ERYTHROXYLEjE. 



calycine segments, oblong, concave, wavy, with a lacerated and much 

 plaited membrane arising from within and above the base. Stamens 10 ; 

 filaments longer than the pistil, combined below into a rather short 

 cylindrical tube. Ovary oval. Styles 3, about as long as the ovary. 

 Stigmas thickened. Fruit a 1-seeded, oblong drupe, in a dry state 

 obscurely furrowed. Nut of the same shape and furrowed. — A powerful 

 stimulant of the nervous system, affecting it in a manner analogous to 

 opium. Less violent in its effects than that drug, but more permanent 

 in its action. The Peruvians chew the leaves with finely powdered chalk, 

 and the government of Potosi alone derived a revenue of as much as 

 500,000 peso duros in the year 1583 from their consumption. 



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