-tOG-nrooD HORTUS J'AMAlCJE NS^f^. +65 



The inner bark is red, and the wood is hard; ijranchos suh-dividedjT^axtiose, round, 

 ash-colourc'd. Leaves pinnate ; peticlcs alternate, patulous, ronn J, sinooth ; leaflet:? 

 four pairs, on very sl)(iri. petiolules, generally ob-cordate, entire^ svini!!, very smooth 



-am! sliiniiit^, spreading in the day time, Ijut at night upright, cMnxcrijinc;. Prickles 

 strong, miiklling in size, above the petioles. Racemes a^xillary, Mnijs'e, t^pright, the 



length of the leaves, solitary, many-Howered ; flowers pednncled, iiuuitroiis, small, 

 pale yellow, on short, scattered, siinple, coloured, peduncles: celys bell shaped at 

 the base, and very small, the parts lanceolate, convex-, reflex, purpie; the bottom 

 nectareous : [letals ovate, blunt, equal, with sliort claws ; -anthers -'.uunibent, revo-. 

 lute ; germ lanceolate, ' on a short pedicel ; stigma d.lated, perforated. -^It tlowcrs in 

 JMarch and April, and ripens its seeds in July. -Stif, 



This tree was introduced into Jamaica from Honduras by "Dr. Barharo, in 17 \5 ; and 



is at this time too common, as it has over-run large tracts of land, and is very diflicult 



to root out. It makes a beautiful and strong fence against cattle. If pruned from the 



lower branches, it grows to a sizeable tree, and, when old, the wood is as good as that 



-from Honduras. The trees are cut ug into billets or junks, the bark and white sap of 



which are chipped oft', and the red part, or heart, is sent to England for sale. It is 



, chosen in the largest thickest pieces, sound, and of a deep red colour. 



Logwood is used in great quantities for dying purple, but especially black colours. 

 All the colours, however, which can be jirepared from it, are of a fading nature, and 

 cannot b}' any art be made equally durable vvith those prepared from some other mate- 

 rials. Of all the colours prepared from Logv/ood, the blaoic is the most durable. Dr. 

 ^Lewis recommends it as an ingredient in making ink. "In dyeing cloth' (says he) 

 vitriol and galls, in whatever proportions they are used, produce only browns of dif- 

 ferent shades : I have often been surprised that with these capital materials of the black 

 dje I never could obtain any true blackness in white cloth, and attributed the failure to 

 some unheeded mismanagement in the process, till I found it to be a known fact among 

 the dyers. Logwood is the material which adds blackness to the vitriol and gall-brown ; 

 and this black dye, thougii not of the most durable kind, is the most common. On 

 blue cloth a good black may be dyed by vitriol and galls alone ; but, even here, an ad- 

 dition of logwood contributes not a little to improve the colour." Mr. Delaval, how- 

 ever, in his Essay on Colours, informs us, that, with an infusion of galls and iron 

 /filings, he not only made an exceeding black and durable ink, but also dyed linen 

 . cloth of a. very deep black. 



The seed is very perishable, soon losing its vegetative principle. The reason for 

 .sowing it should not be too wet, otherwise it will rot in the ground. In the neighbour- 

 'hoodof Savanna- la-Mar are such quantities of it growing wild as toincommftde the land- 

 holders extremely ; occupying' that district, as the oppoponax and cashaw have the 

 southern parts of Middlesex county ; but the logwood is so luxuriant and hardy, after 

 it comes up, that it will over-run the other two, and starve their growth. 



The smaller stems, if of good length, are made into hoops, where better materials 

 are wanting. The wood gives a purple tincture by infusion, which is easily chatiged 

 iDr heightened, by acid or alkalous mixtnres. The bark and gum are gentle sub-as- 

 tringents ; but the last excels, and adds a sweet^iess to its virtue, which renders it 

 more agreeable to the palate. It is found very efficacious in looseness ; for, if two 

 ounces of the chips are boiled in a quart of milk, and a quart of water, to one quart. 



Goo wui 



