Chapter 4

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. CRATAEVA 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 _Euphorbiaceae_, 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 _Zingiberaceae_, 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 _Bignoniaceae_, 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 _Coniferae_ 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 deg.. 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. DRACAENA 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. DRACAENOPSIS 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. ELAEIS 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. ELAEIS MELANOCOCCA.--A palm from tropical America which produces large quantities of oil.

181. ELAEOCARPUS 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 _Euphorbiaceae_, 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 _Piperaceae_, 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 CARIBAEUM.--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 _Aurantiaceae_. 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.