I.] LEGUMINOS^:. 149 



South America, the latter affording a very tough and 

 close-grained wood. The heart-wood of the Laburnum is 

 coloured dark brown, contrasting with the pale sap-wood. 

 West Indian -Ebony (Brya) and the streaked wood of 

 the Tamarind (Tamarindus] are used in cabinetwork. 



Of Dyes we have Indigo, obtained by decomposing 

 several species of Indigofera in water. The colouring 

 matter settles to the bottom, is dried and cut up into 

 cakes. 84,000 hundredweights of this important dye 

 were imported in 1886. Red Sanders-wood (Pterocarpus 

 santalinus}, a reddish-brown dye, used for woollen cloths ; 

 Logwood (Hcematoxylon campechianuni), one of the best 

 deep red and black dyes, imported from Central America 

 and the West Indies, in 1869, to the extent of 50,000 tons ; 

 Sappan-wood (Ccssalpinia Sappaii) ; Brazil-wood (Cccsal- 

 pinia}\ Cam-wood (Baphia), used for Bandana handker- 

 chiefs. 



Of Gums, Resins, &c. Tragacanth, a viscid gum 

 which exudes from species of Astragalus in Asia Minor, 

 due to an altered condition of the cellular tissue of the 

 stem ; Balsam of Peru (Myrospermum Pereirce), used in 

 medicine ; Copal, used in varnishes the species affording 

 it are not well determined, 



Spanish juice is the sweet extract of Liquorice-root 

 (Glycyrrhiza glabra and G. echinata), evaporated to dry- 

 ness ; and Tamarinds, as imported, are the pulp of the 

 fruit of Tamarindus, preserved in syrup. 



Of Food plants we have the Pea (Pisitm}-, Bean (Vicia 

 fabd}\ Lentils (Ervtim\ cultivated by ancient nations ; 

 French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) ; Scarlet runner (P. coc- 

 cmeus)Gra.m (Cicer arietinuni); and Ground-nuts (Arachis 

 hypogced) ; the last widely grown in warm countries. The 

 seeds of some species are very poisonous. Those of the 

 Laburnum have proved fatal to children. The Ordeal 

 Beans of West Africa are the seeds of Physostigma vene- 

 natum. The seeds of Abrus precatorius, called " Crabs'- 

 eyes," are strung together for necklaces. They are nearly 

 uniformly one grain each, and are used in India by 

 druggists and jewellers as weights. The seed of the 

 Carob (Ccratonia) is the original of the carat of jewellers. 

 The legumes, which contain much sweet pulp, are im- 

 ported for cattle-feeding. 



