84 FLOEA OF JAMAICA Piscidia 



P. piscipula Sarg. in Gard. & For. iv. 436 (1891) ; Urh. Symh 

 Ant. iv. 297. P. Erythriaa L. Syst. ed. 10, 1155 (1759); Mocf 

 Jam. i. 258 ; Griseh. Fl. Br. W. Ind. 200 ; Benth. in Proc. Linn 

 Soc. iv. Suppl. 116. Coral arbor polyphylla &c. Sloane Gat. 143 

 & Hist. a. 39, t. 176, /. 4, 5. Robinia pedunculis &c. Plum. PI. 

 Amer. (Burm.) 229, t. 233, /. 2. Ichthyomethia foliis pinnatis &c. 

 Browne Hist. Jam. 296. Erythrina piscipula L. Sp. PI. 707 

 (1753). Ichthyomethia piscipula Hitchc. in Gard. d For. iv. 472 

 (1891); Sarg. Silva Hi. 53, t. 117, 118. (Fig. 26.) Type in 

 Herb. Mus. Brit. 



D ogwood. 



In fl. Feb.-Apr. ; in fr. June-Aug. ; Sloane Herb. vi. 18 ! Houstoun 1 

 Wright I Broughton ! Shakspear 1 Distin ! Purdie ! March I Prior ! King's 

 House, J. P. 1319, Morris ! Maiden Cay, Fawcett 1 near Hope, Campbell ! 

 Berwick, 2500 ft. ; Hope, 700 ft. ; Great Goat Is., 50 ft. ; Harris ! Fl. Jam. 

 6502, 7707a, 7708, 8518, 9221.— Florida and Keys, Bahamas, Hispaniola, 

 Porto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Cruz, St. Jan, St. Martin, St. Bartholomew, 

 Antigua, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Barbados, Grenada, Mexico. 



Tree 25-30(-60) ft. high. Leaflets elliptical or oblong, minutely 

 puberulous or glabrate on the upper surface, tomentose or minutely 

 puberulous beneath, 4-9 cm. 1. Flowers whitish with a purplish tinge, or 

 rosy, produced -in large numbers at the ends of the branches. Calyx 

 5-6 mm. 1. Standard 1-3-1 "5 cm. 1. ; wings and keel auriculate, about as 

 long as the standard. Pod 4-8 cm. 1. ; wing 1-2 cm. br. 



Well-grown trees reach a diameter of 2 or 3 feet, and the timber is 

 considered valuable. The wood is of a light brown colour, heavy, tough 

 and elastic ; it is used for felloes of wheels, and for cart and carriage 

 frames. It is durable in and out of water, and makes excellent piles for 

 wharves. Posts put into the ground readily grow. " It is largely used in 

 Florida in boat-building and for firewood and charcoal" (Sargent). The 

 whole tree, but especially the bark of the roots, contains piscidin, which 

 is sedative and hypnotic, and has been found effective in producing sleep 

 without subsequent injurious effects. The bark of the root .relieves 

 toothache when placed in the hollow of carious teeth. A decoction of 

 the bark of the stem cures mange in dogs. The pounded bark is thrown 

 into streams to intoxicate fish. 



27. ANDIRA Lam. 



Trees. Leaves alternate, imparipinnate ; leaflets opposite. 

 Flowers purplish, sweet-smelling ; panicles terminal or sub- 

 terminal. Calyx truncate with short teeth. Standard roundish. 

 Uppermost stamen free ; anthers uniform, versatile. Stigma 

 small, terminal. Pod drupe-like, not opening, pericarp woody. 

 Seed 1, pendulous. 



Species 20, natives of tropical America, of which one is also 

 found in west tropical Africa. 



A. inermis H. B. & K. Nov. Gen. d- Sp. vi. 385 (in note) 

 (1824); DC. Prodr. ii. 475 (1825); Mac/. Jam. i. 323; Griseh. 

 Fl Br. W. Ind. 202; Benth. in Proc. Linn. Soc. iv. Suppl. 122 & 

 in FL Bro.8. xv. pt. 1, 298, t. 116. A. jamaicensis Urb. Symb. 



