LEGUMINOS^E. 



93 



ciple exhibits much less uniformity in its results than any other. 

 It is without doubt to the presence of the extractive principle in 

 considerable quantities that many leguminous plants owe their 

 purgative properties, which are common to several extracts, and 

 which many chemists attribute to the acetate of potass, which 

 they are almost universally found to contain. Thus the leaves 

 and pods of Cassia senna, and several other species, the Colutca 

 arborescens of Genista purgans, and of Coronilla E'merus act 

 as brisk purgatives, and often cause pain in the bowels. The 

 juice of Coronilla varia excites vomiting. It is perhaps from a 

 different cause that the pulp, which is contained in the husks of 

 leguminous plants, operates upon the human body, being gently 

 laxative without causing the least pain ; such is the character of 

 Cathartocarpus fistula, Tamarmdus 1'ndica, Ceratonia siliqua, 

 and probably some species of I'nga and Pdrkia. There is a 

 juice which surrounds the seeds in the tumid pods of Gledi- 

 tsclria and Sophbra, which differs altogether in its very astringent 

 nauseous flavour. It is undoubtedly to a secretion from the ex- 

 ternal part of the seed, or of the pericarp, or some one of these 

 modifications, that the singular property of the Pi&cidia and 

 many Gategas is derived, which are employed in America 

 to stupify fish, which are taken by this means as readily as by 

 Nux vomica. The decoction of the root of Galega Virgi- 

 niana is considered in America as ajjowerful vermifuge. It 

 is perhaps to the extractive principle that the rubefacient powers 

 of the fresh leaves of some leguminous plants are to be at- 

 tributed, which act readily upon the skin if applied in plas- 

 ters ; as for example, the leaves of Ornithopus scorpioldes 

 and Moringa pterogosperma. It appears that it is to the greater 

 or less considerable mixture of the extractive principle with 

 the fsecula contained in the seed, that the different proper- 

 ties of the pulse of leguminous plants may be attributed. If 

 found in small quantities, the seed may serve as food for man 

 and animals, as we see in French beans, scarlet runners, beans 

 and peas, &c. If found in a more considerable quantity, it will 

 render them purgative or emetic, as in Cytisus Laburnum and 

 Anagyris ft&lida, &c., and most of those belonging to the sub- 

 division Phylloloba;. The seeds of leguminous plants also pre- 

 sent many other anomalies more difficult to reduce to any fixed 

 laws ; thus some are found which contain a rather large portion 

 of fixed oil, such as the seed of the A'rachis liypogyce a andMo- 

 ringa pterogosperma, which produces oil of ben ; there are some 

 of which the smell and flavour are rather powerful, as the seed of 

 Dipterex oddra or Tonquin bean ; there are others, which, like 

 the chick pea, have rather a bitter taste and exciting properties, 

 and are on that account administered for the jaundice. There 

 are others again, like those of the Indira, which are so bitter as 

 to be used in Java and Brazil as tonic, alexiteric, and vermifuge. 

 In short, are not the aperient and diuretic qualities which are 

 observable in the roots and herbage of many leguminous plants, 

 such as broom, beans, Ononis, &c. to be attributed to a modifi- 

 cation of this extractive principle ? There are, in another 

 view, roots which are tuberous, and furnish mankind with 

 wholesome food, as Ldthyris tuberosus, Dolichos tuberosus, and 

 D. bulbbsus, which last the Indians use for food. The roots of 

 liquorice have a sweet and mucilaginous taste, which, united to 



an acrid and rather exciting principle, causes it to be employed 

 as a pectoral. It may be here added, that the sweet flavour of 

 liquorice and its properties are not confined to the genus, but is 

 found equally in the roots of many other plants of the order, as 

 A brus precatbrius, various species of Trifbllum, &c. The bark of 

 some trees of leguminous plants is remarkable for its bitterness, 

 and is used as febrifuges ; the different kinds of Geqffroya and 

 Andira possess this bitter and febrifugal quality in a remarkable 

 degree. In India the barks of the Agat\ grand/flora and of the 

 Guilandina Bondu.ce.lla are employed for the same purpose. 

 The barks of many leguminous plants are also remarkable for 

 their astringent qualities, caused by the quantity of tannin which 

 they are found to contain ; this is observable in the Acacia Cate- 

 chu and A. Arabics, which are used for tanning leather. It is 

 well known that almost all colouring matter proceeds from the 

 extractive principle, and this principle abounds in Leguminbsce. 

 To this family belong the principal blue colours known by the 

 name of Indigo, extracted from every kind of Indigofera, and 

 from some Tephrbsias ; and the red colours are yielded by all the 

 species of Ccesalpinia and of Hcematoxylon or Logwood. We 

 may add the red juice which is drawn from the Pterocdrpits 

 Draco and Santallnus, under the name of Sandal and Dragon's 

 blood ; from Butea, under the name of Gum lac, and also from 

 Dalbergia Monelaria. The red juice of Erytlirophlcum or Gre- 

 gree-tree, is used as an ordeal in Africa. These juices appear 

 to differ in many particulars, but their history and analysis being 

 unknown, it is impossible to form an estimate of the nature of 

 their differences. 



Among the exotic drugs employed in the arts, are the balsam 

 of Copiva, produced by the Copaifera ; the balsam of Peru, 

 which Mutis says is produced by Myrospermum peruifemm, and 

 the balsam of Tolu from Myrospermum toluiferum , the cachou, 

 which has been found to be almost pure tannin, and which is 

 supposed to be produced by Acacia Catechu. Of the same 

 character is that remarkable resin that is yielded by Hymene&a 

 Courbaril ; gum Arabic, produced by the bark and roots of 

 Acacia vera, Senegal, Ardbica, and others; gum tragacanth, 

 obtained from Astragalus Creticus, gummifer, and verus ; and, 

 finally, manna is secreted by Alhagi Maurbrum. 



It is remarkable that the botanical characters of Leguminbsce 

 should so strictly agree with the properties of their seeds ; the 

 latter may be divided into two sections, namely, the first Sarco- 

 lobce, or those of which the cotyledons are thick (f. 21. c. g.), 

 and filled with fecula, and destitute of cortical pores, and which, 

 moreover, in germination do not undergo any change, but nou- 

 rish the young plant by means of that supply of food which they 

 already contain ; second, the Phyllolobce, or those of which the 

 cotyledons are thin (f. 21. a. /.), with a very little fecula, and 

 furnished with cortical pores, and which change at once into 

 leaves at the time of germination, for the purpose of elaborating 

 food for the young plant. All the seeds of Sarciilobce are used 

 as food; in different countries, and none of those of Phyllolobce 

 are ever so employed. 



M. de Candolle's arrangement of Leguminbsce being here 

 adopted, it will be useful to explain the principles on which 

 it is founded. He divides Leguminbsce into two grand divisions, 



