L/JOr.V/XOSyE. 491 



compound or simjilo loaves. Sfipides and xtipuhis usually present. Flowers various, 

 solitary, or variously arranged in axillary or terminal intlorcscences. 



This vast Order is second only to tlic Gramincce in importance to man, as all the 

 edible pulses, which in the East play so important a part in the dietary of the masses, 

 belong to one of its tribes {Pupilionacifcc). This Order also yields valuable Woods, 

 Dyes, Fibres, Drugs and souio virulent poisons. Among edible species may be specified : 

 Peas, Fisum snticum ; Ueans, Faba rnlgaris ; Sword beans, Canavalia enniformix ; 

 French beans. Broad beans, Oram, Cicer mieiiiiiim ; riiaseolus vulgaris; MungorUrad, 

 P. mungo; Moht, P. uconitifoUm; Soua mung, P. aureus ; Kula mung, P. max; 

 Hari mung, P. Rnxburghii; Scarlet runner, i'. multijlorus; and numy other varieties, 

 some of which, as P. adeiiniithus, arc cultivated for their tuberous rhizome, like 

 Pac/ii/rhizns bulbosus and the Amei'ican spcci(!S Apios fuberosa, PsoraJea esculenfa and 

 P.hypogeea; Lentils, Ervum lens; Arhar, Cajanus indicus ; Kulthi, IMichos uniforus; 

 liobia, P. Sinensis ; Ban-sem, P. labbab ; Kasur, Latln/rus satirus ; Ground nuts, 

 Arachis hypogaa, and many other species. Among fodder plants may b(> specified : 

 Vetches, Vicia satira ; Melilot, yielding an odorif(!rous liay, 3[elilufus ojieina/is ; 

 Lucern, Iledicago safira and lupidina ; Clover, 'PrifoUum jn-afense and repens, and 

 Lupines, Lupinus a/biis, varius and bdrus. Among substances useful in manufactures 

 may be mentioned Indigo, Indigofera iinetoria ; Gum Arabic, the produce of 

 several species of Acacia; Katechu or Kath, extracted from A. catechu; Copal, 

 the resin of Ilgmencea verrucosa ; Logwood, P[<rmaloxi/Ion Caiupechianam ; Sajjjjan- 

 wood, Casalpinia sappan; Brazil wood, C. echinaia; and S\in hemp, Cro/alariajumea. 

 Valuable timbers are yielded by various species of Acacia, A/bizzia, Cassia, Pterocurpus, 

 Palbergia, Xijlia, MiUcttia, Tamarindus, and others of less importance. Among 

 Medicinal products may be enumerated Balsam of Copaiba, yielded by some Tropical 

 American trees, Copaifcra ojficinalis, coriacea and cordifolia ; Cassia, the pulp sur- 

 rounding the seeds of C. Jistula. Tamarinds. Dragon's blood and Gum-kino, 

 produced by species of P/crocarpus, Hutea and Prepanocarpus. Tragaeanth, a gum 

 yielded by several species of Astragalus ; Liquorice, extracted from the roots of 

 several species of Glijcirrhiza, and the Calabar bean, Phi/sostigma rencnosum, a most 

 violent poison, but which possesses the curious property of causing contraction of the 

 pupil, and Goa powder, prepared from Andira araroba, which owes its efficacy in 

 skin diseases to the presence of Chrysojdianic acid. 



Oils, gums, dyes, woods, fibres, fruits, seeds, fodder, and ornamental flowers arc 

 yielded by other Legumiuosa; too numerous to enumerate. Among ornamental trees, 

 however, may bo named as indigenous to Burma the singularly handsome Amhersiia 

 from the Salween Valley. 



For some strange and now nidcnown cause Beans were once regarded as impure, 

 and rejected as food by the followers of Pythagoras. Some of the supjiosed reasons 

 for this abstention from Beans are such as cannot be more particularly alluded to 

 here, but may be gathered from the interesting article on this subject in the 

 ' Mythologie des Plantes,' by D(- (iubernatis, vol. ii. p. 132. Whatever may have been 

 the original reason for the estimation in which beans were once held, we know 

 that they were regarded as sacred to the dead. " Les legumes, nous I'avons deja 

 remarque a plusieurs reprises, out presquo tons unc signification phalli(iuc ot 

 funeraire. Festus nous apprcnd que le Flamen ne ]iouvait ni toucher, ni nommir 

 les f'evcs, ' Fabam nee tangere, nee nomiuar* diali Flamini licet, (juod ea putatur 

 ad mortuos pertiiu^re; nam et lemuralibus jacitur larvis, et parentalibus adhibetur 

 sacrificiis, et in flore ejus, luctus litteraD apparere videntur.' Les Lemures, c'est- 

 a-dire les ombres vagabondes do ceux qui avaient mal vecu, d'apres la superstition 

 romaine, s'approehaient pendant la nuit des maisons et y jetaient des feves " (Do 

 Gubernatis, I.e. p. ISO). To guard against this invasion, black beans, as wc learn 

 from Ovid, were used to propitiate the spirits of the nether world. 



" Nox iibi jam media est somnoquc silentia pra^bet 

 Et canis et varia; conficuistis aves ; 

 lUe memor veteris ritus timidusque deorum 

 Surgit ; habcnt gemini vincula nulla pedes : 



