The Ufeful Family Herbal, 31 
The Bencat BEAN-TREE, 
FABA BENGALENSIS. 
A Large Tree, Native of the Eaft, and not un- 
.“* like our Plum-Tree. It is thirty er forty Feet 
high; the Leaves are roundifh, but fharp-pointed, 
and of a deep Green; they are finely indented and 
of a firm Texture. The Flowers are large and 
white; they refemble in all Refpects the Bloffoms 
of our Plum-Trees. The Fruit is a kind of 
Plum of a long Shape, with a {mall Quantity 
of flefhy Matter, and a very large Stone. It is 
a kind of Myrobolan, but is not exactly the 
fame with any that we ufe. j 
_ The Bengal-Bean, as it is called, isan irregu- 
lar Produétion of. this Tree : It is very ill named 
a Bean, it is truly a Gall like thofe of the Oak; 
but it does not rife like them from the Wood or 
_ Plum. It is as broad as a Walnut, but flatted, 
and hollowed in the Center; its Original is this: 
' There is a little black Fly frequent in that Coun- 
_ try, which lodges its. Eggs in the unripe Fruit of 
this particular Plum, as we have Infects in Eng- 
land, which always choofe a particular Plant, 
and a particular Part for that Purpofe. The Fly 
always ftrikes the Fruit while it is green, and has 
but the Rudiments of the Stone. It grows dif-_ 
empered from the Wound, and the Stone never 
-Mipens in it, but it takes this fingular Form. 
“It is an excellent Aftringent. It is of the Na- 
tuy of the Galls of the Oak, but lefs violently — 
binding, « It is good in all Purgings and bloody SS 
Fluxes, and againft 
the Overflowing of the 
