138 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE BOTANY OF [Sapindacee. 
ciple called saponine. This has been traced in many other vegetables, which have the 
property of forming a lather with water, or as Messrs. Merat and De Lens express it, 
‘dans toutes les plantes blanchissantes.” ‘In some recent works, as in the excellent 
one of M. Fée, it is stated, in speaking of the soap-berry, that ‘< les fruits ont une chair 
‘« ‘huileuse dans laquelle la potasse abonde ;” reference ‘is ‘at the “same ‘time “made “to 
Raffles’ Java, where it is mentioned, that these berries have been ‘analysed, and ‘the ton- 
stituent ’principles of the best ‘soap “obtained. ‘The ‘root ‘and bark of many ‘species 
are also said to be‘saponacéous. The exact natiire of this principle might be advan- 
tageously investigated ‘by chemists favourably ‘situated ‘in the ‘native countries of the 
plants, and thenature of the changes ascertained which takes place from the unripe 
and acrid, to the bland and saponaceous ripe fruit. 
‘The subject is interesting, as so many of this section afford ‘edible fruit; ‘and our igno- 
rance of the exact constituents may sometimes induce us to adduce as exceptions to 
the rule of the properties of plants being in conformity to their structure, that which 
may be only a‘confirmation. Thus even some ofthis. genus, as Sapindits ‘esculentus 
and senegalensis, yield edible fruit. That of Euphoria Li-chi is one of the most delicious 
and delicate-flavoured of the East, and though a native’of China, would succeed well 
in most parts of India, as it does so in Calcutta, and “also in the ‘Botanic Garden at 
Saharunpore. E.Longan and Nephelium, the Rambootan of ‘the Malayan Archipe- 
lago, yield edible fruits; as well as EZ. rimosa‘and rubra, both inhabitants of the Silhet 
district, which are eaten by the natives of that district; so are those of Jelicocca 
trijuga, called even in the distant parts of India, where this tree is indigenous, kusoombha 
and guosum, and where, as in the Doon in April, it may be readily recognised at a 
distance by the red: colour of its young leaves. Allits parts of fructification are liable 
to considerable variation. The pulpy subacid aril, as Dr. Roxburgh remarks, forms a - 
grateful fruit; the wood is -hard and used as timber. Schmidelia serrata, of which the 
root ‘is said to be astringent, yields also an edible fruit. The wood of several species 
is close grained and hard, and forms valuable timber, as of Sapindus rubiginosus, and 
of Euphoria Longan and Li-chi; the latter also one of the most ornamental of trees. 
The edible-fruit of the Indian and Malayan species (P. sativa and dulcis) of Pierardia, 
a genus referred by M. Blume to Luphorbiacee, has been already mentioned. The 
latter, Dr: Jack is of opinion, consists of two varieties; the Rambeh, of which Mr. Marsden 
has given a figure ‘in his History of Sumatra, pl. vi. p. 101, belonging to the peninsula 
of ‘Malacca, but unknown at Bencoolen; while the Choopa, from which Dr. Jack has 
described the’ species, is abundant at the latter place, but not found in the former. 
To this genus is nearly allied, as Dr. Jack states (Lin. Trans. xiv. p. 118), his Hedy- 
carpus; of which the only species, H. Malayanus, yields the Tampui, a fruit ranking 
_in point of taste and flavour along with the Lanseh. ‘This, belonging to the genus 
Lansium of Jack (1. c.:p. 115) is closely allied to Milnea of Roxburgh, also yielding 
an edible fruit, and both belonging to the MJeliacee, and in many respects resem- 
bling Pierardia, and shewing the connection between the two families. 
Sapindus 
