Tlic Vegetable Productiojis of Abyssinia 



495 



anthelmintica, which has been successfully 

 employed in various parts of Europe since 

 1S46. It is known under the names of Mus- 

 sena and Besenna. The pulverised bark is the 

 part administered, which is taken in oil, honey, 

 or preser\-e. It is said to be even more effi- 

 cacious than Cussoo (Brayera). It kills the 

 tcenia, and facilitates its decomposition, .so 

 that it is the easier expelled. Moquin Tandon 

 says, that in small doses it causes neither 

 purging nor griping, but in too strong doses 

 it acts as a cathartic, and may even become 

 dangerous. To the Rosaceae belongs Brayera 

 anthelmintica, the Cussoo, or Cabotz, of 

 Abyssinia, another vemiifuge, formerly sup- 

 loosed to be the most powerful in the world. 

 Upon the authority ofBrayer, a French physi- 

 cian, after whom it was named, two or three 

 doses of the infusion are sufficient to cure the 

 most obstinate cases of taenia. It has also 

 been successfully employed in Europe. 



This is figured under the name of Banksia 

 Abyssinica by Bruce, who devotes a long 

 article to it, wherein he tells us that it is one of 

 the most beautiful as well as most usefiil 

 trees growing in the Abyssinian high lands. 

 '• The Abyssinians of both sexes and all 

 ages," he says, " are subject to a terrible dis- 

 ease. Every individual once a month evacu- 

 ates a large quantity of worms called ascarides, 

 and the method of promoting these evacua- 

 tions is by imparting a handful of dry Cussoo 

 flowers in about two quarts of bouza or tefif 

 beer, which is taken by the sufferer." 



This disease Bruce ascribes to their eat- 

 ing raw meat, for he observed that Mahom- 

 medans, Avho eat no uncooked meat, were 

 free from it. Another plant of this family, 

 Rubus apetalus, has, like our blackberry, an 

 edible fruit. 



Ampelidere, or Vines. There are three or 

 four native species, and Vitis vinifera has been 

 introduced, and is cultivated. The large 

 fleshy kernel of Spondias Birrea (Anacar- 

 diaceae) is eaten; and the fruit of Schmidelia 

 Africana (Sapindacese) is employed as an 

 anthelmintic. When thefruit is dryit is peeled, 

 mixed with flour, and converted into a kind 

 of paste, which is eaten. Of the Burseracere; 

 or Balsam trees, there are several species 



found in Abyssinia. Myrrh is the product 

 of Balsamodendron myrrha, a small shrub 

 found on the sea-coast, and balm of B. Opobal- 

 samum. The latter is also found in Arabia. 

 Olibanum, it is supposed, is yielded by Bos- 

 Avellia papyrifera, but this is still doubtful. 

 This tree, however, is one of the most re- 

 markable in the country, where it is named 

 Makker. It furnishes a transparent resin, used 

 as incense, and the bark is used to write upon. 

 Quartin-Dillon and Schimper employed 

 layers of this bark to pack their dried plants 

 in which they sent to Europe. Brucea anti- 

 dysenterica (Simarubete), possesses properties 

 similar to those of Quassia, a member of the 

 same family. This shrub, Bruce informs us, 

 is spread over the greater part of Abyssinia,, 

 gi-owing on the sides of valleys. He used 

 it himself for dysentery, and it cured him 

 after all other remedies had failed. The 

 root is the part utilized ; this is powdered, 

 and taken in doses of about a teaspoonful 

 in camels' milk. Several other species of 

 this genus have since been discovered in vari- 

 ous parts of the world. 



Rhamnaceee are abundantly represented by 

 Zizyphus, Rhamnus, &c. The species of 

 Zizyphus are extremely common shrubs, grow- 

 ing in all soils ; but, in poor ground the leaves 

 are smaller, and the spiry stipules veiy 

 strongly developed. The fruit of Z. jujube 

 and other species are eaten. " Ghesh " is a 

 species of Rhamnus, whose leaves are em- 

 ployed in the preparation of beer. The bitter 

 fruits of Rhamnus Staddo are also used in 

 the same way Avhich, as well as the leaves of 

 R. pauciflorus, are said to accelerate fermen- 

 tation, and at the same time to impart an 

 agreeable bitterness to the beer. Gunpowder 

 is manufactured from the wood of Celastrus 

 serratus (Celastraceas). Plate 49 of " Bruce's 

 Travels " represents the fruit of Sterculia, 

 which he erroneously states to be that of the 

 tree figured in the preceding plate, which is 

 probably Meliaceous, or Annacardiaceous. 

 That portrayed on plate 48 is probably the 

 one referred to as being the tree which 

 the Abyssinians believe to be the tree that 

 bears frankincense, and we are told that 

 it does produce a gum much resembling it. 



