BOTANY. 181 



PLANTS PERTAINING TO ECONOMICS. 



There are numerous plants used for dyes, for tanning, 

 for clothing, for cordage, for building, and for other eco- 

 nomic purposes, which admit of being grouped together. 



VARIOUS BLACK-DYE PLANTS. 



The blossoms of the shoe-flower plant are used by the 

 Chinese to dye leather black, the juice of the cashew-tree 

 gives a black to linen, and the fruit of the melastoma af- 

 fords a black dye. 



SHAN BLACK DYE. 



This celebrated vegetable dye is made from the 

 fruit of a species of ebony, which is said to grow on the 

 mountains that separate the Province of Tavoy from the 

 Siamese territories. Isolated plants may be seen in the 

 gardens of Tavoy, and Maulmain, but I have never seen 

 one in flower, or fruit. 



Diospyros mollis. 



ttSonpn — ma-kleu. (Sgau.) 



CI1EBULA. 



The fruit of the chebula mixed with an iron clay is in 

 common use to form a black dye, which is said to be very 

 good. All the native ink is made from this fruit, but 

 although black when used, in the course of a dozen years 

 it sometimes fades so that the writing is scarcely legible. 

 The tree is found throughout the Provinces, but is not 

 very abundant. 



Terminalia Chebula. 

 rqjqu uq« (Tavoy.) oDjQ3/. °?ft8j5 B 



PHYSIC-NUT. 



The physic-nut tree is often seen in cultivation, and its 

 juice dyes linen black. Lindley says : " The oil boiled 

 with oxide of iron forms a varnish used by the Chinese 

 for covering boxes." The Hindus use the oil to burn 

 in lamps. 



Jatropha Curcas. 



