550 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



flowers and fruit are still employed in the East. The flowers are 

 the Balmistion of the ancients, whence their common name, balausdva 

 floicers. The rind of the fruit, and the bark of the root, are the parts now 

 commonly used as medicinal agents in this country ; the latter is officinal 

 in the British Pharmacopoeia. These are employed for their astringent 

 properties, and tlie latter is also commonly regarded as a valuable anthel- 

 mintic, but for this purpose the bark of the fresh root should be alone used. 

 The properties of the pomegranate are principally due to tannic acid, and 

 also partly to gallic acid. The bark of the fresh root also contains a peculiar 

 acrid principle called pnnidne. 



Sizygium Jambolanum. — The bark is employed in the East Indies as a 

 useful astringent in chronic diarrhoea and dysentery. 



Natural Order 107. Lecythidace^. — The Brazil-Nut or 

 Monkey-Pot Order. — Character. — Large trees, with alternate 

 dotless leaves, and small deciduous stipules. Flowers large and 

 showy. Calyx superior. Petals 6, imbricated, distinct, or some- 

 times united at the base. Stamens numerous, epigynous ; some 

 of them cohering, so as to form a unilateral petaloid hooded body. 

 Ovary inferior, 2 to 6-celled ; placentas axile. Fruit woody, 

 either indehiscent, or opening in a circumscissile manner {Jig. 

 671). Seeds several, large, and without albumen. 



Distribution, cfr. — Principally natives of Guiana and Brazil, 

 and also occasionally of other hot regions of South America. 

 Examples of the Genera: — Lecythis, Bertholletia. There are 

 about 40 species. 



Properties and Uses. — The plants of this ordor are chiefly 

 remarkable for their large woody fruits, the pericarps of which 

 are used as di-inking-vessels, &c. Their seeds are frequently 

 edible. 



Bertholletia exceha, the Brazi^Nut Tree.— The seeds of this plant con- 

 stitute the edible nuts known as the Brazil, Juvia, Castanha, or Para Nuts. 

 As many as 50,000 bushels are annually imported into this country from 

 Brazil. An oil is obtained by expression from these seeds, which is used by 

 artists and wntchmakers. 



Lecythis. — The seeds of L. zahucojo are large and eatable, and are termed 

 Sapucaya-nuts. They are now commonly sold in our fruit shops, and are 

 generally considered to be superior in flavour to Brazil nuts. The seeds of 

 L. ollaria are also edible, but they are not so agreeable as the former. The 

 bark of Lecythis ollaria may be separated into thin papery layers, A\'hich 

 are used by the Indians as wrappers for their cigarettes. The fruits of 

 this and other species have been called monkey-pots, on account of their 

 peculiar shape. 



Natural Order 108. Cham^xauciace^. — The Pringe-Myrtle 

 Order. — Diagnosis. — This is a small order of shrubby plants 

 with evergreen dotted leaves, and nearly allied to Myrtacecs, but 

 distinguished from them by their Heath-like aspect, their more 

 or less pappose calyx, and by their truly simple 1-celled ovary. 

 Prom Lecythidacea they are at once known by their habit, their 

 dotted exstipulate leaves, and ) -celled ovary. 



Distribution, Sfc. — Exclusively natives of Australia. Examples 

 of the Gemra : — Cham?elaueium. Darwinia. There are 50 species. 



Properties and Uses. — Unknown. 



