526 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



" Anime," the most valuable of all and which " is now dug" from the soil, is 

 the produce of forests now extinct, but probably derived originally from the 

 same sjiecies of Trachylobium. This and other kinds of Copal are very exten- 

 sively used in the preparation of varnishes. Brazilian Copal is said by some 

 to be derived from T. Martianum and several species of Hyinentea, but on no 

 reliable authority. The origin of the kind of Copal known as Angola 

 Copal is at present undetermined. It has been referred to T. Martianum, but 

 this tree has never been found in Africa. (See Hymencea and Copaifera.) 



Sub-Order 3. Mimose^. — The plants of this sub-order are chiefly remark- 

 able for yielding gum and astringent substances. Some few are reputed to 

 be poisonous, a3 the Acacia varians, the I'oot of a Brazilian species of 

 Mimosa, the leaves and branches of Prosopis utiliflora, the bark of Enjthro- 

 phloeum guineense, &c. 



Acacia. — Various species of this genus yield gum. Thus, A. vera and 

 A. nilotica of Delile, are regarded as the chief sources of commei'cial Gum 

 Arabic ; A. gummifera, of Barbary or Morocco Gum ; A. Verek, A. vera, A, 

 Seyal, and others, of Gum Senegal ; A. arabica and A. speciosa, of East Indian 

 Gum; A. Karoo, of Cape Gum; and A. decurrens, A. mollissima, and A. aj^nis, 

 of South Australian Gum. The botanical sources of these commercial varieties 

 cannot, however, as yet be said to have been accurately determined. The 

 extract prepared from the duramen or inner wood of Acaeia Catechu, fur- 

 nishes a kind of Catechu or Cutch, a powei-fully astringent substance, con- 

 taining much tannin, and largely employed in the processes of tanning and 

 dyeing, and also to some extent in medicine. (See Uncaria Oambir.) The 

 dried legumes of A. nilotica ai-e imported under the navaes, of Neb-neb, Nib-nib, 

 or Bablah, and are also used by tanners on account of their astringent properties. 

 The bark of A. arabica possesses similar properties, and is used extensively in 

 India under the name of Babul Bark as a substitute for oak bark. The barks 

 of several other species which are natives of the East Indies possess similar 

 astringent properties. The extract of the bark of ^4. melanoxylon, an 

 Australian species, is also a valuable tanning substance, and is frequently 

 imported into this country for that purpose. The bark is also sometimes 

 imported under the name of Acacia Bark. A . formosa, a native of Cuba, 

 furnishes a very hard, tough, and durable wood, of a dull red colour, called 

 Sabicu. This is the wood that was used in constructing the stairs of the 

 Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, at the Great Exhibition in 1851, and which 

 upon removal was found to be but little worn. The flowers of A. Far- 

 nesiana are very fragrant, and when distilled with water or spirit, yield a 

 delicious perfume. It also yields a valuable gum. A . Seyal is supposed to 

 be the Shittah-tree or Shittim-wood of the Bible. By others, however, this 

 has been thought to have been A. vera, and by some, A. horrida. The first 

 is probably coiTect- 



Adenanihera pawnina, a native of India, &c., produces a dye-wood, called 

 Red Sandal-wood. This must not be confounded with the Red Sandal-wood 

 already alluded to, as derived from Pterocarpus santalintis. The seeds, under 

 the name of Barricarri Seeds, are used in the northern parts of South 

 America for making necdaces, &c. They are perfectly smooth, and have a 

 bright red colour. 



Erythrophloeum guineense. The Sassy Tree of Western Africa. — The bark, 

 under the name of " ordeal bark" or " doom bark," is used in certain parts 

 of Africa as an ordeal, to which persons suspected of witchcraft, secret 

 murder, &c., are subjected as a test of their innocence or guilt. 



Prosopis.— Tlie legumes of P. pallida and some other species are very 

 astringent, and have been used in tanning under the name of Algarobilla. 

 The legumes of P. dulcis and other species or varieties found in South 

 America, &c., have a sweetish taste, resembling the Carob Beans (C^/'rttowja), 

 and like them are used as a food for cattle, under the name of Algorobo ; and 

 a drink called Chica is also prepared from them. The name of Chica was at 

 first given to a fermented liquor of the Maize, but is now commonly applied 

 in South America to several fermented drinks. 



Natural Order 81. MoiiixGACEiE. — The Moringa or Ben-nut 

 Order. — Character. — Trees with bi- or tri -pinnate leaves, and 



