Chapter II: Part 2

There are various barks in commerce classified under the head of
Peruvian barks. Their great value depends upon the presence of
certain 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 quantities in Calisaya bark. The gray
bark of Huanuco 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 Bolivia and Peru, at various elevations on the
mountains, but chiefly in sheltered mountain valleys, and all of
them at a considerable distance below the frost or snow line. They
are destroyed by the slightest frost. Plants of various species
have been distributed from time to time, in localities which
seemed most favorable to their growth, but all reports from these
distributions have, so far, been discouraging.

118. CINNAMOMUM CASSIA.--This furnishes cassia bark, which is much
like cinnamon, but thicker, coarser, stronger, less delicate in
flavor, and cheaper; hence it is often used to adulterate
cinnamon. The unexpanded flower buds are sold as cassia buds,
possessing properties similar to those of the bark. It is grown
in southern China, Java, and tropical countries generally.

119. CINNAMOMUM ZEYLANICUM.--A tree belonging to _Lauraceæ_, 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. The cinnamon tree is too tender to become of
commercial importance in the United States. Isolated plants may be
found in southern Florida, at least it is so stated, but the area
suited to its growth must be very limited.

120. CISSAMPELOS PAREIRA.--The velvet plant of tropical countries. The
root furnishes the _Pareira brava_ of druggists, which is used in
medicine.

121. CITRUS AURANTIUM.--The orange, generally supposed to be a native
of the north of India. It was introduced into Arabia during the
ninth century. It was unknown in Europe in the eleventh century.
Oranges were cultivated at Seville towards the end of the twelfth
century, 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
varieties, with a thin rind and very sweet pulp. The Seville or
bitter orange 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.

122. CITRUS DECUMANA.--The shaddock, which has the largest fruit of the
family. It is a native of China and Japan, where it is known as
sweet ball. The pulp is acid or subacid, and in some varieties
nearly sweet. From the thickness of the skin the fruit will keep a
considerable time without injury.

123. CITRUS JAPONICA.--This is the Kum-quat of the Chinese. It forms a
small tree, or rather a large bush, and bears fruit about the size
of a large cherry. There are two forms, one bearing round fruits,
the other long, oval fruits. This fruit has a sweet rind and an
agreeably acid pulp, and is usually eaten whole without being
peeled. It forms an excellent preserve, with sugar, and is largely
used in this form.

124. CITRUS LIMETTA.--The lime, which is used for the same purposes as
the lemon, and by some preferred, the juice being considered more
wholesome and the acid more agreeable. There are several
varieties, some of them being sweet and quite insipid.

125. CITRUS LIMONUM.--The lemon; this plant is found growing naturally
in that part of India which is beyond the Ganges. It was unknown
to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It is supposed to have been
brought to Italy by the Crusaders. Arabian writers of the twelfth
century 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.

126. CITRUS MEDICA.--The citron, found wild in the forests of northern
India. The Jews cultivated the citron at the time they were under
subjection to the Romans, and used the fruit in the Feast of the
Tabernacles. 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 citron 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.

127. 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 Caribs use it for
painting the bottoms of their boats.

128. COCCOLOBA 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 medicine.

129. COCOS NUCIFERA.--The cocoanut palm. This palm is cultivated
throughout the tropics so extensively that its native country is
not known. One reason of its extensive dissemination is that it
grows so close to the sea that the ripe fruits are washed away by
the waves and afterwards cast upon far-distant shores, where they
soon vegetate. It is in this way that the coral islands of the
Indian 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 cocoa
matting is manufactured. Cordage, clothes, brushes, brooms, and
hats are made from this fiber, and, when curled and dyed, it is
used for stuffing mattresses and cushions. An oil is produced by
pressing the white kernel of the nut which is used for cooking
when fresh, and by pressure affords stearin, which is made into
candles, the liquid being used for lamps. The kernel is of great
importance as an article of food, and the milk affords an
agreeable beverage. While young it yields a delicious substance
resembling blanc-mange. The leaves are used for thatching, for
making mats, baskets, hats, etc.; combs are made from the hard
footstalk; the heart of the tree is used as we use cabbages. The
brown fibrous net work 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
astringent and the roots as a febrifuge.

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

131. COFFEA ARABICA.--The coffee plant, which belongs to the
_Cinchonaceæ_ and is a native of Abyssinia, but is now cultivated
in many tropical regions. It can not be successfully cultivated in
a climate where the temperature, at any season of the year, falls
below 55 degrees, although it will exist where the temperature all
but falls short of freezing, but a low fall of temperature greatly
retards the ripening of the fruit. Ripe fruits are often gathered
from plants in the extreme south of Florida. 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 volatile
oil and peculiar acid to which the aroma and flavor are due. The
berries contain theine; so also do the leaves, and in some
countries the latter are preferred.

132. COFFEA LIBERICA.--The Liberian coffee, cultivated in Africa, of
which country it is a native. This plant is of larger and stronger
growth than the Arabian coffee plant and the fruit is larger. This
species is of recent introduction to commerce, and although it was
reported as being more prolific than the ordinary coffee plant,
the statement has not been borne out in Brazil and Mexico, where
it has been tested. It is also more tender than the older known
species.

133. 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 Kola, or Goora nuts, and extensively used as a
sort of condiment by the natives of Africa. A small piece of one
of these seeds is chewed before each meal to promote digestion. It
possesses properties similar to the leaves of coca and contains
theine. These nuts have from time immemorial occupied a prominent
place in the dietetic economy of native tribes in Africa, and the
demand for them has established a large commercial industry in the
regions where they are obtained.

134. COLOCASIA ESCULENTA.--This plant has been recommended for
profitable 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 in the same manner as spinach or
greens in Egypt. They are acrid, but lose their acridity when
boiled, the water being changed. The roots are filled with starch,
and have long been used as food in various semitropical countries.

135. 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.

136. CONVOLVULUS SCAMMONIA.--This plant furnishes the scammony of the
druggists.

137. COOKIA PUNCTATA.--A small-growing tree from China, which produces
a fruit known as the Wampee. This fruit is a globular berry, with
five or fewer compartments filled with juice. It is much esteemed
in China.

138. 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. Like many other balsams, it is nearly allied to
the turpentines; it has a moderately agreeable smell, and a
bitter, biting taste of considerable duration. Distilled with
water it yields a limpid essential oil.

139. COPERNICA CERIFERA.--The Carnuba, or wax palm of Brazil. It grows
about 40 feet high, and has a trunk 6 or 8 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 beeswax, and has been used
for making candles. The leaves are used for thatch, and, when
young, are eaten by cattle.

140. COPROSMA ROBUSTA.--A cinchonaceous shrub. The leaves of this plant
were formerly used in some of the religious ceremonies of the New
Zealanders.

141. CORDIA MYXA.--This produces succulent, mucilaginous, and emollient
fruits, which are eaten. These qualities, combined with a slight
astringency, have led to their use as pectorals, known as
Sebestens. The wood of this tree is said to have furnished the
material used by the Egyptians in the construction of their mummy
cases; it is also considered to be one of the best woods for
kindling fire by friction.

142. CORDYLINE AUSTRALIS.--The Australian Ti, or cabbage tree, a
palm-like plant of 15 to 20 feet in height. The whole plant is
fibrous, and it has been suggested as good for a paper-making
material. The juice of the roots and stem contains a small amount
of sugar, and has been employed for procuring alcohol.

143. CORYPHA UMBRACULIFERA.--The Talipot palm, a native of Ceylon,
producing gigantic fan-like leaves. These leaves have prickly
stalks 6 or 7 feet long, and when fully expanded form a nearly
complete circle of 13 feet 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 written upon with a stylus. Some of the sacred
books of the Cinghalese are composed of strips of them. The hard
seeds are used by turners.

144. 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.

145. CRATÆVA GYNANDRA.--This West Indian tree yields a small fruit
which has a strong smell of garlic, hence it is called the garlic
pear. The bark is bitter and used as a tonic.

146. CRESCENTIA CUJETE.--The calabash tree of the West Indies, where it
is valued for the sake of its fruits, which resemble pumpkins in
appearance and occasionally reach a diameter of 18 inches.
Divested of their pulp, which is not edible, they serve various
useful domestic purposes, for carrying water, and even as kettles
for cooking. They are strong and light.

147. CROTON BALSAMIFERUM.--This West Indian shrub is sometimes called
seaside balsam or sage. A thick, yellowish, aromatic juice exudes
from the extremities of the broken branches, or wherever the stem
has been wounded. In Martinique a liquor called _Eau de Mantes_ is
distilled from this balsamic juice with spirits of wine. The young
leaves and branches are used in warm baths, on account of their
agreeable fragrance and reputed medicinal virtues.

148. CROTON ELEUTHERIA.--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.

149. CROTON TIGLIUM.--A plant of the family _Euphorbiaceæ_, from the
Indian 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.

150. 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.

151. CURCAS PURGANS.--A tropical plant cultivated in many warm
countries for the sake of its seeds, known as physic nuts. The
juice of the plant, which is milky, acrid, and glutinous, produces
an indelible brown stain on linen. The oil from the seeds is used
for burning in lamps; and in paints. In China it is boiled with
oxide of iron and used as a varnish. It is also used medicinally.

152. CURCUMA LONGA.--A plant belonging to the _Zingiberaceæ_, the roots
of which furnish turmeric. This powder 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 arrowroot is made
from the young tubers.

153. CURCUMA ZEDOARIA.--This plant furnishes zedoary tubers, much used
in India as aromatic tonics.

154. CYATHEA MEDULLARIS.--This beautiful tree fern is a native of
Australia, where it attains a height of 25 to 30 feet, having
fronds from 10 to 15 feet in length. It contains a pulpy substance
in the center of the stem, of a starchy, mucilaginous nature,
which is a common article of food with the natives. The trees have
to be destroyed in order to obtain it.

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

156. CYCAS REVOLUTA.--The sago palm of gardens. The stem of the plants
abounds in starch, which is highly esteemed in Japan. A gum exudes
from the trunk of the old plant, which is employed medicinally by
the natives of India.

157. 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.

158. DACRYDIUM FRANKLINII.--Called Huon pine, because of its being
found 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 cabinetwork.

159. DALBERGIA SISSOO.--A tree of northern India, the timber of which
is known as Sissum wood. This wood is strong, tenacious, and
compact, much used for railway ties and for gun-carriages.

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

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

162. 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. Sometimes 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°. This motion is not due to any
external or mechanical irritation.

163. 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.

164. DIALIUM INDUM.--The tamarind plum, which has a delicious pulp of
slightly acid flavor.

165. DICKSONIA ANTARCTICA.--The large fern tree 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.

166. DIEFFENBACHIA SEGUINA.--This has acquired the name of dumb cane,
in consequence of its fleshy, cane-like stems, rendering
speechless 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. Notwithstanding its acridity, a wholesome starch is
prepared from the stem.

167. DILLENIA SPECIOSA.--An East Indian 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.

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

169. DIOSPYROS EBENUM.--An East Indian tree which in part yields the
black ebony wood of commerce, much used in fancy cabinetwork and
turnery, door knobs, pianoforte keys, etc.

170. DIOSPYROS KAKI.--The Chinese date plum or persimmon. The fruits
vary in size from that of a medium-sized apple to that of a large
pear; they also vary much in their flavor and consistency, some
being firm, and others having a soft custard-like pulp, very sweet
and luscious. The Chinese dry them in the sun and make them into
sweetmeats; they are sometimes imported, and in appearance
resemble large-sized preserved figs. These plants are being quite
largely cultivated in some of the southern States, and the fruit
is entering commerce.

171. DIPTERIX ODORATA.--This leguminous plant yields the fragrant seed
known as Tonka bean, used in scenting snuff and for other purposes
of perfumery. The odor resembles that of new-mown hay, and is due
to the presence of _coumarine_. The tree is a native of Cayenne
and grows 60 to 80 feet high.

172. DORSTENIA CONTRAYERVA.--A plant from tropical America, the roots
of which are used in medicine under the name of Contrayerva root.

173. DRACÆNA 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 Cuanches, and hence it is supposed to have been used by them
in embalming the dead. Trees of this species, at present in
vigorous health, are supposed to be as old as the pyramids of
Egypt.

174. DRACÆNOPSIS 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.

175. DRIMYS WINTERI.--This plant belongs to the magnolia family and
furnishes the aromatic tonic known as Winter's bark. It is a
native of Chili and the Strait of Magalhaens.

176. 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 differs from the ordinary camphor in
being more brittle and not condensing 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.

177. DUBOISIA HOPWOODII.--The leaves of this Australian plant are
chewed by the natives of Central Australia, just as the Peruvians
and Chilians masticate the leaves of the _Erythroxylon coca_, to
invigorate themselves during their long foot journeys through the
country. They are known as Pitury leaves.

178. DURIO ZIBETHINUS.--A common tree in the Malayan Islands, where its
fruit forms a great part of the food of the natives. It is said to
have a most delicious flavor combined with a most offensive odor,
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.

179. ELÆIS GUINEENSIS.--The African oil palm is a native of
southwestern Africa, but has been introduced into other regions.
It grows to a height of 20 to 30 feet and bears dense heads of
fruit. The oil is obtained by boiling the fruits 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.

180. ELÆIS MELANOCOCCA.--A palm from tropical America which produces
large quantities of oil.

181. ELÆOCARPUS 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.

182. 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 properties, which depend
upon the presence of a volatile oil. In India the fruits are
chewed by the natives with their betel.

183. EMBLICA OFFICINALIS.--A plant belonging to _Euphorbiaceæ_, a
native of India. In Borneo the bark and young shoots are used to
dye cotton black, for which purpose they are boiled in alum. The
fruits are made into sweetmeats, with sugar, or eaten raw, but
they are exceedingly acid; when ripe and dry, they are used in
medicine, under the name of _Myrobalani emblici_. 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 accumulation of
impure vegetable matter.

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

185. ENTADA SCANDENS.--This leguminous plant has remarkable pods, which
often measure 6 or 8 feet in length. The seeds are about 2 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 bazars they are used as weights.

186. 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 can not be woven, and is only
used for stuffing cushions.

187. ERYTHRINA CAFFRA.--The Kaffir tree of South Africa. The wood is
soft and so light as to be used for floating fishing nets. The
scarlet seeds are employed for making necklaces. The Erythrinas,
of which there are many species, are mostly remarkable for the
brilliant scarlet of their flowers, and are known as Coral trees.

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

189. ERYTHROXYLON COCA.--The leaves of this plant, under the name of
coca, are much used by the inhabitants of South America as a
masticatory. 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. The use of coca in Peru is a very ancient custom, said to
have originated with the Incas. It is common throughout the
greater part of Peru, Quito, New Granada; and on the banks of the
Rio Negro it is known as Spadic. A principle, called _cocaine_,
has been extracted from the leaves, which is used in medicine.

190. EUCALYPTUS AMYGDALINA.--The peppermint tree, a native of Tasmania.
It produces a thin, transparent oil possessed of a pungent odor
resembling oil of lemons, and tasting like camphor, which has
great solvent properties. The genus _Eucalyptus_ is extensive and
valuable. The greater number form large trees, known in Australia
as gum trees.

191. EUCALYPTUS GIGANTEA.--This stringy bark gum furnishes a strong,
durable timber, used for shipbuilding and other purposes. _E.
robusta_ contains large cavities in its stem, between the annual
concentric circles of wood, filled with a red 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.

192. EUCALYPTUS GLOBULUS.--The blue gum, a rapid-growing tree,
attaining to a large size. Recently it has attracted attention and
gained some repute in medicine as an antiperiodic. 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.

193. EUGENIA ACRIS.--The wild clove or bayberry tree of the West
Indies. In Jamaica it is sometimes called the black cinnamon. The
refreshing perfume known as bay rum is prepared by distilling the
leaves of this tree with rum. It is stated that the leaves of the
allspice are also used in this preparation.

194. EUGENIA JAMBOSA.--A tropical plant, belonging to the myrtle
family, which produces a pleasant rose-flavored fruit, known as
the Roseapple, or Jamrosade.

195. EUGENIA PIMENTO.--The fruits of this West Indian tree are known in
commerce as allspice; the berries have a peculiarly grateful odor
and flavor, resembling a combination of cloves, nutmeg, and
cinnamon; hence the name of allspice. The leaves when bruised emit
a fine aromatic odor, and a delicate odoriferous oil is distilled
from them, which is said to be used as oil of cloves. The berries,
bruised and distilled with water, yield the pimento oil of
commerce.

196. EUGENIA UGNI.--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.

197. 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 who collect it are obliged to tie
cloths over their mouths and nostrils to exclude the small, dusty
particles, as they produce incessant sneezing. As a medicine its
action is violent, and it is now rarely employed. There are a vast
number of species of _Euphorbia_, varying exceedingly in their
general appearance, but all of them having a 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 following a puncture
determines their true character. _E. grandidens_ is a
tall-growing, branching species, and attains a height of 30 feet.
The natives of India use the juice of _E. antiquorum_, when
diluted, as a purgative. The juice of _E. heptagona_ and other
African species is employed to poison arrows; the juice of _E.
cotinifolia_ is used for the same purpose in Brazil. The roots of
_E. gerardiana_ and _E. pithyusa_ are emetic, while _E.
thymifolia_ and _E. hypericifolia_ possess astringent and aromatic
properties. The poisonous principle which pervades these plants is
more or less dissipated by heat. The juice of _E. cattimandoo_
furnishes caoutchouc of a very good quality, which, however,
becomes brittle, although soaking in hot water renders it again
pliable. _E. phosphorea_ derives the name from the fact of its sap
emitting a phosphorescent light, on warm nights, in the Brazilian
forests.

198. EUTERPE EDULIS.--The assai palm of Para. It grows in swampy lands,
and produces a small fruit thinly coated with clotted 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 the people.

199. EUTERPE 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.

200. EXC[OE]CARIA SEBIFERA.--This Euphorbiaceous plant is the tallow
tree of China. The fruits, are about half an inch in diameter, and
each contains 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, when the pure tallow exudes in a
liquid state and soon hardens into a white, brittle mass. Candles
made from this 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.

201. EXOGONIUM PURGA.--This plant furnishes the true jalap-tubers of
commerce. They owe their well-known purgative properties to their
resinous ingredients. Various species of Ipom[oe]a furnish a
spurious kind of this drug, which is often put in the market as
the genuine article.

202. EXOSTEMMA CARIBÆUM.--This West Indian plant has become naturalized
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 fracture 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.

203. FERONIA ELEPHANTUM.--The wood apple or elephant apple tree of
India, belonging to the family _Aurantiaceæ_. It forms a large
tree in Ceylon, and yields a hard, heavy wood, of great strength.
It yields a gum, which is mixed with other gums and sold under the
name of East 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.

204. FEVILLEA CORDIFOLIA.--The sequa or cacoon antidote of Jamaica. It
belongs to the cucumber family, and climbs to a great height up
the trunks of trees. The seeds are employed as a remedy in a
variety of diseases, and are considered an antidote against the
effects of poison; they also contain a quantity of semisolid fatty
oil, which is liberated by pressing and boiling them in water.

205. FICUS ELASTICA.--This plant is known as the india-rubber tree. It
is a native of the East Indies, and is the chief source of
caoutchouc 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 as in the case of the banyan
tree.

206. FICUS INDICA.--The famous banyan tree of history. Specimens of
this Indian fig are mentioned as being of immense size. One in
Bengal spreads over a diameter of 370 feet. Another covered an
area of 1,700 square yards. It is one of the sacred trees of the
Hindoos. It was known to the ancients. Strabo describes it, and it
is mentioned by Pliny. Milton also alludes to it as follows:

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.

207. FICUS RELIGIOSA.--The pippul tree 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 are
employed by Indian doctors in medicine.

208. FLACOURTIA SEPIARIA.--A bushy shrub, used in India for hedges. Its
fruit has a pleasant, subacid 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.

209. 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 20 to 30 feet in
height, covered with many hundreds of yucca-like blossoms.

210. FRANCISCEA UNIFLORA.--A Brazilian plant called Mercurio vegetal;
also known as Manaca. The roots, and to some extent the leaves,
are used in medicine; the inner bark and all the herbaceous parts
are nauseously bitter; it is regarded as a purgative, emetic, and
alexipharmic; in overdoses it is an acrid poison.

211. FUSANUS ACUMINATUS.--A small tree of the Cape of Good Hope and
Australia. It bears a globular fruit of the size of a small peach,
and is known in Australia as the native peach. It has an edible
nut, called the Quandang nut, which is said to be as sweet and
palatable as the almond.

212. GALIPEA OFFICINALIS.--This South American tree furnishes Angostura
bark, which has important medical properties, some physicians in
South America preferring it to cinchona 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.

213. GARCINIA MANGOSTANA.--This tree produces the tropical fruit called
mangosteen, a beautiful fruit, having a thick, succulent rind,
which contains an astringent juice, and exudes a gum similar to
gamboge. The esculent interior contains a juicy pulp, of the
whiteness and solubility of snow, and of a refreshing, delicate,
delicious flavor. The bark of the tree is used as a basis for
black dye, and it has also some medicinal value.

214. GARCINIA MORELLA.--It is supposed that Siam gamboge is obtained
from this tree, also that known as Ceylon gamboge. The juice is
collected by incising the stems, or by breaking young twigs of the
tree and securing the yellow gum resinous exudations in hollow
bamboos, where it is allowed to harden. It is employed by artists
in water colors and as a varnish for lacquer work.

215. GARCINIA PICTORIA.--A fatty matter known as gamboge butter is
procured from the seeds of this tree in Mysore. They are pounded
in a stone mortar, then boiled till the butter or oil rises to the
surface. It is used as a lamp oil, and sometimes in food.

216. GARDENIA FLORIDA and GARDENIA RADICANS.--Cape Jasmines, so called
from a supposition that they were natives of the Cape of Good
Hope. The genus belongs to the cinchona family. _G. lucida_
furnishes a fragrant resin somewhat similar to myrrh. The fruit of
_G. campanulata_ is used as a cathartic, and also to wash out
stains in silks. _G. gummifera_ yields a resin something like
Elemi.

217. 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. spinosum_ possess similar
properties.

218. GENIPA AMERICANA.--This belongs to the cinchona family, and
produces the fruit called genipap or marmalade box. It is about
the size of an orange, and has an agreeable flavor. The juice of
the fruit yields a bluish-black dye, called Canito or Lana-dye.
This color is very permanent, and is much used by Indians in South
America.

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

220. GOUANIA DOMINGENSIS.--A plant of the buckthorn family, known in
Jamaica as 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.

221. GREVILLEA ROBUSTA.--The silk oak tree of Australia; a tree that
attains a large size, and is remarkable for the graceful beauty of
its foliage.

222. GREWIA ASIATICA.--This Indian tree represents a genus of plants of
considerable economic value. This particular species yields a
profusion of small red fruits which are used for flavoring drinks,
having a pleasant acid flavor. The fibrous inner bark is employed
by the natives for making fishing nets, ropes, twine, and for
other similar purposes.

223. GRIAS CAULIFLORA.--The anchovy pear of Jamaica. The fruit is
pickled and eaten like the mango, having a similar taste.

224. GUAIACUM OFFICINALE.--The wood of this tree is called Lignum Vitæ.
A resin, called gum guaiacum, exudes from the stem, and is
otherwise obtained from 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 it a blue tint:
nitric acid and chlorin change it successively to green, blue, and
brown. The resin is used medicinally as also are the bark and
wood.

225. 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 gelatin 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.

226. GUILIELMA SPECIOSA.--The peach palm of Venezuela. The fruits are
borne in large drooping bunches, and their fleshy outer portion
contains 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 the old trees is black, and so hard as to turn the
edge of an ax.

227. HÆMATOXYLON CAMPECHIANUM.--The logwood tree. This dyestuff is
largely used by calico printers and other dyeing manufacturers. It
is also used as an ingredient in some writing inks. The heart wood
is the part used for dyeing. This is cut into chips which yield
their color to water and alcohol. The colors are various according
to treatment, giving violet, yellow, purple, and blue, but the
consumption of logwood is for black colors, which are obtained by
alum and iron bases.

228. 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 infusion as a substitute for that root.

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

230. HELICONIA BIHAI.--A plant of the order _Musaceæ_, from South
America. The young shoots are eaten by the natives, and the fruits
are also collected and used as food. It also furnishes a useful
fiber.

231. HEVEA BRASILIENSIS.--A tree of tropical America growing in damp
forests, especially in the Amazon valley, which, together with
other trees called siphonia furnish the Para rubber, or American
caoutchouc. The sap is collected from incisions made in the tree
during the dry season, and is poured over clay molds and dried by
gentle heat, successive pourings being made till a sufficiently
thick layer is produced.

232. HIBISCUS ROSA SINENSIS.--The flowers of this malvaceous plant
contain 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.

233. HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA.--This species is known in the West Indies as
red sorrel, on account of the calyxes and capsules having an acid
taste. They are made into cooling drinks, by sweetening and
fermentation. The bark contains a strong useful fiber which makes
good ropes if not too much twisted. It is also known as the
Roselle plant.

234. HIBISCUS TILIACEUS.--A plant common to many tropical countries.
Its wood is extremely light when dry, and is employed by the
Polynesians for getting fire by friction, which is said to be a
very tedious and tiresome operation, and difficult to accomplish.
Good fiber is also obtained from the bark.

235. 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 dangerous, 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.

236. HURA CREPITANS.--This tropical plant is known as the sand-box
tree. Its deep-furrowed, rounded, hard-shelled fruit is about the
size of an orange, and when ripe and dry, it bursts open with a
sharp noise like 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 venomous, milky juice is abundant in all parts of the
plant.

237. HYMENÆA COURBARIL.--The locust tree of the West Indies; also
called algarroba in tropical regions. This is one of the very
largest growing 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.

238. HYPHÆNE THEBAICA.--The doum, or doom palm, or gingerbread of
Egypt; it grows also in Nubia, Abyssinia, and Arabia. The fibrous,
mealy husks of the seeds are eaten, and taste almost like
gingerbread. In the Thebias this palm forms extensive forests, the
roots spreading over the lurid ruins of one of the largest and
most splendid cities of the ancient world.

239. ICICA HEPTAPHYLLA.--The incense tree of Guiana, 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 odoriferous, 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.

240. 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 overdoses produces
intoxication. It contains the same active principle, theine as tea
and coffee, but not their volatile and empyreumatic oils.

241. 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 to promote digestion, and the native
physicians prescribe it as a carminative. It is the flavoring
ingredient of the preparation _Anisette de Bordeaux_. Its flavor
and odor are due to a volatile oil, which is extracted by
distillation, and sold as oil of anise, which is really a
different article.

242. 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.

243. 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 powdered 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.

244. INDIGOFERA TINCTORIA.--The indigo plant, a native of Asia, but
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 twelve
hours, when the water is run off 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 afterwards spread out on cloth
frames, where it is further drained of water and pressed into
cubes or cakes for market.

245. IPOM[OE]A PURGA.--A species of jalap is obtained from this
convolvulaceous plant; this is a resinous matter contained in the
juices.

246. 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 gravatanas,
through which they blow small poisoned arrows with accuracy to a
considerable distance.

247. JAMBOSA MALACCENSIS.--This Indian plant belongs to the myrtle
family. It produces a good-sized edible fruit known as the Malay
apple.

248. JASMINUM SAMBAC TRIFOLIATUM.--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.

249. JATROPHA CLAUCA.--An East Indian plant the seeds of which when
crushed furnish an oil which is used in medicine.

250. 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 which 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 in treating ulcers, and the
seeds as purgatives.

251. JUBÆA SPECTABILIS.--The coquito palm of Chili. The seed or nut is
called cokernut, 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 like them. The
leaves are used for thatching, and the trunks or stems are
hollowed out and converted into water pipes. A sirup called Miel
de Palma or palm honey, is prepared by boiling the sap of this
tree to the consistency of treacle, and 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 90 gallons.

252. KÆMPFERIA 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.

253. KIGELIA PINNATA.--This plant is interesting from the circumstance
of its being held sacred in Nubia, where the inhabitants celebrate
their religious festivals under it by moonlight, and poles made of
its wood are erected as symbols of special veneration before the
houses of their great chiefs. The fruits, which are very large,
when cut in half and slightly roasted, are employed as an outward
application to relieve pains.

254. KRAMERIA TRIANDRA.--This is one of the species that yield 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 styptic, and when applied in plasters is used in curing
ulcers. 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.