that, on the first land-
ing of this navigator in that country, he employed a decoction of the
leaves of tlis plant as a corrective to the effects of scurvy among his
crew, Which proved an efficient medicine. Thickets of this plant, along
the swampy margin of streams, are known as Tea-tree scrubs. It is also
known among the natives as the Manuka plant. The wood is hard and
heavy, and was formerly used for making sharp-pointed spears. It be-
longs to the Myrtle family of plants.

LICUALA ACUTIFIDA.—This palm is a native of the island of Pulo-
Penango, and yields canes known by the curious name of Penang Law-
yers. Tt i is a low-growing plant, its stems averaging an inch in ‘diame-
ter. The stems are converted into walking-canes “by Scraping their
rough exteriors and straightening them by means of fire-heat.

LIVISTONA AUSTRALIS.—This is one of the few palms found in Aus-
tralia. The unexpanded leaves, prepared by being scalded and dried in
the shade, are used for making hats, while the still younger and more
tender leaves are eaten like cabbages.

LUCUMA MAMMOSUM.—This sa :potaceous plant is cultivated for its
fruit, which is called marmalade, on account of its containing a thick,

3P

o4 ;

agreeably flavored puip, bearing some resemblance, in appearance and
taste, to quince ma umalade. A native of South America.

MACH RIUM FIR} aranda of Brazil, which yields the
rose-wood so much cateained by the manufacturers of fine furniture and
~ eabinet-work.

MACLURA TINCTORIA.—The Fustie tree. Large quantities of the
bright yellow wood of this tree are exported from South America for
the use of dyers, who obtain from it shades of yellow, brown, olive, and
green. There are two kinds of Fustic, technically termed the young and
the old, the former being the wood of Rhus cotinus and the latter that
of the present.

MACROPIPER METHYSTICUM.—A plant of the Pepper family, which
furnishes the root called Ava by the Polynesians. It has narcotic prop-
erties, and is employed medicinally, but is chiefly remarkable for the
value attached to it as a narcotic and stimulant beverage, of which the
natives partake before they commence any important business or relig-
ious rites. Itis used by cliewing the root and ex <tracting the juice, and
has a calming rather than an intoxic: ting, effect. It 1s a filthy prepara-
tion, and only partaken of by the lower classes of Feejeeans.

MAMMEA AMERICANA.—The fruit of this tree, under the name of
Mammee Apple, is very much esteemed in tropical countries. It often
attains a size of 6 or 8 inches in diameter, and is of a yellow color.
The outer rind and the pulp which immediately surrounds the seeds are
very bitter, but the intermediate flesh is sweet and aromatic. The seeds
are used as anthelinintics, an aromatic liquoris distilled from the flowers,
and the acrid resinous gum, distilled from the bark, is used to destroy
insects. y

MANETTIA CORDIFOLIA.—This climbing-plant is a native of South
America, and belongs to the family of Cinchonacee. The rind of the
root has emetic properties, and is used in Brazil for dropsy and other
diseases. It is also exported under the name of Ipecacuan, chiefly from
Buenos Ayres.

MANGIFERA INDICA.—The Mango, in some of its varieties, is esteemed
as the most delicious of tropical fruits, while many varieties produce
fruit whose texture resembles cotton, and taste of turpentine. The tur-
pentine flavor predominatesin all. The unripe fruit is pickled. The
pulp contains gallic and citric acid. The seeds possess anthelmintic
properties. A soft gum-resin exudes from the wounded bark, which is
used medicinally.

MANIHOT UTILISSIMA.—This euporbiaceous plant yields cassava or
mandioceca meal. It is extensively cultivated in tropical countries, and
supplies a great amount of food. The root is the part used, and in its
natural condition is a most virulent poison, but by grating the roots to
a pulp the poison is expelled by pressure, and altogether ‘dissipated by
cooking. The expressed juice, when allowed to settle, deposits the starch
known as tapioca.

MANTISIA SALTATORIA.—A plant ofthe family of Gingers, deriving its
name from the resemblance of the flowers to the insect mantis. The
flowers are very singular, and from a supposed resemblance to a ballet-
dancer, the plant is called Dancing Girls.

MARANTA ARUNDINACEA.—The Arrow-Root plant, cultivated for its
starch. The tubers being reduced to pulp with water, the fecula sub-
sides, and is washed and dried for commerce. It is a very pure kind of
starch, and very nutritious. The term arrow-root is said to be derived
from the fact that the natives of the West Indies use the roots of the
plant as an application to wounds made by poison-arrows.

—

a

3D

MARSILEA MACROPUS.—The Nardoo of Australia. In general appear-
ance this curious plant bears a resemblance to clover. It grows in low
erounds that are wet, sending out long rhizomes, or stems, which lie on
the surface of the mud : : when the pools dry up, the leaves wither, leav-
ing the hard involucres on the surface, which are gathered , pounded into
flour, and used for making bread. European travelers lost in the bush
have subsisted for days on this plant, humble as it appears.

MAURITIA FLEXUOSA.—The Moriche, or Ita palm, is very abundant
on the banks of the Amazon, Rio Negro, and Orinoco Rivers. In the
delta of the latter it occupies swampy tracts of ground, which are at
times completely inundated, and present the appearance of forests rising
out of the water. These swamps are frequented by a tribe of Indians
called Guaranes, who subsist almost entirely upon the produce of this
palm, and during the period of the inundations suspend their dwellings
from ‘the tops of its tall stems. The outer .skin of the young leaves is
made into string and cord for the manufacture of hammocks. The fer-
mented sap yields palm-wine, and another beverage is prepared from
the young fruits, while the soft inner bark of the stem yields a farina-
ceous substance like Sago.

MAXIMILIANA REGIA.—An Amazonian palm, called Inaja. Thespathes
are so hard that, when filled with water, they will stand the fire, and are
sometimes used by the Indians as cooking utensils. The Inélians who
prepare the kind of rubber called bottle-rubber, make use of the hard
stones of the fruit as fuel for smoking and drying the successive layers
of milky juice as it is applied to the mold upon which the bottles are
formed. The outer husk, also, yields a kind of saline flour, used for sea-
soning their food.

MELALEUCA MINOR.—A native of Australia and the islands of the
Indian Ocean. The leaves, being fermented, are distilled, and yield an
oil known as cajuput or cajeput oil, whichis green, and has a strong aro-
matic odor. It is valuable as an antispasmodic and stimulant, and at
one time had a great reputation as a cure for cholera. In China the
leaves are used as a tonic in the form of decoction.

MELICOCCA BIJUGA.—This sapindaceous tree is plentiful in tropical
America and the West Indies, and is known as the Genip tree. It pro-
duces numerous green egg-shaped fruits, an inch or more in length, pos-
sessing an agreeable vinous and somewhat aromatic flavor. The wood
of the tree is hard and heavy.

MELOCACTUS COMMUNIS.—Commonly called the Turk’s Cap Cactus,
from the flowering portion on the ae of the plant being of a eylindrical
form and red color, like a fez cap. Notwithstanding that they grow in
the most dry, sterile places, they Costa a considerable quantity of
moisture, which is well known to mules, who resort to them when very
thirsty, first removing the prickles with their feet.

MESEMBRYANTHEMUM CRYSTALLINUM.—The Ice plant, so called in
consequence of every part of the plant being covered with small watery
pustules, which glisten in the sun like fragments of ice. Large quanti-
ties of this plant are collected in the Canaries and burned, the ashes being
sent to Spain for the use of glass-makers. J. edule is called the Hot-
tentot’s fig, its fruit being about the size of a small fig, and having a
pleasant, acid taste when ripe. . tortuosum possesses nareotic prop-
erties, and is chewed by the Hottentots to induce intoxication. The
fruits possess hygrometric properties, the dried, shriveled capsules
swelling out and opening so as to allow of the escape of the seeds when
moistened by rain, which at the same time fits the soil for their germi-
nation.

36

MIKANIA GuUACO.—A composite plant, which has gained some
notoriety lately as the supposed Cundurango, the cancer-curing bark.
It has long been supposed to supply a powerful antidote for the bite of

venomous serpents.
- MIMUSOPS BALATA.—The Bully tree. This sapotaceous plant attains.
a great size in Guiana, and affords a dense, close-grained, valuable tim-
ber. Its small fruits, about the size of coffee- “berries, are delicious
when ripe. The flowers also yield a perfume when distilled in water,
and oil is expressed from the seeds.

Mimusors ELENGI.—A native of Ceylon, where its hard, heavy,
durable timber is used for building purposes. The seed also affords a
great amount of oil.

MoNODORA GRANDIFLORA.—An African plant, belonging to the
Anonacee. It produces large fruit, which contains a large quantity of
seeds, about the size of the Scarlet-Runner bean. They : are aromatic,
and impart to the fruit the odor and flavor of nutmeg; hence they are
also known as Calabash nutmegs.

MONSTERA DELICIOSA.—This is a native of Southern Mexico, and
yields a delicious fruit, with the luscious pine-apple flavor. The holes in
the leaves are from natural causes, not yet sufficiently explained.

MORINGA PTERYGOSPERMA.—A native of the East Indies, where it
bears the name of Horse-Radish tree. The seeds are called Ben-nuts,
and supply a fluid oil, highly prized by watchmakers, called oil of ben.
The root is pungent and stunulant, and tastes like horse-radish.

MOoORONOBEA COCCINEA.—The Hog Gum tree; attains a height of one
- hundred feet. A fluid pellucid juice exudes from incisions in the trunk,
and hardens into a yellow resin. It is said the hogs in Jamaica, when
wounded, rub the injured part against the tree, so as to cover it with
the gum, which possesses vulnerary properties; hence its name. The
resin has been employed as a substitute for Copaiba Balsam, and plas-
ters are made of it.

MURRAYA EXOTICA.—A Chinese plant of the Orange family. The
fruit is succulent, and the white flowers are very fragrant. They are
used in perfumery. .

MuRUCUJA OCELLATA.—This plant belongs to the Passion Flower
family, has attractive flowers, and is said to possess anthelmintic and.
diaphoretic qualities, and to be used in Jamaica as a narcotic.

MusA SAPIENTUM.—The Banana plant. This has been cultivated and
used as food in tropical countries from very remote times, and furnishes
enormous quantities of nutritious food, and serves as a staple support
to a large number of the human race. ‘The expressed juice is in some
countries made into a fermented liquor, and the young shoots eaten as a
vegetable. ,

MuSsA TEXx?TILIs.—This furnishes the fiber known as Manila hemp, and
is cultivated in the Philippine Islands for this product. The finer kinds
of the fiber are woven into beautiful shawls, and the coarser manufac-
tured into cordage for ships. The fiber is obtained from the leaf-stalks.

Musa ENSETE.—-This Abyssinian species forms large foliage of strik-
ing beauty. The food is dry and uneatable; but the base of the flower-
stalk is eaten by the natives.

Musa CAVENDISHHO.—Is a valuable dwarf species of the Banana from
Southern China. It bears a large truss of fine fruit, and is cultivated to
some extent in Florida, where it endures more cold than the West India
species, and fruits more abundantly.

MUSSAINDA FRONDOSA.—This chinchonaceous plant is a native of
Ceylon. The bark and leaves are esteemed as tonics and febrifuges in

37

the Mauritius, where they are known as Wild Chinchona. The leaves
and flowers are also used as expectorants, and the juice of the fruit
and leaves is used as an eye-wash.

MYRISTICA MOSCHATA.—The Nutmeg tree. The seed of this plant is
the nutmeg of commerce, and mace is the seed-cover of the same.
When the nuts are gathered they are dried, and the outer shell of the
seed removed. The mace is also dried in the sun, and assumes a golden-
yellow color. The most esteemed nutmegs come from Penang. At one
time the nutmeg culture was monopolized by the Dutch, who were in
the habit of burning them when the crop was too abundant, in order to
keep up high prices.

MYROSPERMUM PERUIFERUM.—This plant yields the drug known as
Balsam of Peru, which is procured by making incisions in the bark, into
. which cotton rags are thrust; a fire is then made round the tree to liquify
the balsam; the balsam is collected by boiling the saturated rags in
water. It is a thick treacly looking liquid, with a fragrant aromatic
smell and taste, and is not used so much in medicine as it formerly was.

MyRTUS COMMUNIS.—The common Myrtle. This plant is supposed
to be a native of Western Asia, but now grows abundantly in Italy,
Spain, and the South of France. Among the ancients the Myrtle was
held sacred to Venus, and was a plant of considerable importance,
wreaths of it being worn by the victors of the Olympic games, and other
honored personages. Various parts of the plant were used in medicine,
in cookery, and by the Tuscans in the preparation of myrtle-wine, called
myrtidanum. itis still used in perfumery, and a highly perfumed dis-
tillation is made from the flowers. The fruits are very aromatic and
sweet, and are eaten fresh or dried, and used as a condiment.

NANDINA DOMESTICA.—A shrub belonging to the family of Berber-
ries. It is a native of China and Japan, where it is extensively culti-
vated for its fruit. Itisthere known as Nandin. . ,

NAUCLEA GAMBIR.—A native of the Malayan Islands, which yields
the Gambir, or Terra Japonica of commerce. This is prepared by boil-
ing the leaves in water until the decoction thickens, when it is poured
into molds, where it remains until it requires the consistency of clay,
it is then cut into cubes and thoroughly dried. It is used as a mastica-
tory in combination with the Areca nut and Betel leaf, and also for tan-
ning purposes.

NECTANDRA LEUCANTHA.—The Greenheart, or Bibiri tree of British
Guiana, furnishes Bibiru bark, which is used medicinally as a tonic and
febrifuge, its properties being due to the presence of an uncrystallizable
alkaloid, also found in the seeds. The seeds are also remarkable for
containing upward of 50 per cent. of starch, which is made into a kind
of bread by the natives. The timber of this tree is extensively employed
in ship-building, its great strength and durability rendering it peculiarly
well suited for this purpose.

NEPENTHES DISTILLATORIA.—This Pitcher plant is a native of Cey-
lon. The pitchers are partly filled with water before they open; hence it
was supposed to be produced by some distilling process. In Ceylon the
old, tough, flexible stems are used as willows.

NEPHELIUM Lircui.—This sapindaceous tree produces one of the
valued indigenous fruits of China. There are several varieties; the
fruit is round, about an inch and a half in diameter, with a reddish-
colored, thin, brittle shell. When fresh, they are filled with a sweet,
white, transparent, jelly-like pulp. The Chinese are very fond of these
fruits and consume large quantities of them, both in a fresh state and
when dried and preserved.

38

NERIUM OLEANDER.—This is a well-known plant, often seen in culti-
vation, and seemingly a favorite with many. It belongs to a poisonous
family, and is a dangerous poison. <A decoction of its leaves forms a
wash, employed in the south of Europe to destroy cutaneous vermin ;
and its powdered wood and bark constitute the basis of an efficacious
rat-poison. Children have died from eating the flowers. A party of
soldiers in Spain, having meat to roast in camp, procured spits and
skewers of the tree, which there attains a large size. The wood having
been stripped of its bark, and brought in contact with the meat, was
productive of fatal consequences, for seven men died out of twelve who
partook of the meat, and the other five were for some time danger-
ously ill.

NOTELAA EIGUSTRINA.—The Tasmanian Ironwood tree; isof medium
growth, and furnishes wood that is extremely hard and dense, and used
for making sheaves for ships’ blocks, and for other articles that require
to be of great strength. The plant belongs to the Olive family.

OCHROMA LAGOPUS-—A tree that grows about forty feet high, along
the sea-shores in the West Indies and Central America, and known as
the Cork wood. The wood is soft, spongy, and exceedingly light, and
is used as a substitute for cork, both in stopping bottles and as floats
for fishing-nets. It is also known as Balsa.

CGHNOCARPUS BATAVA.—A South American palm, which yields a col-
orless, sweet-tasted oil, used in Para for adulterating olive-oil, being
nearly as good for this pur pose as peanut-oil, so largely used in Europe.
A palatable but slightly aperient beverage i is prepared by triturating
the fruits in water, and adding sugar and mandiocca flour.

OLEA EHuROP#A.—The European Olive, which is popularly supposed
to furnish all the olive-oil of commerce. It isa plant of slow growth,
and of as slow decay. It is considered probable that trees at present
existing in the Vale of Gethsemane are those which existed at the com-
mencement of the Christian era. The oil is derived from the flesh of
the fruit, and is pressed out of the braised pulp; inferior kinds are
from second and third pressings. The best salad-oil is from Leghorn,
and is sent in flasks surrounded by rushwork. Gallipoli oil is trans-
ported in casks, and Lueca oil in jars. The pickling olives are the
unripe fruits deprived of a portion of their bitterness by soaking in
water in which lime and wood-ashes are sometimes added, and then
bottled in salt and water, flavored with aromaties.

ONcIDIUM PAPILIO.—This orchid is known as the Butterfly plant of
Trinidad. It derives its common name from the appearance of its
flowers, which are borne Singly upon the ends of very long, slender
stalks, ‘and have a v ery Striking resemblance to a reddish-colored butter-
fly, with its wings extended.

OPHIOCARYON PARADOXUM.—The Snake-Nut tree of Guiana ; SO
called on account of the curious form of the embryo of the seed, which is
spirally twisted, so as to closely resemble a coiled up black snake. The
fruits are as large as those of the black walnut, and although they are
not known to possess any medical properties, their singular snake-like ~
form has induced the Indians to employ them as an “antidote to the
poison of venomous snakes. “The plant belongs to the order of Sapin-
dace. |

OPHIORHIZA Muncos.—A plant belonging to the Cinchona family,
the roots of which are reputed for curing snake-bites. They are in-
tensely bitter, and from this circumstance they are called Earth-Galls by
the Malays.

39

OPHIOXYLON SERPENTINUM.—A native of the East Indies, where the
roots are used in medicine as a febrifuge and alexipharmic.

OpuNTIA TuNA.—This plant is a native of Mexico and South America
generally. It reaches a height of 15 to 20 feet, and bears reddish-col-
ored flowers, followed by pear-shaped fleshy fruits two'or three inches
long, and of a rich carmine color when ripe. . It is cultivated for rearing
the cochineal insect. The fruits are sweet and juicy; sugar has been
made from them. The juice is used as a water-color and for coloring
confectionery.

OPUNTIA COCHINELLIFERA.—A native of Mexico, where it is largely
cultivated in what are called the Nopal Plantations, for the breeding of
the cochineal insect. This plant and others are also grown for a similar
purpose in the Canary Islands and Madeira. Some of these plantations
contain 50,000 plants. Cochineal forms the finest carmine scarlet dye,
and at least there are 2,000 tons of it produced yearly, in value worth
$2,000 per ton.

OREODAPHNE CALIFORNICA.—The Mountain Laurel, or Spice Bush of
California. When bruised it emits a strong spicy odor, and the Spanish
Americans use the leaves as a condiment.

OREODOXA OLERACEA.—The West Indian Cabbage palm; sometimes
attains the height of 170 feet, with a straight cylindrical trunk. The
semi-cylindrical portions of the leaf-stalk are formed into cradles for
children, or made into splints for fractures. Their inside skin, peeled
off while green, and dried, looks like vellum, and can be written upon.
The heart of young leaves, or cabbage, is boiled as a vegetable or
pickled, and the pith affords sago. Oil is obtained from the fruit.

ORMOSIA DASYCARPA.—This is the West Indian Bead Tree, or Neck-
lace tree, the seeds of which are roundish, beautifully polished, and of a
bright scarlet color, with a black spot at one end resembling beads, for
which they are substituted, being made into necklaces, bracelets, or
mounted in silver for studs and buttons. It is a leguminose plant.

OSMANTHUS FRAGRANS.—This plant has long been cultivated as Olea
Fragrans. Tie flowers have a fine fragrance, and are used by the
Chinese to perfume tea. It appears that they consider the leaves also
valuable, for they are frequently found in what is expected to be genu-
ine tea.

OUVIRANDRA FENESTRALIS.—The Lattice-Leaf plant of the rivers
of Madagascar. The leaves are wholly destitute of cellular tissue, with
which the spaces between the nerves in ordinary leaves are closed up,
so that they resemble open lattice-work, or apparently consisting of only
a Skeleton of nerves, such as are produced artificially by the bleaching
process known as skeletonizing leaves. The fieshy farinaceous roots
are collected for food, and are called Water-Yams by the natives of Mad-
agascar.

P2DERIA FETIDA.—This weedy-looking plant is a native of the
East Indies and China. All parts of the plant give off an offensive
odor when bruised. In Assam the plant is called Bedolee Sutta, and
has lately been brought into notice as a fiber-vielding plant, its flexible
stems yielding a tough, fine fiber, fit for spinning purposes. The Hin-
doos use the roots asanemetice. The chopped shoots are known in China
as Jung-gala, and are used to destroy aphides on cabbages.

PANDANUS UTILIS.—The Screw-Pine of the Mauritius, where it is
largely cultivated for its leaves, which are manufactured into bags or
sacks for the exportation of sugar. They are also used for making other
domestic vessels and for tying purposes.

PAPPEA CAPENSIS.—Is a smali tree of the Soap-Berry or sapindaceous

40

family, a native of the Cape of Good Hope, where the fruit is known as
the Wild Plum, from the pulp of which a vinous beverage and excellent
vinegar are prepared, and an eatable, though slightly pureative, oil is
extracted from the seeds. The oil ; is also strongly recommended for bald-
‘ness and scalp affections.

PAPYRUS ANTIQUORUM.—The Paper-Reed of Asia, which yielded the
substance used as paper by the ancient Egyptians. The underground
root-stocks spread horizontally under the muddy soil, continuing to
throw up stems as they creep along. The paper was made from thin
slices, cut vertically from the apex to the base of the stem, between its
surface and center. ‘The slices were placed side by side, according to
the size required, and then, after being wetted and beaten with a
wooden instrument until smooth, were pressed and dried in the sun.

PARITIUM ELATUM.—The Mountain Mahoe, a malvaceous plant, that
furnishes the beautiful lace-like inner bark called Cuba bast, imported
by nurserymen for tying their plants. It was at one time only seen as
employed in tying together bundles of genuine Havana cigars. It forms
a tree forty feet or more in height, and yields a greenish-blue timber,
highly prized by cabinet-makers.

PARKIA AFRICANA.—The African Locust tree produces seeds which
the natives of Soudan roast, and then bruise and allow to ferment in
water until they become putrid, when they are carefully washed,
pounded into powder, and made into cakes, which are said to be excel-
lent, but having a very unpleasant smell. The pulp surrounding the
seeds is made into a sweet farinaceous preparation.

PARKINSONIA ACULEATA.—This leguminous plant is called Jerusalem
Thorn. Although a native of Southern Texas and Mexico, it is found
in many tropical countries, and is frequently used for making hedges.
Indians in Mexico employ it as a febrifuge and sudorific and also as a
remedy in epilepsy.

PARMENTIERA CEREIFERA.—In the Isthmus of Panama this plant is
termed the Candle tree, because its fruits, often four feet long, look like
yellow candles suspended from the branches. They have a peculiar,
apple-like smell, and cattle that partake of the leaves or fruit have the
smell communicated to the beef if killed immediately.

PASSIFLORA QUADRANGULARIS.—The fruit of this plant is the Grana-
dilla of the tropics. The pulp has an agreeable though rather mawkish
taste. The root is said to possess narcotic properties, and is used in the
Mauritius as an emetic. |

PAULLINIA SORBILIS.—The seeds of this climbing sapindaceous
plant furnish the famous Guarana of the Amazon, and its principal
tributaries. The ripe seeds, when thoroughly dried, are pounded into
a fine powder and made into dough with water, which is formed into
cylindrical rolls, from five to eight inches long, which become very hard
when dry. It is used as a beverage, which is prepared by grating about
half a teaspoonful of one of the cakes into about a teacupful of water.
It is much used by Brazilian miners, and is considered a preventive of
all manner of diseases. It is also used by travelers, who supply them-
selves with it previous to undertaking lengthy or fatiguing journeys.
Its active principle is identical with theine, of which it contains a larger
quantity than any other known plant, being more than double that con-
tained in the best black tea.

PAVETTA BORBONICA.—This belongs to the Quinine family. The roots
are bitter, and are employed as a purgative; the leaves are also used
medicinally.

PEDILANTHUS TITHYMALOIDES.—This euphorbiaceous plant has an

4l

acrid, milky, bitter juice; the root is emetic, and the dried branches are
used medicinally. 7

PERESKIA ACULEATA.—The Barbadoes gooseberry; belongs to the
family Cactacew; grows about fifteen feet in height, and produces
yellow- colored, eatable, and pleasant-tasted fruit, which is used in the
West Indies for making preserves.

PERSEA GRATISSIMA. “—The Avocado or Pellfeeteae pear; is a common
tree in the West Indies. The fruits are pear-shaped, covered with a
brownish-green or purple skin. They are highly esteemed where grown,
but strangers do not relish them. They contain alarge quantity of firm
pulp, possessing a buttery or marrow-like taste, and are frequently called
vegetable marrow. They are usually eaten with spice, lime-juice, pepper,
and salt. An abundance of oil, for burning and for soap-making, may
be obtained from the pulp. The seeds yield a deep, indelible. lack
stain, and are used for marking linen.

PHOENIX DACTYLIFERA.—The Date palm; is very extensively grown
for its fruit, which affords the principal food for a large portion of the
inhabitants of Africa, Asia, and Southern Europe, and likewise of the
various domestic animals—dogs, horses, and camels. being alike partial
to it. The tree attains to a great age, and bears annually for two hun-
dred years. The huts of the poorer classes are constructed of the
leaves; the fiber surrounding the bases of their stalks is used for
making ropes and coarse cloth; the stalks are used for the manufacture
of baskets, brooms, crates, walking-sticks, &c., and the wood for build-
ing substantial houses ; the heart of young leaves is eaten as a vege-
table; the sap affords an intoxicating beverage. It may further be
mentioned that the Date was, probably, the palm which supplied the
‘* branches of palm trees” mentioned by St. John (xii, 13) as having
been carried by the people who went to meet Christ on his triumphal
entry into Jerusalem, and from whieh Palm Sunday takes its name.

PHORMIUM TENAX.—This plant is called New Zealand Flax, on
account of the leaves containing alarge quantity of strong, useful fiber,
which is used by the natives of that country for making strings, ropes,
and articles of clothing. The plant could be grown in this climate, and
would, no doubt, be largely cultivated, if some efficient mode of sepa-

rating the fiber could be discovered.

PHOTINIA JAPONICA.-—The Japanese Medlar, or Chinese Lo-quat; bears
a small oval fruit of an orange color when ripe, having a pleasant sub-
acid flavor. It stands ordinary winters in this climate, and forms a fine
evergreen, medium-sized tree. j

PHYSOSTIGMA VENENOSUM.—A strong, climbing leguminous plant,
the seeds of which are highly poisonous, “and are employed by the na-
tives of Old Calabar as an ordeal. Persons suspected of witcheraft or
other crimes are compelled to eat them until they vomit or die—the
former being regarded as proof of innocence, and the latter of guilt.
Recently the seeds have been found to act powerfully in diseases of the
eye.

PHYTELEPHAS MACROCARPA.—The vegetable Ivory plant; is a native
of the northern parts of South America. The fruit consists of a collec-
tion of six or seven drupes; each drupe contains from six to nine seeds,
the vegetable ivory of commerce. The seed at first contains a clear, in-
sipid liquid ; ; afterward it becomes milky and sweet, and changes by de-
grees until it becomes hard as ivory.

PICRASMA EXCELSA.—This yields the bitter wood known as Jamaica
Quassia. The tree is common in Jamaica, where it attains the height of
50 feet. “The wood is of a whitish or yellow color, and has an intensely

42

bitter taste. Although itis used as a medicine in cases of weak diges-
tion, it acts as a narcotic poison on some animals, and the tincture is
used as fly poison. Cups made of this wood, when filled with water
and allowed to remain for some time, will impart tonic properties to the
water.

PINCKNEYA PUBENS.—This cinchonaceous plant is a native of the
Southern States, and has a reputation as an antiperiodic. It is stated
that incomplete examinations have detected cinchonine in the bark. It
has been used successfully as a substitute for quinine. A thorough ex-
amination of this plant seems desirable, so that its exact medical value
may be ascertained.

PIPER BETEL.—This plant belongs to the Piperacew. Immense quan-
tities of the leaves of this plant are chewed by the Malays. It tinges
the saliva a bright red, and acts as a powerful stimulant to the digestive
organs and salivary glands; when swallowed it causes giddiness and
other unpleasant symptoms in persons unaccustomed to its use.

PIPER NIGRUM.—This twining shrub yields the pepper of commerce.
It is cultivated in the Hast and West Indies, Java, &e., the Malabar
being held in the highest esteem. The fruit when ripe is of a red color,
but it is gathered before being fully ripe and dried in the sun, when it
becomes black and shriveled. White pepper is the same fruit with the
Skin removed. When analyzed, pepper is found to contain a hot, acrid
resin and a volatile oil, as well as a crystalline substance called piperin,
which has been recommended as a substitute for quinine.

PISCIDIA ERYTHRINA.—The pounded leaves and young branches of
this tree are used in the West Indies for poisoning fish.

PISTACIA LENTIScUS.—The’ Mastic tree;.is a native of Southern
Kurope, Northern Africa, and Western Asia. Mastic is the resin of the
tree, and is obtained by making transverse incisions in the bark, from
which it exudes in drops and hardens into small semi-transparent tears.
It is consumed in large quantities by the Turks for chewing, to
strengthen the gums and sweeten the breath. It is also used for
varnishing.

PISTACIA TEREBINTHUS.—The Cyprus Turpentine tree. The tur-
pentine flows from incisions made in the trunk, and soon becomes thick
and tenacious, and ultimately hardens. Galls gathered from this tree
are used for tanning purposes, one of the varieties of morocco leather
being tanned with them.

PISTACIA VERA.—The Pistacia tree, which yields the eatable Pistachio
nuts, is a native of Western Asia. These nuts are greatly eaten by the
Turks and Greeks, as well as in the south of Europe, either simply
dried like almonds or made into articles of confectionery.

PITHECOLOBIUM SAMAN.—This leguminous plant yields eatable pods,
which are fed to cattle in Brazil. Some Mexican species produce pods
that are boiled and eaten, and certain portions contain saponaceous
properties. The pods are sometimes called Manila tamarinds.

PITTOSPORUM UNDULATUM.—A plant from New Zealand, which
reaches a considerable size, and furnishes a wood similar to box-wood.
The flowers are very fragrant.

PLAGIANTHUS BETULINUS.—The inner bark of the young branches
of this plant yields a very fine, tough fiber, sometimes called New
Zealand cotton, though more like flax than cotton; it is the Akaroa of
the New Zealanders. In Tasmania it bears the name of Currajong;
good cordage and twine for fishing-nets are made from this fiber.

PLUMBAGO SCANDENS.—The root of this plant is called Herbe du

43

Diable in San Domingo; it is acrid and caustic in the highest degree,
and is a most energetic blistering agent when fresh.

PLUMIERIA ALBA.—A South American plant. The flowers are used
in perfumery, and furnish the scent known as Frangipane.

POGOSTEMON PATCHOULY.—This plant affords the celebrated patch-
ouli perfume. The peculiar odor of patchouli is disagreeable to some,
but is very popular with many persons. The odoriferous part of the
plant is the leaves and young tops, which yield a volatile oil by distil-
lation, from which an essence is prepared; sachets of patchouli are
made of coarsely powdered leaves. Genuine Indian shawls and Indian
ink were formerly distinguished by their odor of this perfume, but the
test does not now hold good. Ll effects, such as loss of sleep, nervous
attacks, &c., have been ascribed to its extensive use.

POMADERRIS APETALA.—A plant of the Buckthorn family, from New
South Wales; it yields a hard, close-grained wood, there called Cooper’s
wood.

PONGAMIA GLABRA.—Some years ago this tree was recommended as
suitable for avenue-planting in the south of France. In India an oil
called poonga is expressed from the seeds, and much used for mixing
with lamp-oil. It is of a deep yellow color, and is fluid at temperatures
above sixty degrees Fahrenheit, but below that it becomes solid.

PORTLANDIA GRANDIFLORA.—This plant belongs to the cinchona-
ceous family, and is said to possess properties similar to those of the
true Cinchona. The bark is exceedingly bitter. .

PSIDIUM PYRIFERUM.—The West Indian Guava; a well-known fruit
in the tropics, but only known here in the shape of guava-jelly. The
wood of the tree has a fine, close grain, and has been experimented
with as a substitute for box-wood for engraving purposes, but it is too
soft to stand the pressure of printing.

PsipiuM CATTLEYANUM.—This is the purple guava from China. The
fruits are filled with juicy, pale flesh, of a very agreeable acid-sweet
flavor. {

PSYCHOTRIA LEUCANTHA.—A plant belonging to the cinchona family.
Emetic properties are assigned to the roots, which are also used in
dyeing. Native of Peru.

PTEROCARPUS MARSUPIUM.—This tree affords gum-kino, which is
obtained by making incisions in the bark, from which the juice exudes
and hardens into a brittle mass, easily broken into smal! angular,
shining fragments of a bright ruby color. It is highly astringent.
The wood is hard and valuable for manufacturing purposes.

PUNICAGRANATUM.—The Pomegranate; is a native of Northern Africa
and Western Asia. The fruit is valued in warm countries on account
of its delicious cooling and refreshing pulp. Numerous varieties are
grown, some being sweet and vinous, and others acid, or of a bitter,
stringent taste; the color also varies from light to dark red. The bark
of the root abounds in a peculiar principle called punicin. This bark
appears to have been known to the ancients, and used by them asa
vermifuge, and is still used in Hindostar as a specific against tapeworm.
The rind of the fruit of the bitter varieties contains a large amount of
tannin, and is used for tanning morocco leather. The flowers yield a
red dye.

QUASSIA AMARA.—The wood of this plant furnishes Surinam quassia.
It is destitute of smell, but has an intensely bitter taste, and is used as
a tonic. The root has also reputed medicinal value, as also have the
flowers.

QUILLAJA SAPONARIA.—The Quillai or Cullay of the Chilians. Its

44

bark is called soap-bark, and is rough and dark-colored externally, but
internally consists of numerous regular whitish or yellowish layers, and
contains a large quantity of carbonate of lime and other mineral mat-
ters. Itis also rich in saponine, and is used for washing clothes; two
ounces of the bark is sufficient to wash a dress. It also removes all
spots or stains, and imparts a fine luster to wool; when powdered and
rubbed between the hands in water, it makes a foam like soap. It is to
be found in commerce.

RAPHIA TOADIGERA.—The Jupati palm. The leaf-stalks of this
plant are used by the natives of the Amazon for a variety of purposes,
such as constructing inside walls, making boxes and baskets, &c. A.
vinifera, the Bamboo palm, is similarly used by the Africans, who also
make very pliable cloth of the undeveloped leaves. Palm-wine is one of
the products of the genus.

RAVENALA MADAGASCARIENSIS.—This plant is called the Traveler’s
tree, probably on account of the water which is stored up in the large
cup-like sheaths of the leaf-stalks, and which is sought for by travelers
to allay their thirst. The broad leaves are used in Madagascar as thatch
to cover their houses. The seeds are edible, and the blue, pulpy aril
surrounding them yields an essential oil.

RHAPIS FLABELLIFORMIS.—The Ground Rattan palm. This is sup-
posed to yield the walking-canes known as rattan, which is doubted.
It is a native of Southern China, and is also found.in Japan, where it is
known by the name of Kwanwortsik.

RHIZOPHORA MANGLE.—This plant is known as the Mangrove, possi-
bly because no man can live in the swampy groves that are covered with
it in tropical countries. The seeds germinate, or form roots before they
quit the parent tree, and drop into “the mud as young trees. The old
plants send out aerial roots into the water, upon which mollusea adhere,
and as the tide recedes they are seen clinging to the shoots, verifying
the statements of old travelers that they had seen oysters growing on
trees. All parts of this tree contain tannin. The bark yields dyes, and
in the West Indies the leaves are used for poulticing wounds. The fruit

is edible; a coarse bitter salt is extracted from the roots, and in the
Philippines the bark is used as a febrifuge.

ROTTLERA TINCTORIA.—This plant belongs to the order Huphorbiacec,
and reaches the size of a small tree in the Indian Archipelago and
Southern Australia. From the surface of the trilobed capsules of this
plant, which are about the size of peas, a red, mealy powder is obtained,
well known in India as kamala, and which is used by Hindoo silk-dyers,
who obtain from it deep, bright, durable orange or flame color, of great
beauty. This is obtained by boiling the powder in a solution of the
carbonate of soda. When the capsules are ripe, the red powder is
brushed off and collected for sale, no other preparation being necessary
to. preserve it. It is also used medicinally as an anthelmintic, and has
been very successfully used in cases of tapeworm. A solution removes
freckles, and pustules, and eruptions on the skin.

ROYENA MICROPHYLLA.—A native of the Cape of Good Hope, and of
the Ebony family. The wood of this plant is of alike nature with ebony,
but the tree does not grow to a'great size.

RUELLIA INDIGOTICA.—This small bush is eee cultivated in
China for the preparation of a blue coloring-matter of the nature of
indigo. The pigment is prepared from the entire plant by a process
similar to that employed in procuring the common indigo. It is sold in
China in a pasty state. The water in which the plant is steeped is

45

mixed with lime and rapidly agitated, when the coloring deposits at the
bottom of the vessel.

SABAL ADANSONI.—This Biseack palm is a native of the Southern
States. The leaves are made into fans, and the soft interior of the stem
is edible.

SABAL UMBRACULIFERA.—This is a West Indian paim; the leaves
are used for various purposes, such as making mats, hats, &e.

SACCHARUM OFFICINARUM.—The sugar-cane. Where the sugar-cane
was first cultivated is unknown, but it is supposed to have been in the
East Indies, for the Venetians imported it from thence by the Red Sea
prior to the year 1148. It is supposed to have been introduced into the
islands of Sicily, Crete, Rhodes, and Cyprus by the Saracens, as abund-
ance of sugar was made in these islands previous to the discovery of the
West Indies in 1492 by the Spaniards, and the East Indies and Brazil
by the Portuguese in 1497 and 1560. [fg was cultivated afterward in
Spain, in Valentia, Granada, and Murcia, by the Moors. In the 15th
century it was introduced into the Canary Islands by the Spaniards, and
to Madeira by the Portuguese, and thence to the West India Islands and
to Brazil. The Dutch began to make sugar in the island of St. Thomas
in 1610, and in Jamaica in 1644. Its culture has since become general
in warm climates, and its use universal.

SSAGUERUS SACCHARIFER.—The Arenga palm; is of great value to the
Malays. The black horse-hair like fiber surrounding its leaf-stalks is
made into cordage; a large amount of toddy or palm-wine is obtained
by cutting off the flower-spikes, which, when inspissated, affords sugar,
and, when fermented, a capital vinegar; considerable quantities of infe-
rior Sago and several other products of minor importance are derived
from this palm.

SaGcus Rumputit.—This palm produces the sago of commerce, which
is prepared from the soft inner portion of the trunk. It is obtained by
cutting the trunk into small pieces, which are split, and the soft sub-
stance scooped out and pounded in water till the starchy substance
separates and settles. This is sago-meal; but before being exported it
is made into what is termed pearl-sago. This is a Chinese process,
principally carried on at Singapore. The meal is washed, strained, and
spread out to dry; it is then broken up, pounded, and sifted until it is of
a regular size. Small quanties being then placed in bags, these are
shaken about until it becomes oranulated or pearled.

SALVADORA PERSICA.—Is supposed to be the plant that produced the
mustard-seed spoken of in the Scriptures.

SANSEVIERA GUINEENSIS. —Called the African Bowstring Hemp,
from the fibers of the leaves being used for bowstrings.

SAPINDUS SAPONARIA.—The Soapberry tree. The fruit of this plant
is about the size of a large gooseberry, the outer covering or shell of
which contains a saponaceous principle in sufticient abundance to pro-
duce a lather with water, and is used as a substitute for soap. The
seeds are hard, black, and round, and are used for making rosaries and
necklaces, and at one time were covered for buttons. Oil is also ex-
tracted from the seeds, and is known as soap-oil.

SApoTaA AcHRAS.—The fruit of this plant is known in the West
Indies as the Sapodilla plum. It is highly esteemed by the inhabitants;
the bark of the tree is astringent and febrifugal; the seeds are aperient
and diuretic. .

SAPOTA MULLERI.—The Bully or Balata tree, of British Guiana; fur-
nishes a gum somewhat intermediate between India rubber and g eutta-
percha, being nearly as elastic as the first, without the brittleness and

A6

friability of the latter, and requires a high temperature to melt or sof:
ten it.

SCHINUS MOLLE.—The root of this plant is used medicinally, and the
resin that exudes from the tree is employed to astringe the gums. The

‘leaves are so filled with resinous fluid that, when they are immersed in
water, itis expelled with such violence as to have the appearance of
spontaneous motion in consequence of the recoil.

SEAFORTHIA ELEGANS.—This palm is a native of the northern part
of Australia, where it is utilized by the natives. The seeds have a ‘
granular fibrous rind, and are spotted and marked like a nutmeg.

SELAGINELLA LEPIDOPHYLLA.—This species of Club-moss is found
in Southern California, and hasremarkable hygrometric qualities. Itsnat-
ural growth is in circular roseate form, and fully expanded when the air is
moist, but rolling up like a ball when it becomes dry. It remains green
and acts in this peculiar manmer for a long time after being gathered.
Of late years numbers have been distributed throughout the country
under the names of ‘‘ Rose of Jericho,” and ** Resurrection Plant.” This
is, however, quite distinct from the true Rose of Jericho, Anastatica Hiero-
chuntina, a native of the Mediterranean region, from Syria to Algeria.
This plant, when growing and in flower, has the branches spread rigidly,
but when the seed ripens the leaves wither, and the whole plant becomes
dry; each little branch curls inward, until the plant appears like a small
ball; it soon becomes loosened from the soil, and is carried by the winds
over the dry plains, and is often blown into the sea, where it at once
expands. It retains this property of expanding when moistened for
at least ten years.

SEMECARPUS ANACARDIUM.—The Marking Nut tree of India. The
thick, fleshy receptacle bearing the fruit is of a yellow color when ripe,
and is roasted and eaten. The unripe fruit is employed in making a
kind of ink. The hard shell of the fruit is permeated by a corrosive
juice, which is used on external bruises and sprains, and for destroying
warts. This juice, when mixed with quick-lime, is used to mark cotton
or linen with an indelible mark. When dry it forms a dark varnish,
and among other purposes it is employed, mixed with pitch and tar, in
the calking of ships. The seeds, called Malacca beans, or Marsh nuts,
are eaten, and are said to stimulate the mental powers, and especially
the memory, and, finally, they furnish an oil used in painting.

SERISSA Fa:TIDA.—A cinchonaceous shrub, having strong astringent
properties. The roots are employed in cases of diarrhea; also in oph-
thalmia and certain forms of ulcers. It is a native of Japan and China.

SHOREA ROBUSTA.—This tree produces the Saul wood of India, which .
has a very high reputation, and is extensively employed for all engineer-
ing purposes where great strength and toughness are requisite. It is
stronger and much heavier than teak. An oil is obtained from the
seeds, and a resin, similar to Dammar resin, is likewise obtained from
the tree. f

SIDA PULCHELLA.—A plant of the Mallow family; the bark contains
fibrous tissue available for the manufacture of cordage. The root of
S. acuta is esteemed by the Hindoos as a medicine, and particularly as
a remedy for snake-bites. The light wood of these species is used to
make rocket-sticks.

SIMABA CEDRON.—A native of New Grenada, where it attains the
size of a small tree, and bears a large fruit containing one seed; this seed,
which looks like a blanched almond, is known in commerce as the ced-
ron. As aremedy for snake-bites it has been known from time imme-
morial in New Grenada. It is mentionedin books of the 17th century.

a

AT

Recently it has obtained a reputation as a febrifuge, but its value as an
antidote to the bites of snakes and scorpions is universally believed, and
the inhabitants carry a seed with them in all their journeyings; if they
happen to be bitten by any venomous reptile, they scrape about two
erains of the seed in brandy or water, and apply it to the wound, and
at the same time taking a like dose internally. This neutralizes the
most dangerous poisons.

SIMARUBA OFFICINALIS.—This tree yields the drug known as sima-
ruba bark, which is, strictly speaking, the rind of the root. Itisa
bitter tonic. It is know nin the West Indies as the Mountain Damson.

SIMMONDSIA CALIFORNICA.—This plant belongs to the Huphorbia-
ceous family, and produces a nut resembling an acornin size and shape.
They have a flavor like filberts, but have a nauseous after-taste, and
cause purging.

SIPHONIA ELASTICA.—The South American India rubber plant, from
which a great portion of the caoutchouc of commerce is obtained. There
are several species of Siphonia which, equally with the above, furnish
the India-rubber exported from Para. The caoutchouc exists in the
tree in the form of a thin white milk, which exudes from incisions made
in the trunk, and is poured over molds, which were formerly shaped
like jars, bottles, or shoes, hence often called bottle-rubber. As it
dries, the coatings of milky juice are repeated, until the required thick-
ness is obtained, and the clay mold is removed. It belongs to the
extensive family Huphorbiacee.

SMILAX MEDICA.—This plant yields Mexican Sarsaparilla, to dis-
tinguish it from the many other kinds of this drug. The ee is a
climber, similar to the Smilax of our woods.

SOYMIDA FEBRIFUGA.—On the Coromandel coast this plant is known
as the Redwood tree, and in Hindostan as the Rohuna. The bitter,
astringent bark is found to be a useful tonic. It has been employed
successfully in bad cases of gangrene; and in typhus fever; if given in
over-doses, if occasions vertigo and stupor.

SPONDIAS MomBiIn.—This yields an eatable fruit called Hog plum
in the West Indies. The taste is said to be peculiar, and not very
agreeable to strangers. They are chiefly used to fatten swine. The
fruit is laxative, the leaves astringent, and the seeds possess poisonous
qualities. The flower-buds are used as a sweetmeat with sugar.

STRELITZIA REGINA.—A plant of the Musa or Banana family. The
flowers are very beautiful for the genus. It is'a native of the Cape of
Good Hope. The seeds are gathered and eaten by the Kaffirs.

STRYCHNOS NUX VOMICA.—This is a native of the Coromandel coast
and Cochin-China. It bears an orange-like fruit, containing seeds that
have an intensely bitter taste, owing to the presence of two most
energetic poisons, strychnin and brucin. The pulp surrounding the
seeds is said to be harmless, and greedily eaten by birds. The wood of
the plant is hard and bitter, and possesses similar properties to the
seeds, but in a less degree. It is used in India in intermittent fever,
and in cases of snake-bites. S&S. Tiente is a Java shrub, the juice of
which is used in poisoning arrows. WS. toxifera yields a frightful poison
called Ourari or Wourali, employed by the natives of Guiana. This is
considered to be the most potent sedative in nature. Several species
of Strychnos are considered infallible remedies for snake-bites; hence are
known as Snakewood. SS. Pseudo-Quina, a native of Brazil, yields Col-
pache bark, which is much used in that country in cases of fever, and
is considered equal to ae in value. It does not contain stry chnin,
and its fruits are edible. & 7 Os um furnishes seeds known in India

45

as Clearing-nuts, on account of their use in clearing muddy water. St.
Ignatius beans are supposed to be yielded by a species of Strychnos,
from the quantity of strychnin contained in the seeds.

SWIETENIA MAHAGONI.—This South American plant furnishes the
timber known in commerce as maliogany. The bark is considered a
febrifuge, and the seeds prepared with oil were used by the ancient
Aztecs as a cosmetic. The timber is well known, and much used in
the manufacture of furniture.

TACCA PINNATIFIDA.—This is sometimes called South Sea Arrow-Roots:
The tubers contain a great amount of starch, which is obtained by
rasping them, and macerating four or five days in water, when the
fecula separates in the same manner as sago. It is largely used as an
article of diet throughout the tropics, and is a favorite ingredient for
puddings and cakes.

TAMARINDUS INDICA.—The Tamarind tree. There are two varieties of
this species. The Hast Indian variety has long pods, with six to twelve
seeds. The variety cultivated in the West Indies has shorter pods, con-
taining onetofourseeds. Tamarinds owe their grateful acidity to the pres-
ence of citric, tartaric, and other vegetable acids. The pulp mixed with
salt is used for a liniment by the Creoles of the Mauritius. Every part
of the plant has had medicinal virtues ascribed to it. Fish pickled with
tamarinds are considered a great delicacy. it is said that the acid
moisture exhaled by the leaves injures the cloth of tents that remain
under them for any length of time. It'is also considered unsafe to
sleep under the trees.

TANGHINIA VENENIFERA.—This plant is a native of Madagasear, and
of the family Apocynacee. Formerly, when the custom of trial by ordeal
was more prevalent than now, the seeds of this plant were in great
repute, and unlimited confidence was placed in the poisonous seeds as a
detector of guilt. The seeds were pounded, and a small piece swallowed
by each person to be tried; those in whom it caused vomiting were
allowed to escape, but when it was retained in the stomach, it would
quickly prove fatal, and their guilt was thus held to be proven.

TASMANNIA AROMATICA.—The bark of this plant possesses aromatic
qualities, closely resembling Winter’s bark. The small black fruits are
used as a substitute for pepper.

TECTONA GRANDIS.—The Teak tree. Teak-wood has been extensively
employed for ship-building, both in the construction of merchant ves-
sels and ships of war; its great,strength and durability, the facility with
which it can be worked, and its freedom from injury by fungi, render-—
ing it peculiarly suitable for these purposes. It is a native of the Hast
India Islands, and belongs to the order Verbenacec.

TERMINALIA CATAPPA.—The astringent fruits of this tropical plant
are employed for tanning and dy eing, and are sometimes met with in
commerce under the name of My robalans, and used by calico-printers
for the production of a permanent black. The seeds are like almonds
in shape and whiteness, but, although palatable, have a peculiar flavor.

TESTUDINARIA ELEPHANTIPES.—This is called the Klephant’s Foot, in
reference to its large root-stock. At the Cape of Good Hope, where it
is a native, it is known as Hottentot’s Bread, the fleshy inside having
at one time afforded food to these people; but they now leave it for
baboons and other animals. It belongs to the Yam family.

TETRANTHERA LAURIFOLIA.—This- plant is widely dispersed over
Tropical Asia and the islands of the Eastern Archipelago. Its leaves
and young branches abound in a viscid juice, and in Cochin-China the
natives bruise and macerate them until this becomes glutinous, when it

49

is used for mixing with plaster, to thicken and render it more adhesive
and durable. Its fruits yield a solid fat, used for making candles,
although it has a most disagreeable odor.

THEA VIRIDIS.—This is the China Tea plant, whose native country is
undetermined. All kindsand grades of the teas of commerce are made
from this species, although probably it has some varieties. Black and
green teas are the result of different modes of preparation; very much
of the green, however, is artificially colored to suit the foreign trade.
The finest teas do not reach this country ; ; they will not bear a sea voy-
age, and are used only by the wealthy classes in China and Russia.
The active principles of the leaves are theine and a volatile oil, to which
latter the favor and odor are due.

THEOBROMA CAcAO.—This plant produces the well-known eacao or
chocolate, and is very extensively cultivated in South America and the
West India Islands. The fruit, which is about 8 to 10 inches in length,
by 3 to 5 in breadth, contains between fifty to a hundred. seeds, ‘and
from these the cacao is prepared. As an article of food, it contains a
large amount of nutritive matter, about 50 per cent. being fat. It con-
tains a peculiar principle, which is called theobromine.

THEOPHRASTA JUSSL“I.—A native of St. Domingo, where it is some-
times called Le petit Coco. The fruit is succulent, and bread is made
from the seeds.

THESPESIA POPULNEA.—A tropical tree, belonging to the Mallow
family. The inner bark of the young branches yields a tough fiber, fit
for cordage, and used in Demerara for making coffee-bags, and the finer
pieces of it for cigar-envelopes. The wood is considered almost inde-
structible under water, and its hardness and durability render it valua-
ble for various purposes. The flower-buds and wnripe fruits yield a
viscid yellow juice, useful as a dye, and a thick, deep, red-colored oil is
expressed from the seeds.

THRINAX ARGENTEA.—This beautiful palm is called the Silver Thatch
palm of Jamaica, and is said to yield the leaves so extensively used in
the manufacture of hats, baskets, and other articles. It is also a native
of Panama, where it is called the Broom palm, its leaves being there
made into brooms.

TILLANDSIA ZEBRINA.—A South American plant, of the Pine-Apple
family ; the bottle-iike cavity formed at the base of the leaves will some-
times contain a pint or more of water, and has frequently furnished a
gratefal drink to thirsty travelers.

TINOSPORA CORDIFOLIA.—A climbing plant, so tenacious of life that
when the stem is cut across or broken, a rootlet is speedily sent down
from above, which continues to grow until it reaches the ground. A
bitter principle, calumbine, pervades the plant. An extract called ga-
luncha is prepared from it, considered to be a specific for the bites of
poisonous insects — tor ulcers. The young shoots are used as
emetics.

TORENIA ASIATICA.—A beautiful flowering plant of the family Sero-
phulariacee. The leaves of this plant are used in decoction, on the
Malabar coast, for medicinal purposes, and considered of much value in
certain diseases.

TRIPHASIA TRIFOLIATA.—A Chinese shrub, with fruit about the size
of hazel-nuts, red-skinned, and of an agreeable sweet taste ; when green,
they have a strong flavor of turpentine, and the pulp is very sticky.
ie are also preserved whole in sirup, and are sometimes called Lime-

erries,

4p

50 ;

TRISTANIA NERIFOLIA.—A myrtaceous plant from Australia, called
the mean tree, owing to its furnishing.a fluid resembling that
product .

URCEOLA’ ELASTICA.—A plant belonging to the Apocynacece, a native
of the islands Borneo and Sumatra, where its milky juice, collected by
making incisions in its soft, thick, ragged bark, or by cutting the trunk
into junks, forms one of the kinds of caoutchoue called juitawan, but it
is inferior to the South American, chiefly owing to want of care in its
preparation, the milky juice being simply coagulated by mixing with

salt water, instead of being gradually inspissated in layers on a mold.
The fruit contains 2 a pulp which i is much eaten by the natives.

URENA LOBATA.—A Malvaceous plant, possessing mucilaginous prop-
erties, for which it is used medicinally. The bark affords an abundance
of fiber, resembling jute rather than flax or hemp.

VANGUERIA EDULIS.—A cinchonaceous plant, the fruits of which are
eaten in Madagascar under the name of Voa-vanga. The leaves are
used in medicine.

VANILLA PLANIFOLIA.—The Vanilla plant belongs to the Orchid fam-
ily. The fruit is used by confectioners and others for flavoring creams,
liqueurs, and chocolates. There are several species, but this gives the
finest fruit.

VATERIA INDICA.—This plant yields a.useful gum-resin, called Indian
copal, piney varnish, white dammar, or gumanine. The resin is procured
by cutting a notch in the tree, so that the juice may flow out and be-
come hardened. It is used as a varnish for pictures, carriages, &e.
On the Malabar coast it is manufactured into candles, which burn with
a clear light and an agreeable fragrance. The Portuguese employ this
resin instead of incense. Ornaments are fashioned from it under the
name of amber. It is also employed in medicine.

WRIGHTIA TINCTORIA.—The leaves of this plant furnish an inferior
kind of indigo. The wood is beautifully white, close-grained, and ivory-
like, and is much used for making Indian toys.

XANTHORRHGA ARBOREA.—The Grass Gum tree of Australia, also
called Black Boy. This isa liliaceous plant. which produces a long flower-
stalk, bearing at the top an immense cylindrical flower-spike, and when
the short black stem is denuded of leaves, the plants look very like
black men holding spears. The leaves afford good fodder for cattle,
and the tender white center is used asa vegetable. A fragrant resin,
called acaroid resin, is obtained from it.

YucCA ALOEFOLIA.—The Yucca leaves afford a good fiber, and some
southern species are known as Bear’s Grass. The root-stems also furnish
a starchy matter, which has been rendered useful in the manufacture of
starch.

ZAMIA FURFURACEA.—This plant belongs to the order Cycadeacee,
and is grown to some extent for the starchy m matter contained in the
stem, W hich is collected and used as arrow-root; but it is not the true
arr ow- root, that being produced by a species of Maranta.

ZAMIA INTEGRIFOLIA. —The Coontie plant of Florida. The large
succulent roots afford a quantity of arrow-root, said to be equal to the
best of that from Bermuda. The fruit has a coating of an orange-col-
ored pulp, which is said to form a rich edible food. It was from the
roots of this plant that the Seminoles of Florida obtained their white-
meal.

ZINGIBER OFFICINALE.—This plant is cultivated in most warm coun-
tries tor the sake of its rhizomes, which farnish the spice called ginger.

51

It is prepared by digging up the roots when a year old, scraping them,
and drying them in the sun. Ginger, when broken across, shows a
number of little fibers embedded in floury tissue. Its hot, pungent taste
is due to a volatile oil. It also contains starch and yellow coloring-
matter. Ginger is used for various medicinal purposes, and in many
ways as a condiment, and in the preparation of cordials and so-called
teas.

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