136 OX THE RELATIONS OF THE BRISBANE FLORA, 



The whole of the Violacecs are said to have purgative and emetic 

 qualities in their roots. I am almost afraid to refer to authors 

 for this subject, they are so many; but I may especially cite an 

 old work of Koebers, in praise of the Violet, ( Schediasma in 

 landem Violce purpureo-coeruleo, 1667,) and Pw De Viola specimen 

 hoianico-mcdicum, Turin, 1813. Probably some also may have 

 met Kite's " Medicinal Effects of the Resin of Acaroidcs 

 resinifera (Xanthorrhoea hastilis, or grass tree) from Botany Bay," 

 London, 1795;- as well as Forster's work on " The Esculent 

 Plants of the Islands of the Southern Ocean," Berlin, 1786; 

 Villar's " Catalogue of Vegetable Substances which may serve 

 to nourish Man," Grenoble, ann. 2, 8. 



Amongst the Nyctaginece, we have Boerhavia, a genus which has 

 emetic and cathartic properties in the roots of all the known 

 species. Pisonia, of which we have one species, is supposed to 

 possess the same properties. We have also among the 

 Amarantacece, Deeringia celosioides, the bitter acrid leaves of which 

 are used against measles in Java. Our AcTwranthes aspcra is used in 

 India in dropsical cases, but Dr. Lindley, from whose " Vegetable 

 Kingdom" I take the fact, does not tell us how it is exhibited. 

 Amongst the Thymelece, the Pimelea deserves some notice. I have 

 heard it confidently asserted by bushmen, that a decoction of the 

 bark was a remedy for syphilitic symptoms. In the genera of 

 C'lpj'dridaccce, we have Cappwris. AVe have some plants which must 

 contain valuable stimulant qualities. Polanisia is used as a 

 vesicant or sinapism. All the Zaurinece should be worth 

 examination. AVe have four species of Cryptoearya, a genus 

 which yields the Brazilian nutmeg. In spite of the bad name 

 which the order Proteacece has for utility, I think they are worthy 

 of attention. Some of them have extremely bitter barks, and the 

 flowers of others yield a yellow dye. The bark of Isopogon 

 ceratophylla is used as a bitter tonic in Victoria. 



I merely suggest by such scattered observations a line of 

 enquiry in which much might yet be done. So far we have 



