I have here the pleasure of giving figures of the Cow 
Tree ; the general representation (Tas. 3723) being copied 
from a very clever sketch taken on the spot and sent 
to me by Sir Rozerr Ker Porter, H. B. M. Consul Gen- 
ral at La Guayra; that of the foliage done from a living 
plant, in the Glasgow Botanic Garden; and of the fruit, 
procured for me, (together with several bottles of the milk 
and living plants, which latter, unfortunately, perished in 
the voyage,) by my obliging friend, Marrnew Pearce, Esq., 
of this city. Our live plant, however, is but a small one, 
and as yet shows no sign of flowering : the seeds were dried 
and injured; yet, we think that a representation, taken 
from these portions, though very imperfect, of a vegetable 
production, than which few have excited a more general 
interest in the Botanical world, cannot but be acceptable 
to our Subscribers ; and should we be hereafter so fortunate 
as to procure flowering and fruiting specimens, we shall not 
fail to render our account of this tree more complete than 
it is now in our power to do. 
M. de Humeotopr was the first to bring the Cow Tree of 
Caracas into notice. ‘ We returned,” he says in his valu- 
able “ Relation Historique, v. 2. p. 106, * from Porto 
Cabello to the valley of Aragua, stopping at the plantation 
of Barbula, through which the new road to Valencia is to 
pass. For many weeks, we had heard a great deal of a tree 
whose juice is a nourishing milk. The tree itself is called 
the Cow Tree, and we were assured that the negroes on the 
farm, who are in the habit of drinking large quantities of 
this vegetable milk, consider it as highly nutritive ; an asser- 
tion which startled us the more, as almost all lactescent 
vegetable fluids are acrid, bitter, and more or less poison- 
ous. Experience, however, proved to us during our resi- 
dence at Barbula, that the virtues of the Cow Tree, or Palo 
de Vaca have not been exaggerated. This fine tree bears 
the general aspect of the Star-Apple Tree (CuRYsoPHYLLUM 
Cainito) ; its oblong, pointed, coriaceous, and alternate 
leaves are about ten inches long, and marked with lateral 
nerves, that are parallel, and project beneath. The flower 
we had no opportunity of seeing; the fruit is somewhat 
fleshy, and contains one or two kernels. Incisions, made 
in the trunk of the tree, are followed by a profuse flow of 
gluey and thickish milk, destitute of acridity, and exhaling 
avery agreeable balsamic odour. It was offered to us in 
calabashes, and though we drank large quantities of it, 
both at night before going to bed and again early in the 
morning, 
