288 ODOROGRAPHIA. 
Mexican LIGN-ALor. 
This wood is derived from an entirely different plant to any 
which yield the Oriental Lign-aloes, and has not the slightest claim 
to be regarded as the Lign-aloes of the Bible. 
The first importation of the wood into London, in 1869, was in 
the form of squared logs, consisting of a central portion of irregular 
outline, and of a pale ferruginous-brown, surrounded with wavy, 
darker, band-like markings, the contiguous outer portion being of 
a dull iron-grey. In Guibourt’s Hist. des Drogues, ii. p. 491, it 
is referred to under the name of ‘ Bois de Citron du Mexique,” 
as being internally white, with very irregular, slightly brownish, 
longitudinal veins; very light and porous, and having a strong 
odour of citron. 
It has been described as found in abundance in the Misteca, 
and the meridian of Matamoros, also on the mountains about the 
valley of Colima. 
Although the essential oil of Mexican Lign-aloe has been a 
commercial article in Europe for many years, and was noticed in 
the columns of the ‘Pharmaceutical Journal’ in 1869 by Mr. 
Collins, the Curator at that time of the Society’s Museum, nothing 
definite was published concerning its botanical source until 1884, 
when a description of the trees yielding the oil was published by 
Poisson in the ‘ Bulletin de l’Assoc. Frang. pour Pavancement des 
Sciences,’ xiii. p. 305, pl. x. (Blois, 1884). The author of that 
article was led to enquire into the botanical source of the product 
through seeing specimens of the wood and oil at the Paris Exhi- 
bition of 1878, where they were exhibited by Ollivier and Rous- 
seau, of Paris, who obtained specimens of the leaves, flowers, and 
fruit from their correspondent in Mexico, M. Delpech, in whose 
honour the tree has been named by M. Poisson. The complete 
botanical description of this tree, now known as Bursera Delpe- 
chiana, is reprinted from the French journal above-named, into 
the ‘ Pharmaceutical Journal’ of London, 14th August, 1887, 
p. 182, with additional notes by Mr. Holmes, the present Curator 
of the Society’s Museum. 
It belongs to a set of species peculiar to Mexico, including 
B. Aloexylon, Engl., and B. penicillata, Engl. The tree is of 
medium height. 
According to Delpech the trees are felled by the native Indians 
