BIGNONIACE^. 25 



History, Uses, &C. — The Cakbash tree - introduced 

 from South America is now pretty -well known in India, and 

 latterly we have observed the fruit being offered for sale by the 

 herbalists for use as a pectoral in the form of a poultice of the 

 pulp applied to the chest. In the West Indies a syrup is made 

 frop the pulp, which is much iised in dysentery and as a 

 pectoral. The tree has oblong cuncate, often obovate, entire, 

 shining leaves, and flowcrs^ variegated with green, purjple, 

 red and yellow. The fruit is large, gourd-like and green ; it 

 varies much in size, being from 2 inches to a foot in diameter. 



Dr. Peckolt, of Rio Janeiro, states that an alcoholic extract of 

 the not quite ripe fruit in doses of 010 gram, acts as a mild 

 aperient, and thut 0-5 gram, proves strongly drastic, without 

 griping or iU eficcts. As an. application against erysipelas, the 

 fresh pulp is boiled with, water until it forms a black paste, to 

 which vinegar is added and. the wliole boiled together and 

 spread upoa linen. 



anne state that in Weste 



with 



the seeds are eaten roasted. The pulp of the fruit macerated 

 in water is considered to be depurative, cooling, and febrifuge ; 

 it is appKed to the head in Leadache caused by insolation and 

 to burns: roasted in ashes it is mildly purgative and diuretic, 

 according to P. Labat ; in. the Antilles,. Chevalior has recom- 

 mended it in dropsies. 



Description.- — Fruit ovoid or nearly round, with a hard, 

 green, w^oody shell; very variable in size. It is filled with a 

 white, slightly acid pulp, in which are contained the jflattened, 



somewhat cordiform seeds. 



Chemical composition. 



examination 



to 



yielded a new organic 



been given. It was 



obtained by exhausting with, water an alcoholic extract r>f 

 the pulp, treating the aqueous solution With lead acetafe, 



sn 



lll.-\ 



