178 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
plum, containing a hard seed, the kernel of which is highly 
poisonous. In Madagascar persons suspected of crime are 
made to swallow a small portion of the kernel, and if they 
die from its effects are supposed to be guilty. Condemned 
criminals are put to death by being pricked with a lance 
dipped in the juice of the kernels. It is said to produce death 
in 20 minutes. 
Cerbera Odollam, East Indies. 
Cinnamomum Camphora. Lauraceae. Camphor tree.—A 
tree native of Formosa, Japan, and China, also cultivated ex- 
tensively in India and Ceylon. Camphor of commerce is ob- 
tained from the root, trunk, and branches, and in India is 
extracted successfully from the leaves and twigs also. The 
plant parts are broken up and heated with water in closed 
vessels, the volatilized camphor collecting as a sublimate upon 
rice straw. The product is further refined upon arrival in 
America. Camphor is used extensively in the manufacture 
of celluloid, smokeless gunpowder, and in the preparation of 
disinfectants and medicines, 
Guaiacum officinale. Zygophyllaceae. Lignum-vitae—A 
small tree (20-30 feet) native of Jamaica and other West 
Indian Islands, and parts of tropical America. It has a round — 
head and conjugate winged leaves, and produces clusters of 
blue flowers resembling hepatica. The wood is extremely 
hard, and is extensively used in dockyards for pulleys and 
bearings of steam machinery. It contains a resin known as 
gum guaiacum, which has long been in use as a medicine, 
especially in rheumatic affections. 
Hernandia sonora. Lauraceae. Jack-in-a-box.—A_ tree 
about 40 feet high, native of India. The leaves are glossy 
and light green with a red spot in the center. The fruit is 
large, whitish, and egg-shaped. The plant is much used in 
Europe for wabtapical bedding, and produces a juice that 
removes hairs from the face without pain. 
Ipomoea Horsfalliae var. Briggsi. Convolvulaceae. Bind 
weed.—A vine native of the East Indies. From the roots is 
obtained a resinous substance which is highly purgative. 
Jatropha Curcas. Euphorbiaceae. Physic-nut plant—A 
shrub native of — America but introduced into most 
tropical countries. e seeds yield an oil having strong pur- 
gative properties, and aside from its use in medicine, is em- 
ployed in the manufacture of soap and candles. 
Jatropha multifida, J. podagrica, and J. wrens, tropical 
America. . 
