ROSACEZE. 579 
PYRUS CYDONIA, Linn. 
| Fig.—Bentl. and Trim., t. 106. Quince tree (Eng.), 
_ Ooignassier commun (F7.). 
Hab.—Central Asia, cultivated in all temperate climates. 
The seeds. 
Vernacular.—Bihi-danah (Hind., Guz., Mar.), Shimai-ma- 
dalaivirai (Tam.), Shima-dalima-vittulu (Tel.), Shime-dalimba- 
| bija (Can.). 
3 History, Uses, &c.—The quince was called by the 
a Greeks Chrysomela and by the Romans Malum aurewm ; it 
_ was sacred to Venus. Plutarch states that it was a popular 
+ custom for the bride to eat a quince before mounting the 
nuptial couch. Virgil in his third Eclogue has an allusion 
to this custom :-— 
Malo me Galathea petit, lasciva puella, 
Et fugit ad salices. : 
According to Mattioli (De Plantis) it is considered in Spain _ 
_ to be an antidote to Hellebore. (Gubernatis Myth, des Plantes.) 
The author of the Makhzan describes three kinds of quince 
(Safarjal)—the sweet, the sour and subacid, called in Arabic 
Muzz. The sweet and subacid quinces are commonly eaten as 
a fruit by the Arabs and Persians, and are considered cephalic, 
 cardiacal and tonic; they are also eaten baked, The leaves, 
buds and bark of the tree are domestic remedies among the 
Arabs on account of their astringent properties. In Persian 
z Karabadins (Pharmacopeeias) ,anumber of receipts for making 
: 
conserves, lozenges, &c., of the fruit, as well as a conserve of 
the flowers, will be found.* In India we only meet with the 
seeds as an article of commerce. They are considered cold, 
moist, and slightly astringent, and are one of the most popular 
-- remedies in native practice, the mucilage being prescribed in 
coughs and bowel complaints asa demulcent ; externally itis — 
applied to sealds, burns and blisters. 
-- * Qonf. Dioscorides v., 20, et seq, for Quince Wine, Quince honey, 
— evdovirys olvos kai xvdwvduedes «7A, Pliny, 23, 54. 
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