106 



MENISPERMACE^E. VII. COCCULUS. 



terate fermented liquors, as is often reported. The seeds are 

 intensely bitter and very acrid. M. Boullay analyzed them, and 

 found them to contain about half their weight of a concrete waxy 

 oil, albumen, a particular colouring matter, a new bitter poisonous 

 principle, Picrotoxia Lignin, and various new saline matters. 

 In later experiments M. Bonllay detected a peculiar acid, to 

 which he has given the name of Menispermic. Picrotoxia is 

 obtained by digesting for a day a decoction of the berry upon 

 caustic magnesia. It is then to be treated with alcohol, which 

 dissolves out the picrotoxia, and this may be purified by evapora- 

 tion and repeating the solution, and if much coloured, by the addi- 

 tion of animal charcoal. It has the form of quadrangular prisms, 

 white, brilliant, semi-transparent, and extremely bitter ; it is 

 soluble in three parts of alcohol, in 25 of boiling, and 50 of cold 

 water. It melts by heat, and contains no a^ote. Vauquelin got 

 a substance very similar from the Daphne alpina. Picrotoxia 

 resembles camphor in its action, but is much more powerful and 

 deleterious. The extract has been lately recommended by M. 

 Fouquier of Paris in paralysis, but Dr. Duncan of Edinburgh 

 tried it, and found it less energetic than considering its nature 

 and the small proportion of extract obtained he expected. It 

 seemed to act as a tonic, and to keep the bowels in a good state, 

 but he observed it had no narcotic or stimulant effects. An 

 ointment made with it has long been a domestic remedy in some 

 places to kill vermin on the head, and is successfully applied in 

 cases of tinea of the head. Perhaps the berries of several Indian 

 species of this genus possess the same quality. 



Cork-barked Cocculus. Fl. ? Clt. 1790. Shrub tw. 



17 C. PLUKENE'TII (D. C. syst. 1. p. 520.) leaves ovate, 

 somewhat cordate at the base, bluntly truncate and mucronate at 

 the apex ; female racemes axillary, simple, rather longer than 

 the leaves. Tj . / * N . S. Native of Malabar and Java. C. orfi- 

 cinarum, Pluk. mant. 52. t. 345. f. 7. Menispermum C6cculus, 

 Willd. 4. p. 826. The berries are in bunches like grapes, but 

 smaller ; first white, then red,' and finally blackish purple. In 

 the East Indies they are made into a paste which is used to in- 

 toxicate fish and birds, &c. 



Plukenet's Cocculus. Fl. ? Clt. 1790. Shrub cl. 



18 C. ARISTOLOCHLE (D. C. syst. 1. p. 520.) leaves cordate, 

 blunt, mucronate, entire ; female peduncles 1 -flowered, shorter 

 than the petioles. I? . w . S. Native of Madras. Pluk. aim. 

 t. 13. f. 2. 



,/^mto/ocAia-leaved Cocculus. Shrub cl. 



19 C. PLAVE'SCENS (D. C. syst. 1. p. 520.) leaves somewhat 

 cordate, ovate, bluntly-acuminated, younger ones orbicular, 

 pubescent ; female racemes panicled, lateral, longer than the 

 leaves. ^ . ^. S. Native of the Moluccas on rocks by the 

 sea-shore. Rumph. amb. 5. p. 38. t. 24. Menispermum flaves- 

 cens, Lam. diet. 4. p. 100. Flowers small, white, sweet-scented. 

 Fruit of a dirty yellow colour ; they are used to poison fish. A 

 decoction of the wood is used against the jaundice, white phlegm, 

 and indigestion, in the Moluccas. (Rumph.) 



Yellowish-fruited Cocculus. Fl. Sept. Shrub cl. 



20 C. GLAU'CUS (D. C. syst. 1. p. 521.) leaves heart-shaped, 

 acuminated, entire, under surface pubescent ; peduncles race- 

 mosely-corymbose, shorter than the petioles. f? . w . S. Native 

 of Amboyna in sunny valleys and deserted gardens. Rumph. 

 amb. 5. p. 40. t. 25. f. 1. Menispermum glaucum, Lam. diet. 4. 

 p. 100. Flowers small, yellowish-green. Berries small, blackish- 

 purple. 



Glaucous-leaved Cocculus. Fl. Jul. Shrub cl. 



21 C. CRi'spus(D. C. syst. 1. p. 521.) leaves cordate, acumi- 

 nated, smooth ; stem somewhat angular, and rough with roundish 

 tubercles ; racemes simple, slender, lateral. J? . w . S. Native 

 of Java, Sumatra, Moluccas, and Bengal, and from thence tran- 

 sported to Amboyna and Bali. Colebr. in Lin. soc. trans. 13. 



1 



p. 6. t. 17. f. 3. Rumph. amb. 5. p. 83. t. 44. f. 1. Menisper- 

 mum crispum, Lin. spec. 1468. The whole plant is bitter, and 

 is used in the Moluccas against gripings of the abdomen, and to 

 kill vermin. It is considered by the natives of Bengal a power- 

 ful tonic, and is very highly valued by them. 



Curled Cocculus. Fl. ? Clt. 1822. Shrub cl. 



22 C. TAMOIDES (D. C. syst. 1. p. 521.) leaves very entire, 

 truncate or cordate at the base, ovate, pointed, 5-nerved, smooth; 

 male racemes slender, a little longer than the leaves. Jj . . S. 

 Native of Cayenne. Similar to C. Carollnus, but differing in the 

 leaves being smooth and the racemes much longer. 



Tamus-like Cocculus. Shrub tw. 



23 C. CHONDODE'NDRON (D. C. syst. 1. p. 522.) leaves cor- 

 date, much crenated, acuminated, under surface tomentose. \ . 

 w . S. Native of South America in Pilaya. Chondodendron to- 

 mentosum, Ruiz, et Pav. prod. fl. per. 132. syst. 261. Epiba- 

 terium? tomentosum, Pers. ench. 2. p. 561. The bark of this 

 species is exceedingly bitter. 



Lump-tree Cocculus. Fl. Oct. Nov. Shrub cl. 



24 C. INCA NUS (Coleb. in Lin. trans. 13. p. 57. t. 17. f. 1.) 

 leaves cordate, entire, villous, mucronate ; panicles axillary, 

 shorter than the leaves. J? . w . S. Native of Chitagong and 

 Silhet in Bengal. Menispermum villosum, Roxb. mss. Flowers 

 yellowish-green, inodorous. 



//oary-leaved Cocculus. Fl. year. Clt. 1820. Shrub cl. 



25 C. SE'PIDM (Coleb. in Lin. soc. trans. 13. p. 58. 1. 17. f. 2.) 

 leaves from broad cordate to linear cordate, downy ; male flgwers 

 in racemes ; female ones axillary, solitary. Jj . ^. S. Menis- 

 permum hirsutum, Roxb. citing Willd. spec. 4. p. 829. Native 

 of the East Indies. Very common in hedges. 



Hedge Cocculus. Clt. 1820. Shrub cl. 



26 C. TOMENTO'SUS (Coleb. in Lin. soc. trans. 13. p. 59.) 

 leaves roundish-cordate, 3-lobed, tomentose ; racemes axillary, 

 generally simple, one, two, or more together ; corollas expand- 

 ing ; nectarial scales entire. Tj . w . S. Native of Bengal in 

 thickets and hedges. Menispermum tomentosum, Roxb. mss. 



Tomentose Cocculus. Fl. Feb. March. Clt. 1820. Shrub cl. 



27 C. HEXA'GYNUS (Coleb. in Lin. soc. trans. 13. p. 63.) old 

 leaves cordate, younger ones parabolic, entire, upper surface 

 smooth, under surface rather hairy ; racemes axillary and ter- 

 minal, panicled, villous ; pedicels 3-flowered. Ij . . G. Na- 

 tive of China near Canton. Menispermum hexagynum, Roxb. 

 mss. Flowers small, white. 



Six-styled Cocculus. Shrub tw. 



28 C. BANTAME'NSIS (Blum, bijdr. fl. ned. ind. ex Schlecht. 

 Linnsea. 1. p. 498.) leaves somewhat cordate-oval, acute, gener- 

 ally 5-nerved, smooth, quite entire ; panicles elongated, axillary, 

 solitary. T? . w . S. Native of Java. Menispermum Banta- 

 mense, Spreng. syst. app. p. 148. 



Bantam Cocculus. Shrub cl. 



29 C. HASTA'TUS(D. C. syst. 1. p. 522.) leaves cordate at the 

 base, hastate, villous beneath ; auricles blunt, drawn out a little 

 beyond the auricles at the apex ; petioles villous, six times shorter 

 than the leaves. Tj . / ^ > . S. Native of the East Indies. Menis- 

 permum hastatum, Lam. diet. 4. p. 98. 



Halbert-leaved Cocculus. Shrub tw. 



30 C. TRI'LOBUS (D. C. syst. 1. p. 522.) leaves 3-lobed, 

 nerved, villous ; lobes acute, mucronate, entire ; petioles reflexed 

 at the base ; peduncles racemose, shorter than the petioles. 

 Jj . ^\ G. Native of Japan near Nagasaki. Menispermum tri- 

 lobum, Thunb. fl. jap. 194. The whole plant is villous. Flowers 

 whitish. Berries globose, 1 -seeded, about the size of a small 

 pea. 



Three-lobed-\ea.ved Cocculus. Fl. Sep. Oct. Shrub tw. 



31 C. PALMA'TUS (D. C. syst. 1. p. 522.) leaves cordate at 

 the base, palmately-5-cleft, covered with hispid hairs, lobes 



