230 FLORA VITIENSIS. 
Peru, where the Indians call it ‘ Masato.’ Antonio Raimondy, in his ‘ Apuntes sobre la Provincia litoral de 
Loreto ' (Lima, 1862, p. 132), gives a circumstantial account of it which, from its ethnological importance, 
ought to be compared with the description of the preparation of kava furnished by Dr. Seemann in his 
‘Viti’ (London, 1862), p. 327: ‘“In order to get an idea of the way in which this beverage (masato) is pre- 
pared,” ° says Raimondy, ‘ * it is necessary to enter for a moment one of the great houses of the heathens 
of Ucayali on the eve of a great festival. On one side are seen several half-naked women seated on the floor 
around a heap of yucas, and occupied in peeling the skin off them. On the other side is a woman busy in 
putting the cleaned roots in a huge pot. After this has been done, a small quantity of water is put in the pot, 
the yucas are covered over with leaves, and then boiled. When boiled, they are mashed. . . . Advanced to this 
state, the most important, and at the same time most disgusting operation is proceeded with. The women, 
and in some instances the men also, sit down once more in a cirele around the mashed yucas, taking large 
handfuls of it in their mouths, which they chew without swallowing until completely saturated with saliva 
and almost become liquid. In this state the filthy mass is spit out, and the operation repeated until the 
required quantity is prepared. After this a small portion of mashed yuca is mixed and kneaded with the 
chewed mass and then put into the pots, which are covered up till fermentation sets in. The saliva contained 
in the mashed yuca produces fermentation, changes the starch into sugar, and the sugar into aleohol—a 
process which, according to the state of the temperature and the existing quantity of saliva, takes place in 
two, three, or four days. This fermented mass accompanies the Indians on all their journeys. When wish- 
ing to prepare from it their disgusting beverage, it is dissolved with a little water." ' ” 
XV. Jatropha, Linn. Gen. Plant. ed. i. p. 288; Müll. Arg. in DC. l.c. p. 1076. Calyx 
utriusque sexus imbricativus. Petala utriusque sexus cum laciniis calycis alternantia, evoluta aut 
suppressa. Disci glandulee laciniis calycis opposite, cum petalis aut earum loco vacuo alternantes. 
Stamina centralia, exteriora petalis aut eorum loco vacuo opposita ; antherze 2-rimosc ; loculi inferne 
liberi, paulo infra medium inserti. Rudimentum ovarii 0. Ovarii loculi l-ovulati, 1 posticus. 
Fructus capsularis. Semina carunculata. Cotyledones complanate, late, palmatinerviee ; radicula 
brevis.— Plante frutescentes, partibus preter caulem plus minusve herbacez v. omnino herbacez, 
grandes, rarius arborescentes. Folia alterna, 2-stipulata, vulgo longe petiolata, integra v. lobata, 
margine caeterum integra v. dentata, palmatinervia, membranacea. Flores sepissime monoici, vulgo 
corymboso-paniculati ; panicula; 2-sexuales, dichotome ramoss, in dichotomiis flores 9 proferentes. 
—Curcas, Adans. Loureiria, Cav. 
l. J. Curcas, Linn. Sp. Plant. ed. i. p. 1006; Jacq. Hort. Vind. vol. iii. p. 36. t. 63; Müll. 
Arg. in DC. l. c. p. 1080; cymis longe pedunculatis subalternatim brevirameis compacto-multifloris ; 
bracteis lanceolatis majusculis; calycis d laciniis ovatis obtusis, 9 lanceolatis acuminatis; petalis 
lanceolato-ellipticis ‘calycem 4 bis squantibus usque ad medium cohzrentibus intus lanatis, fila- 
mentis exterioribus fere omnino liberis ; ovario glabro sensim in columnam stylarem brevem stigma- 
tibus multo breviorem abeunte ; stigmatibus 2-fidis; capsula carnosa magna.— Curcas purgans, Med. 
Ind. Plant. Hort. Manhem. vol. i. p. 90. C. Indica, A. Rich. in Sagra, Hist. Cub. vol. iii. p. 208. 
Castiglionia lobata, Ruiz et Pav. Prodr. p. 139. t. 37.—Nomen vernac. Vitiense, ‘“ Uto ni papalagi.” 
—Lakeba and Ovalau (Seemann ! n. 400). i : » 
The Physic-nut plant was introduced from the Tongan Islands, and is now extensively used for living 
fences. The oleaceous medicinal properties of the seeds have not as yet been turned to account by the 
natives. : ; 
XVI. Codiæum, Rumph. Amb. vol. iv. p. 68. t. 25-27 ; Müll. Arg. in DC. Prodr. vol. xv. p. 1116. 
Calyx utriusque sexus imbricativus. Petala cum laciniis calycis et cum glandulfs disci extrastami- 
nalis alternantia (utriusque sexus evoluta aut florem ? rudimentaria aut omnino suppressa). Stamina 
in receptaculo elevato inserta, centralia; antheræ 2-rimose. Rudimentum ovarii 0. Ovarii loculi 
l-ovulati, cum laciniis calycis interioribus (si calyx 5-merus) alternantes. Fructus capsularis. 
Semina carunculata.—Arbores v. frutices. Folia opposita v. sæpius alterna, penninervia, integra. 
