THYMELACEA. 659 
British Pharmacopeeia. The seeds of the Bebeeru tree contain starch; this 
when mixed with an equal quantity of a decayed astringent wood, and a 
similar proportion of cassava pulp, is made into a kind of bread, and used 
as food by the Indians.—N. eymbarum of Nees yields the substance called 
Brazilian Sassafras. The cotyledons of V. Puchury major and minor are 
imported from Brazil under the name of Sassafras Nuts or Puchurim Beans ; 
they are much esteemed as a flavouring for chocolate. Other species of 
Nectandra, as N. sanguinea, N. exaltata, and N. leucantha, yield more or 
less valuable timber. 
Oreodaphne.—Several species of this genus vield valuable timber ; thus 
the Siweet-wood is the produce of O. exaltata; the Til of the Canaries, of 
O. fetens; and the Siraballi of Demerara is derived from a species of 
Oreodaphne or of some nearly allied genus. 
Persea—The fruit of P. gratissima is in much repute in the West 
Indies. It is commonly known as the Avocado or Alligator Pear.— 
P. indica, a native of Madeira, yields a timber somewhat resembling 
mahogany. 
Sassafras—The root of S. officinale is official in the British Pharma- 
copeia. Sassafras is employed medicinally in this country and elsewhere, 
as a stimulant, diaphoretic, and alterative. From it the Volatile Oil of 
Sassafras is obtained. Sassafras pith is largely used in the United States 
of America, where it is official in the Pharmacoperia, as a demulcent. 
Cohort 3. Daphnales.— Flowers usually hermaphrodite, or 
rarely unisexual. Calyx green or coloured, regular or 
irregular, often tubular. Ovary superior, 1- or rarely 2- 
celled: stigma simple ; ovule usually solitary. suspended or 
ascending. Seeds generally exalbuminous, but sometimes 
the albumen is present in small quantity ; embryo straight. 
Almost always trees or shrubs. Leaves exstipulate. 
Order 1. THuymMeLace®, the Mezereon Order.—Character. 
—Trees, shrubs, or very rarely herbs. with an acrid very tough 
bark. Leaves entire, exstipulate. Flowers hermaphrodite (fig. 
1034), or rarely unisexual. Calyx inferior, regular (fig. 1034), 
coloured, tubular, 4—5-lobed; estivation imbricate. Stamens 
perigynous (fig. 1054), twice as many as the divisions of the 
calyx, or equal in number to them, or fewer, in the two latter 
cases they are opposite to the lobes of the calyx; anthers 2- 
celled, bursting longitudinally. Ovary superior (fig. 1034), 
simple, 1-celled, with a solitary suspended ovule (fig. 734). 
Frwit dry and nutlike. or drupaceous. Seed suspended ; albu- 
men none or but small in quantity ; embryo straight, with a 
superior radicle. 
Distribution and -Numbers.—They are found more or less 
abundantly in all parts of the world, but especially in Australia 
and the Cape of Good Hope.  LIllustrative Genera:—Daphne, 
Linn. ; Pimelea, Banks et Sol. There are about 300 species. 
Properties and Uses.—The plants of this order are chiefly 
remarkable for the toughness and acridity of their bark. The 
fruit of Direa palustris is narcotic, and that of the plants 
generally of the order poisonous or suspicious; but the seeds of 
uuU2 
