Vegetable Produetions of Abyssinia 317 



of Brayer, a French physician, 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 successfuHy employed in Europe. 



This is figured under the name of Banksia Abyssinica by Bruce, 

 who devotes a long article to it, Avherein he tells us that it is one of 

 the most beautiful as well as most useful trees growing in the 

 Abyssinian high lands. " The Abyssinians of both sexes and all 

 ages," he says, " are subject to a terrible disease. Every individual 

 once a month evacuates a large quantity of worms called ascarides, 

 and the method of promoting these evacuations is by imparting a 

 handful of dry Cussoo flowers in about two quarts of bouza or teff 

 beer, which is taken by the sufferer." 



This disease Bruce ascribes to their eating raw meat, for he 

 observed that Mahommedans, who eat no uncooked meat, were 

 free from it. Another plant of this family, Rubus apetalus, has, 

 like our blackberry, an eatable fruit. 



Ampelideee, or Vines. There are three or four native species, 

 and V. vinifera has been introduced, and is cultivated. The large 

 fleshy kernel of Spondias Birrea (Anacardiaceae) is eaten ; and the 

 fruit of Schmidelia Africana (Sapindacese) is employed as an anthel- 

 mintic. When the fruit is dry it is peeled, mixed with flour, and 

 converted into a kind of paste, which is eaten. Of the Burseracese, 

 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. Opobalsamum. The latter 

 is also found in Arabia. Olibanum, it is supposed, is yielded by 

 Boswellia papyrifera, but this is still doubtful. This tree, how- 

 ever, is one of the most remarkable 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 antidysenterica (SimarubeEe), 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 Abys- 

 sinia, growing 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 utihzed ; this is powdered, and taken in doses 

 of about a tea spoonful in camels' milk. Several other species of 

 this genus have since been discovered in various parts of the world. 

 Rhamnaceae are abundantly represented by Zizyphus, Rhamnus, &c. 



