490 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



W'urttiiiherg. This ingeniously made cup, almost a span 

 in diameter and of no common beauty, resulting from the 

 variegated lines adorning it, was accompanied by sawdust 

 or shavings. When water was poured in the cup 'a won- 

 derful blue and yellow color' was produced 'resembling 

 the opal' and 'wonderful to behold.' 



"The color phenomena displayed by the extract of 

 Lignum ncphriticnm were first investigated in a truly 

 scientific manner by the Hon. Robert Boyle in 166,5. The 

 results of his studies were embodied in his Experiments 

 and Considerations Touching Colors, page 203, 1664, 

 a Latin translation of which (1667), and also a sum- 

 mary of the results of P.oyle's studies in Richard Boul- 

 ton's edition of Boyle's works ( 1700), are in the library 

 of the Surgeon ( Icncral ol the Army at Washing- 

 ton." 



Mr. SatTord traces the cause of confusion regarding 

 the identity of this wood which arose among botanical 



writers from the beginning, and cites numerous author- 

 ities who had incorrectly jjlaced its source. His solution, 

 and a succinct summary of the facts he has ascertained 

 are given : 



"Lignum nephriticiun, celebrated throughout Europe 

 in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries for its diuretic 

 properties, but chiefly remarkable for the fluorescent 

 ])ropertics of its infusion, comes from two distinct 

 sources: (1) From a -Mexican shrub or small tree. 

 Eysenhardtia polystachya, the wood of which was used 

 by the Hon. Robert Boyle (1663) in his well-known ex- 

 periments on the fluorescence of light; (2) from a large 

 tree of the Philippine Islands, Pterocarpits indica {Ptero- 

 carpiis pallida Blanco), the wood of which, described 

 by Kircher (1646) and Johan Bauhin (1650), was at 

 one time commonly made into cups by the natives of 

 southern Luzon. It is possible that cups were also made 

 from allied species of Pterocarpus growing in Mexico, 

 but there is no record of cups of known Mexican origin. 

 That which Kircher received from the procurator of 

 the Jesuits in Mexico had in all probability been brought 

 as a curiosity to Mexico from the Philippines, for at 

 that time the only trade route from the Philippines to 

 Spain was by way of Mexico. It is also quite probable 

 that Monardes's w'ood and the wood mentioned by Her- 

 nandez as being carried on shipboard in the form of 

 large logs was Philippine lignum nephriticum. 



"The source of lignum nephriticum has remained un- 

 certain for so long a time owing to the following causes : 

 ( 1 ) Neither the Mexican nor the Philippine wood is 

 known in its native coimtr)- by the name ligmun nephriti- 

 cum ; (2) from the beginning of its history the two 

 woods bearing this name among pharmacologists were 

 confused; (3) pharmaceutical material and cups were 

 unaccompanied by botanical material ; (4) botanical ma- 

 terial in herbaria was lacking in wood and was usually 

 unaccompanied l)y economic notes; (5) the original 

 Imtanical descriptions of the species yielding lignum 

 nephriticum were unaccompanied by references to the 

 ])henomcnon of fluorescence; (6) the source of the wood 

 described by Monardes was sought in Mexico, but was 

 m ail ])robability of Phili])pine origin; (7) attempts were 

 made tf) identify the Mexican plant described by Her- 

 nandez with the wood described by Monardes and the 

 cups descriljcd by Kircher and Bauhin, which only led 

 to confusion." 



LIGNUM NEPHRITICUM LEAVES AND TRUNK 



The specimen from which this photograph was made was grown on tlie 

 island of Luzon in the Philippines. 



THE hickory bark beetle kills many thousands of 

 * trees every summer. Trees killed by it may be 

 recognized by the very striking burrows made by the 

 insects under the bark. These consist of a single gal- 

 lery extending with the grain of the bark from which 

 on each side extend numerous straight or slightly 

 curved galleries two-thirds inches long. This is a very 

 serious pest and a tree once attacked can seldom, if 

 ever, be saved. 



