377 



IULTIMORITE. 



BAMBUSA. 



378 



Balaamodcntlron Jfyrrha. 



Gilead, or Opobalsamum ; 2, Xylobalsamum ; and 3, Carpobalsamum ; 

 the first obtained from the trunk of the balsam-trees by simple inci- 

 sion ; the second by boiling the branches and skimming off the resin 

 as it rises to the surface of the water ; and the third by simple 

 pressure of the fruit. They are no longer met with, even in gardens, 

 about Gilead in Palestine. 



B. Myrrha is a small "scrubby tree found in Arabia Felix, near 

 Gison, scattered among species of Acacia, Euphorbia, and bforinga. 

 Both its wood and bark have a strong 

 and remarkable odour. The branches 

 are stiff, short, and spiny ; the leaves 

 composed of three obovate unequal 

 leaflets, with distinct crenatures, and 

 the fruit a narrow, oval, furrowed 

 plum, surrounded at the base by the 

 persistent calyx. 



B. Katof has fewer spines, and downy 

 and .more distinctly serrated leaves. 

 Its wood, which is red and resinous, is 

 a common article of sale in Egypt 



Whatever may be the product of the 

 last species, which Forskiil states to 

 produce the myrrh of commerce, it is 

 now certain that this substance is 

 yielded by Baliamodendran Myrrha, 

 which Ehrenberg found on the fron- 

 tiers of Nubia and Arabia, bearing a 

 substance identical with the myrrh of 

 the shops. It is therefore no longer 

 to be doubted that the suggestion of 

 Bruce, that it is the produce of a kind 

 of Mimosa a most improbable circum- 

 stance, by the way originated in some 

 incorrect observation. 



B. Zeylanicum is mentioned as a 

 fifth species, producing oriental Elemi, 

 which is very different from theAmeri- 

 can kind ; but of thia too little is known 

 to enable us to do more than advert 

 to its existence. 



Myrrh, a natural gum-resin, the source of which was long doubtful, 

 was observed by Ehrenberg to exude from the bark of the above- 

 mentioned species of balm, much in the same way as gum tragacanth 

 exudes from the Astragalus verus. It is at first soft, oily, and of a 

 yellowish-white colour, then acquires the consistence of butter, and by 

 exposure to the air becomes harder, and changes to a reddish hue. 

 As met with in commerce it is of two kinds, that which is called 

 Myrrh in Tears, and that called Myrrh in Sorts. 



Dr. Von Martius mentions a White Myrrh, which has a very bitter 

 taste like colocynth, and an external appearance like ammoniacum ; 

 it i probably ammoniacum treated with tincture of colocynth. 

 Another false myrrh may be distinguished by its transparency and 

 less bitter taste. [BALSAMS ; MYRRH, in ARTS AND Sc. Div.] 



BALTIMOHITE, a mineral which is a variety of Serpentine, and is 

 composed of longitudinal fibres adhering to each other. It has a 

 silky lustre, is opaque, but in thin pieces translucent on the edges. Its 

 hardness is less than that of calcareous spar. It is found at Baltimore, 

 United States. The following is the analysis by Dr. Thompson : 



Silica 40-95 



Magnesia 3470 



, Protoxide of Iron 10'05 



Alumina 1~50 



Wiitrr 12-60 



BAMBU'SA, the Bamboo, a genus of Grasses, well known for its 

 great economical .importance, but consisting of species which are very 

 imperfectly understood by botanist*. It is remarkable in structure, 

 among other things, for having only one style, which is more or less 

 deeply two- or three-parted, three minute scales at the base of its ovary, 

 and six stamens. 



It is doubtful whether nature has conferred upon the inhabitants oi 

 hot countries any boon more valuable than the Bamboo, unless it be 

 the Cocoa-Nut ; to such a multitude of useful purposes are its light, 

 strong, and graceful stems applicable. These are universally pushed 

 forth by a strong, jointed, subterranean, creeping rootstock, which is 

 the true trunk of the Bamboo, the shoots being the branches. The 

 latter are hard externally and coated with flint ; in the inside they 

 are hollow, except at the nodes, where strong partitions stretch across 

 the inside, and cut off the interior into a number of closed-up cylin- 

 der*. In the cavity of these cylinders water is sometimes secreted, 

 or, U*s commonly, an opaque white substance, becoming opaline whei 

 wetted, consisting of a flinty secretion, of which the plant divests 

 called Tabasheer, concerning the optical properties of which 

 Sir David Brewster has made some curious discoveries. 



In their manner of growth they exhibit a beautiful example of a 

 contrivance by which they are enabled to grow into the dense tufts 

 which they usually form. When full-grown a bamboo is a straight rod 

 Inuring a number of stiff branches, which shoot at nearly right angles 

 from the main stern ; and it is difficult to conceive by what arrange 



ment such a stem elevates itself through the dense mass of rigid 

 >ranches which cross each other in every direction. This is however 

 contrived by nature in a very simple manner. The young shoot of a 

 >amboo, whatever its length may be, when it is first produced, is a 

 >erfectly simple sucker, like a shoot of asparagus, but having a sharp 

 >oint, and in this state it pierces readily the dense overhanging 

 >ranches ; it is only when it has anived at its full length and has 

 jenetrated through all obstacles, that jt begins to form its lateral 

 shoots ; and these, which are emitted horizontally, readily interpose 

 ;hemselves between the horizontal laterals of the bamboo stems among 

 which they grow. In the words of Dr. Roxburgh, the shoots, on 

 ;heir first appearance, resemble a large straight elephant's tusk invested 

 n stout leathery sheaths. 



The purposes to which different species of Bamboo are applied are 

 so numerous that it would be difficult to point out an object in which 

 strength and elasticity are requisite, and for which lightness is no 

 objection, to which the stems are not adapted in the countries where 

 they grow. The young shoots of some species are cut when tender, 

 and eaten like asparagus. The full-grown stems, while green, form 

 elegant cases, exhaling a perpetual moisture, and capable of transport- 

 ing fresh flowers for hundreds of miles : when ripe and hard they are 

 converted into bows, arrows, and quivers, lance-shafts, the masts of 

 vessels, bed-posts, walking-sticks, the poles of palanquins, the floors 

 and supporters of rustic bridges, and a variety of similar purposes. 

 In a growing state the spiny kinds are formed into stockades, which 

 are impenetrable to any but regular infantry, aided by artillery. By 

 notching their sides the Malays make wonderfully light scaling-ladders, 

 which can be conveyed with facility where heavier machines could 

 not be transported. Bruised and crushed in water, the leaves and 

 stems form Chinese paper, the finer qualities of which are only improved 

 by a mixture of raw cotton and by more careful pounding. The leaves 

 of a small species are the material used by the Chinese for the lining 

 of their tea-chests. Cut into lengths and the partitions knocked out, 

 they form durable water-pipes, or by a little contrivance are made into 

 excellent cases for holding rolls of paper. Slit into strips they afford 

 a most durable material for weaving into mats, baskets, window-blinds, 

 and even the sails of boats. Finally, the larger and thicker truncheons 

 are exquisitely carved by the Chinese into beautiful ornaments. It is 

 however more especially for building purposes that the bamboo is 

 important. According to Marsden, in Sumatra the frame-work of the 

 houses of the natives is chiefly composed of this material. In the 

 floorings, whole stems, four or five inches in diameter, are laid close to 

 each other, and across these stems laths of split bamboo about an inch 

 wide are fastened down with filaments of the rattan-cane. The sides 

 of the houses are closed in with the bamboo opened, and rendered flat 

 by splitting or notching the circular joints on the outside, chipping 

 away the corresponding divisions within, and laying it in the sun to 

 dry, pressed down with weights. Whole bamboos often form the 

 upright timbers, and the house is generally roofed in with a thatch of 

 narrow split bamboos, six feet long, placed in regular layers, each 

 reaching within two feet of the extremity of that beneath it, by which 

 a treble covering is formed. Another and most ingenious roof is also 

 formed by cutting large straight bamboos of sufficient length to reach 

 from the ridge to the eaves, then splitting them exactly in two, knock- 

 ing out the partitions, and arranging them in close order with the 

 hollow or inner sides uppermost ; after which a second layer, with the 

 outer or convex sides up, is placed upon the other in such a manner 

 that each of the convex pieces falls into the two contiguous concave 

 pieces, covering their edges ; the latter serving as gutters to carry off 

 the rain that falls upon the upper or convex layer. 



The different species of Bambusa, may be conveniently distributed 

 in three sections. 



I. Asiatic Bamboos, with the Flowers either in Spikes or Paniclei. 



1. B. arundinacea, Roxburgh. Spiny. Leaves very narrow, covered 

 with asperities on the margin and upper surface. (Called Bam 

 in Bengal.)- Common in rich, moist soil, among the mountains of 

 India. The stems grow in clusters, from 10 to 100, from the same 

 root-stock, and are straight for 18 or 20 feet. When in flower it is 

 usually destitute of leaves, and as the extremity of every ramification 

 is covered with blossom, the whole tree seems one entire immense 

 panicle. Its seeds are used as rice. Tabasheer is found in its joints. 



2. B. stricta, Hoxb. Somewhat spiny. Flowers in extremely 

 compact whorls. Said to be a smaller species than the last : it grows 

 in a drier situation, has a much smaller cavity, and is very straight. 

 Its great strength, solidity, and straightness render it much fitter for 

 many uses. From this the shafts of lances are made in India. 



3. B. vulyaris, Weudl. Not spiny ; leaves very narrow, covered at 

 the edge and on the upper surface with asperities. Found in the 

 East Indies, whence it is thought to have been carried to the West. 

 Its stems are from 20 to 30 feet long, and as thick as a child's arm. 



4. B. spinosa, Roxb. Strongly armed with both single and com- 

 pound spines ; leaves very narrow, rarely more than six inches long. 

 (Behor Bans, in Bengal.) Common about Calcutta, and in the south 

 of India, forming an impenetrable jungle ; also often cultivated round 

 Indian villages. It has a smaller hollow than most of the others, and 

 is consequently stronger than many of them. Dr. Roxburgh describes 

 it as rising in such dense tufts as to appear like a single trunk at some 



