TEREBINTHACE^. XVII. Rhus. 



n 



nitiirej every vein of the wood may be clearly seen. For the 



17 R. CoMMERsoNii (Poir. suppL5. p. 264.) leaves with 3-4 



most part a dark ground is spread underneath it, which causes it pairs of smooth leaflets ; petioles? leaflets tapering to the base, 

 to reflect like a mirror, and for this purpose recourse is fre- 

 quently had to the fine sludge, which is got in the trough under 

 a grind-stone, or to ground charcoal ; occasionally a red sub- 

 stance is mixed with the varnish, and sometimes leaf-gold, 

 ground very fine. This varnish hardens very much, but will 18 R.? perniciosa (H. B. et Kunth. nov. gem amer. 7. p. 



not endure any blows, cracking and flying almost like glass, 10.) leaves with 7-8 pairs of leaflets, and are smooth, as well as 

 though it can stand boiling water without any damage. With the branches , petioles naked ; leaflets on long stalks, eHiptical 



but blunt at the apex, somewhat mucronated and quite entire. 

 Tj . S. Native of Brazil. Like 7?. venenata or vernkifera^ ex 

 Poir. R. meridionulis, Spreng. syst. 1. p. 936. 

 Commerson's Sumach. Clt. 1818. Tree 30 feet. 



this the Japanese varnish over the posts of their doors, and most or rhomboid-ovate, quite entire, membranous. Tj . S. Native 

 articles of houseliold furniture, which are made of wood. It of New Spain, near St. Theresa and Tapecuacuilca. Flowers, 

 far exceeds the Chinese and Siamese varnish, and the best is as well as fruit, unknown. This species resembles in its poison- 

 collected about the town of Jassino. It is cleared from impu- ous effects the R, venenata, no. 15. 

 rities by wringing it through very fine paper ; then about a Pernicious Sumach. Shrub 3 to 4 feet, 



hundredth part of an oil called toi, which is expressed from the 

 fruit of Bignonia tomeniosa is added to It, and being put into 

 wooden vessels, either alone or mixed with native cinnabar, or 

 some black substance, it is sold all over Japan. The expressed 

 oil of the seeds serves for candles. The tree is said to be equally 

 poisonous with the Rhus venenata^ or American poison-tree. 



Varnish-hearing Sumach or Japan Varnish-tree. Clt. 1818. 

 Tree 30 feet. 



15 R. VENENATA (D. C. prod. 2. p. 68.) leaves with 6-7 

 pairs of smoothish deciduous leaflets ; petioles naked ; leaflets 

 ovate-lanceolate, acuminated, quite entire, netted with veins 

 beneath. Tj . H. Native of North America, from Canada to 

 tarolina, m low copses, where it is called Poison-sumach or 

 rotson-wood. 



^. Dill. elth. t. 292. R. vernix, Lin. spec. 380. 



%'. med. hot. 1. p. 96. t. 10. Wats. dend. brit. t. 19. Toxi- 



M 



diet. 



The 



_ no. 0. Flowers dioecious, 



green. Fruit white, smooth, containing a furrowed nut. 

 milky juice of this tree stains linen a dark brown. The whole 

 shrub IS in a high degree poisonous, and the poison is commu- 

 nicated by touching or smelling any part of it. In forty-eight 

 nours, mflammation appears on the skin in large blotches, prin- 

 cipally on the extremities and on the glandulous parts of the 

 ^ody ; soon after small pustules rise in the inflamed parts, and 



19 R. jUGLANDiFOLiA (Wllld. iu Schult. syst. 6. p. Gid. but 

 not of Wall.) leaves with 11-15 pairs of oblong, acuminated, quite 

 entire, smooth (but rather pilose beneath) leaflets, which are 

 rounded on the upper edge at the base, but narrowed at the lower 

 edge ; panicles axillary, much branched ; calyxes smooth. ^ . S. 

 Native of New Granada, where it is commonly called Caspi de 

 Pasto. H. B. et Kunth. nov. gen. amcr. 7. p. 6. t. 603 and 

 604. Allied to R. copalUna^ but the petioles are wingless. The 

 juice is very acrid and poisonous. 



WalnuUleaved Sumach. Shrub 5 to 6 feet. 



20 R. FRAxiNiFOLiA (D. Don, prod. fl. nep. p. 248.) flowers 

 hermaphrodite ; leaflets 7, lanceolate, acuminated, serrated, gla- 

 brous, shining, oblique at the base ; rachis rather terete, simple ; 

 panicle much branched, villous. \. G. Native of Nipaul. A 

 large tree, with leaves nearly 2 feet long. 



Ash'leaved Sumach. Clt. 1820. Tree 40 feet. 



21 R. stria'ta (Ruiz et Pav. fl. per. 3. p. 29. t. 252.) leaves 

 pinnate, with quite entire ovate-lanceolate leaflets, downy be- 

 neath ; racemes large ; fruit striated. Tj. G. Native of Peru, 

 in the groves of Chinchao. Flowers white. 



Striped-ixwiieU Sumach. Tree 20 feet. 



* * 



Leaves with the petioles more or less winged. 



nu with watery matter, attended with burning and itching. In 22 R. corta'ria (Lin. spec. 379.) leaves Avith 5-7 pairs of 



wo or three days the eruptions suppurate, after which the in- villous leaflets ; petioles naked or somewhat marginate at the 



flammatiwi subsides and the ulcers heal in a short time. It apex ; leaflets elliptical, bluntly and coarsely toothed. ^ . H. 



operates, however, somewhat differently on different constitutions; Native of the south of Europe, on rocks in exposed situations, 

 ana some are incapable of being poisoned with it at all. Persons 

 01 irritable habits are most liable to receive it. 



Kalm gives 



Su the same account of the American poison-tree or Swamp 

 mach. An incision being made, a whitish-yellow juice, which 



wmI."-^"'^^^"^ .^"^^"' ^^^^^ ^^* between the bark and the 

 afr ^f ' 1^ *^ noxious to some persons, but does not in the least 



nect others. On himself it had no eflTect, except on a hot day, 



«en being m some perspiration, he cut a branch and carried it 



produced'''' ^\ ^^^^ ''''• ^''^''* ^""^^^^"g ^^ "^^ ^"^ ^^^^- It 



about • 1^ yiolent itching in his eyelids and the parts there- lasie oi tue iruu is vcr^ uciu auu aoLmij^tiii, <inu u^^to n^^ 



verv Vft^ v.""^ ^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^y^^ ^^^^ ^^^y ^^^» ^"^ the eyelids possess the dangerous qualities for which some species of this 



vprv ! 1^' ^^^ disorder went off by washing the eyelids with ' ^ ' 



*^rj cold Water. '^^- ai i ^ ^ -^ - ,°.. < , , 



the iui 



from Portugal to Tauria. Dub. ed. nov. 2. t. 46. Wats. dend. 

 brit. 1. 136. Blackw. t. 486. — Plenck. icon. t. 232. Leaves of a 

 yellowish-green colour. Flowers whitish-green, disposed in 

 terminal panicles. The branches of this tree are used instead 

 of oak bark for tanning leather, and it is said that Turkey 

 leather^ is all tanned with it. The leaves and seeds are used in 

 medicine, and are esteemed very restringent, stiptic, tonic, and 

 cooling. The Tripoli merchants sell the seeds at Aleppo, and 

 they are in common use there to provoke an appetite. The 

 taste of the fruit is very acid and astringent, and does not 



The Abbe Sauvages stained linen black with 



yl£^ ""^ ^'"' ^''^^^ ^'^^^^ ^t retained after a great 

 i^t^F i"" ^^y- The Abbe Mazeas made trial of 



genus are so remarkable. 



Hkle or Elm-leaved Sumach. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1629. 



ioxicodSndron . 



the Sim -f ?"' ^^^ instant, he says, the cloth was exposed to 



S„^ T *^^ ^"^^t ^l^^k he had ever seen. 

 at 171 q!^'*''^' I*oison-wood, or Swamp Sumach. Fl. July. 



number of Tree 20 feet, 

 that of R. 



22 



R. SEMIALATA (Mur. comm. goett. 6. 1784. p. 27. t. 3.) 

 leaves with 5-7 pairs of leaflets ; petioles naked or somewhat 

 margined from the middle to the apex ; leaflets ovate, acumi- 

 nated, serrated, downy beneath. Tj . G. Native of the East 

 Indies and Cochin-china. R. Javanicum, Lour, cochin. 183. 



cent- Xe^a^^V^^-^^ (Hamilt. prod. fl. ind. occ. p. 32.) rufes- Flowers white, bell-shaped. Leaflets clothed with rusty down 



acuminaterf '** 1 ^^"^' ^^^^^^ sessile, obliquely cordate, oblong, on the under surface. The Chinese extract an oil from the ber- 



rufescenr » ^^^Pf^ssedly serrated, shining above, covered with ries by bruising them, and boiling them in water ; they use it as 



tomeiunrv, I .V .., ., . „ , ^ ^ varnish, which is beautiful, but does not keep its polish so 



axillarv ./°"™*^'""™ beneath, with the veins parallel; flowers 



uwrv. ««K-ymose, r > 



umach. Tree 20 feet. 



iy* '^^^/"lose, tomentose. 



^ 



well as the true sort. 

 Half-winged-jyetio 



Clt. 1780. Shrub 6 feet. 



1 



