36 



SILVA OF NORTH AMERICA. 



EUPHORBIACE^. 



attractive appearance and dangerous properties of this plants which contains a more violent poison than 

 any other tree of the North American forests. 



The fruit of Hmpomane Mancinella was described by Clusius^ in 1605^ and the earHest authentic 



botanical description of the tree appeared 



Ray 



Historia Plantarum^ published in London 



found in Dalechamps' Historia 



nax Theatri Botanici 



4 



1688j although references to what was perhaps the Manchineel are 

 Generalis PlcmtarmUy^ published in Leyden in 1586, and in C. Bauhin's P 



published in Bale in 1623. 



Hippomane Mancinella was cultivated in 1739 ^ by Philip Miller in the Physic Garden at Chelsea 



near London, but probably long ago disappeared from gardens. 



con ciertas Manganillas." (Francisco Lopez de Gomara, HisL de 

 las Indias, cap. 46.) See, also, ibid* cap. 71. 



" Et nomm^ment sur le rivage de la mer il y a force arbrisseaux 

 qui portent les leurs ressemblans presques k nos poires yurees, mais 



a 



Hano veneno, & qsto, e d' una sorte d' arbori della gradezza di trfes dangereux k manger." (De Lery, Hist, d^un Voyage fait en la 



pomari & non bisogna se non cogliere il frutto, et ungere la frezza Terre du Bresil, 203.) 



con esso, & se non ha frutti ne rompono un ramo, & con certo latte 



"La pomme de Mancenille, ou de Macenilier est tout-k-fait 



chi ha, fanno il medesimo." (Alvaro Nunez, Relatione [Ramusio, semblable k la pomme Dapis pour la couleur, la grosseur & I'odeur. 



Navigationi e Viaggi, iii.].) 



" Arbores in hac provincia nostri 



-1 • « * * 



orum 



Pour le gout je n'en dirai rien, ma curiosity n'a pas ^td jusqu'k en 

 faire Texperience." (Labat, iVowyeau Voyage aux Isles de VAmerique, 



races, sed maxime noxiorum ; in vermes nanque comesa convertun- i. 474, t.) 



ter. 



?5 



(Peter Martyr, Decades, ii. lib. i.) 



Orbicularis peregrinus fi 



"The mancinel-apple is of a most pleasant sweet smell, of the x. 30. — J. Bauhin, HisL Gen. i. lib. iii. 327. 



bigness of a crab, but rank poison, yet the swine and birds have 

 learnt to shun it." (Smith, Travels^ Adventures and Observations^ 

 cap. xxvi.) 



"At our first landing* on this Island TSanta Ctwz) some of our 



2 Arbor venenata Mancinella dicta, ii. 1646. 



Arbor venenata, pomiferay Limonice folio Americana^ Mancinello 

 dicta, Commelin, Cat Hort, Amst 35. 



Arbor Americana Mancinello dicta, fructu pomi venenato, Pluke- 



women and men, by eating a small fruit like greene Apples, were net, Phyt, t. 142, f. 4 ; Aim. Bot. 44. 



fearfully troubled with it sudden burning in their mouthes, and Juglandi 



swelling of their tongues so bigge, that some of them could not canillo Hisf 

 speake. Also a child by sucking one of those womens breasts, had ii. 3, t. 159. 



iffinis arbor julifera, lactescens, venenata, pyrifolia Ma 

 inis dicta. Sloane, Cat. PI. Jam. 129 : Nat Hist. Ja\ 



at that instant his mouth set on such a burning, that it was strange 



Malus Americana, Laurocerasi folio, venenata, Mancinello arbor 



to see how the infant was tormented for the time : but after 24 seu Massinilia dicta, Commelin, Hort. Amst. 131, t. 68. 



hours it ware away of itself." (Hakluyt, Voyages, ed. Evans, iii. 341 

 \_Fourth Voyage to Virginia, anno 1587].) 



"Fruticeta item justa littora nascuntur, quse poma qusedam 



Mancanilla pyri facie, Plumier, Nov. PL Am. Gen. 50. — Cates- 



by, Nat. Hist. Car. ii. 95, t. 95. 



Hippomane foliis ovatis serratis, Linnaeus, Hort. Cliff. 484, 



Royen, 



ferunt piscibus exitiosa si in aquam decidant ; quin & umbra illius Fl. Leyd. Prodr. 635. 



fruticis admodum nocet hominibus, si sub illo obdormiverint, Man- 

 canillo vocant." (Jan de Laet, Nov. Orb. 2.) 



** De nocivis arboribus. Sunt dulcium pomorum feraces, sed 



maximfe noxiorum." (Nieremberg, Hist. Nat. lib. xiv. 331.) 



Le Mancenilier, Rochefort, Histoire Naturelle et Morale des Isles 

 Antilles, 104. 



"Ilsetrouue dans toutes ces isles une seule sorte de pomme, 

 qui a du rapport avec celles de TEurope. Ces pommes sont toutes venenatum,'' ii. 1834. 



Hippomane. Arboreum lactescens, ramulis ternatis, petiolis glan- 

 dula notatis ; floribus spicatis mixtis, Browne, Nat. Hist. Jam. 351. 



De arboribus venenatis, iv. Mancanillo, Jonston, Hist. Nat. Arb. 

 (ed. Eckebrecht), ii. 257. 



See, also, Jonston, Dendrographia, 46, " Fructus Brasiliensis Me- 

 spilo similis.^^ 



fructum ferens pilce magnitudine visu 



aux 



^ Mespilo similis fructus venenatus, 454. Arbor fructu pilce magni^ 



soient du vrayes pommes de Tenfer & de mort, autant dangereuses tudine, 512. 



ceux 



^ Aiton, Hort. Kew. iii. 378, 



son ame. 



)j 



254 ; Hist. Gen. Antill. ii. 191.) 



Christoph 



