THALAMIFLOR^. 467 



mijied with coffee by the Arabians. The powdered seeds steeped in rum are 

 also used in the West Indies as a remedy against the bites of serpents. 



Abutilon esculentum Bengao de Deos, is another malvaceous plant which 



furnishes an article of diet, the boiled flowers being used in Brazil as a vege- 

 table. 



Malachra capitata. — The leaves are reputed to be anthelmintic, and are era- 

 ployed for that purpose in Panama. 



Pavonia diuretica, derives its specific name from its supposed diuretic pro- 

 perty, for which purpose it is used in Brazil. 



Hibiscus cannabinus, yields the valuable fibre, known under the name of 

 Sunnee or Brown Indian Hemp, which is commonly used in India as a sub- 

 stitute for true Hemp. It is sometimes termed Sunn Hemp, but improperly so, 

 as the true Sunn is obtained from Crotalaria juncea. a'plant belonging to the 

 Leguminosae. The seeds of H. cannabinus yield a fixed oil. Hibiscus 

 arboreus, a native of the West Indies, is also remarkable for the tenacity of 

 its inner bark, and it is said by some authors, that the whips, formerly used by 

 the slave-drivers, were manufactured from its fibres. {?>te I.anetta.) Hi- 

 biscus Rosa-sinensis, has astringent petals, which are used by the Chinese to 

 blacken their eyebrows, and the leather of their shoes. Various other species 

 of Hibiscus, as H. striaius, H.tiliaceus, &c.,a.\so yield \a.\ua.ble fibres, usefal 

 for textile fabrics, or for paper-making. 



Gossypium. — Several species of this genus furnish cotton, which is the hairy 

 covering of their seeds. ( See p. 49.) From the importance of the raw material 

 obtainable from this genus, it must be regarded as one of the mo^t valuable to 

 man in the whole Vegetable Kingdom ; indeed it is questionable whether, there 

 is any genus with which he would find it more difficult to do without at the pre- 

 sent time, tiian the genus Gossypium. Several species have been said to yield 

 cotton, but many of these so-called species are probably only varieties. There 

 appear, however, to be three species especially, from which our commercial 

 cotton IS obtained, viz.: — 1. Gossypium herbaceum (or indicurn), which 

 yields the common cotton of the East Indies. A variety of this furnishes the 

 Chinese or Nankin Cotton, remarkable for its yellowish-brown colour ; this 

 colour was formerly thought to be artificial, and produced by dyeing, but it is 

 now known to be natural to it. 2. G. barbadense is the species which yields all 

 our best cotton. It is called in India, Bourbon Cotton. From this the much- 

 esteemed Sea Island Cotton is obtained, as also the New Orleans, Georgian, 

 and other cottons derived from the United States. .3. G. peruvianum or 

 acuminatum, furnishes the South American varieties of cotton, as Pernam- 

 buco, Peruvian, Brazilian Cotton, &c. Another species, Gossypium arboreum, 

 is the Tree-Cotton of India, and yields a variety of a very fine, soft, and silky 

 nature. This is used by the natives of India for making turbans. The 

 amount of cotton employed for manufacturing purposes in this and other 

 countries has been, and is at the present time, rapidly increasing ; hence the cul- 

 tivation in the East Indies, Africa, &c., of the plants yielding it, is now occupy- 

 ing the serious attention of our Government. This increase in the consumption 

 may be at once judged of by the following statement. In 1800, the amount of 

 cotton imported, was 50,010,7^2 lbs. ; in 1810, it had increased to 132,48x,93.51bs ; 

 in 1820, to 151,672,65.5 lbs.; in 1830. to 263,961,452 Hjs.; in 1840, to592,488,0001bs.; 

 and in 1850, to about 772,000,000 lbs. This latter amount is equivalent to about 

 2,000,000 bales, each of which averages 336 lbs. in weight, making altogether 

 about 340,000 tons. It has been computed that, the value of this in a raw 

 state is about 30,000,000/., and when manufactured into cotton fabrics, about 

 three times that amount, or 90,000,000/. Of these about 30,000,000/. worth were 

 exported from the United Kingdom, and 60,000,000/. worth consumed in this 

 country. In the United Kingdom there were at the same period, about 

 2000 cotton factories, employing a motive power equivalent to that of 90,000 

 horses, and employing 3.50,000 human beings. The above interesting statistical 

 record will exhibit in a prominent manner the immense importance of cotton 

 to the inhabitants of this country. Since 1850, the consumption of cotton has 

 enormously increased. 



The seeds of the Cotton-plants, after the cotton has been obtained from them, 

 upon being submitted to pressure, yield a fixed oil, which may be used for 

 burning in lamps, and for other purposes. The cake left after the expression 

 of the oil might be used for feeding cattle. 



Sida micranthn, and other species, supply fibres useful in the manufacture 

 of cordage, &c. Rocket-sticks are also obtained from the stems of S. micrantba. 

 H H 2 



