THALAMIFLORJE. 475 



D. dioka is carminative. Others are reputed slightly purgative and febri- 

 fugal. 



Nephelium (Euphoria). — This genus yields the delicious fruits of China 

 and the Indian Archipelago, known under the names of Litchi, Longan, and 

 Rambutan. Nephelium Litchi produces the Litchi ; ^V. Longan, the Longan ; 

 and Nephelium Rambutan, the Rambutan-fruit. A few of the Litchi and 

 Longan fruits are occasionally imported. It should be noticed that the 

 seeds of aU these fruits are very bitter, and are probably poisonous. 



Ophiocaryon paradoxum. The Snake-nut Tree of Demerara.— This is so 

 called from the large embryo of its seed resembUng iu a remarkable degree 

 a coiled-up snake. 



Paullinia.—The seeds of PavlUnia sorhilis, Guarana or Brazilian Cocoa, 

 are used in Brazil in the preparation of a kind of food, and in the cure of 

 many diseases. The food is known as G-uarana bread, and is prepared by 

 taking the dried seeds deprived of their aril, and pounding and kneading 

 them into a mass, which is afterwards made into oblong or rounded cakes. 

 These cakes are used in the same manner as we use cocoa and chocolate — 

 that is, they are mixed with water, and the mixture sweetened and drunk. 

 This beverage is largely consumed in Brazil, both on account of its nutritive 

 qualities, and for its stomachic, febrifugal, and aphrodisiac effects. It con- 

 tains a bitter crystalline principle called Guaranine, which appears to be 

 identical with theine and caffeine (see Thea), the active principles of tea and 

 cx)ffee, and hence Guarana bread has a somewhat similar effect upon the 

 system to that produced by those two beverages. In many species of Paul- 

 linia, the narcotic property, which is but slightly marked in P. soibilis, is 

 very evident. Thus, the leaves, bark, and fruit of P. pinnata are very 

 dangerous, and are used in the preparation of a poison by the Brazilians, 

 which slowly but surely destroys life. Martins suggests that this poison 

 might be eflBcacious in hydrophobia and insanity. P. cururu and P. australis 

 have similar poisonous properties. 



Sapindus.— The traits of Sapindus Saponaria, as weU as those of S. ince- 

 qualis and others, contain a saponaceous principle, so that when mixed with 

 water, they form an abundant lather ; hence they are used iu the "West Indies 

 instead of soap. It is said that " a few of them will cleanse more linen than 

 sixty times their weight of soap.'" These plants also contain a narcotico- 

 acrid principle, as the pounded fruits when thro-mi into water in which fish 

 are contained, will produce upon them a kind of intoxication. The pericarp 

 of S. senegalensis is eaten, but the seeds act as a narcotico-acrid poison. The 

 fruits of Sapindus esciilentus and others are also edible. 



Schmidelia seirata has an astringent root, which has been used in India 

 for diarrhoea. 



The fruits of many plants belonging to this order, besides those already 

 named, are edible, as those of Pierardia sativa and dulcis, producing the 

 Rambeh and Choopa of Malacca ; and Hedycarpus malayanus producing the 

 Tampui. Schmidelia edulis, in Brazil ; Melicocca bijuga, in the West Indies 

 and Brazil ; Pappeacapensis, at the Cape of Good Hope, &c., also yield edible 

 fruits. 



Natural Order 41. Poltoalace^. — The Milkwort Order 

 {figs. 894-899). — Character. — ShrubsoT herbs. Leaves alter- 

 nate {fig. 894) or opposite, exstipulate, and usually simple. 

 Pedicels with 3 bracts. Flowers irregular, unsymmetrical (figs. 

 894 and 895), and apparently papilionaceous {fig. 894), but 

 only falsely so, as here the wmgs belong to the calyx, whereas 

 in the true papilionaceous flower, which is only found in the 

 Leguminosae, they belong to the corolla. Sepals 5 {fig. 895, s), 

 very irregular, usually distinct ; of which 3 are placed exterior, 

 and of these 1 is posterior and 2 anterior; the 2 interior are 

 lateral, they are usually petaloid {fig. 894), and form the wings 

 to the flower. Petals hypogynous, usually 3, more or less 



