STRYCHNACE.E. I. STRYCHNOS. 



65 



trees or shrubs. Leaves opposite, usually nerved. Flowers 

 corymbose. 



* Tendrils none. 



1 S. Nu'x-VoiucA (Lin. spec. 271.) leaves 3-5-nerved, 

 oval, shining ; berries many-seeded. ^ . S. Native of the 

 coast of Coromandel. Woodv. med. hot. 2. p. 29. t. 223. 

 Church, et Stev. med. bot. 2. t. 52. Roxb. cor. 1. p. 8. t. 4. 

 Garni, fruct. t. 179. f. 7. Hayne, darst. t. 17. Plenck, icon. 

 117. Caniram, Rheed. mal. 1. p. 67. t. 37. Blackw. t. 395. 

 Caniram vomiquier, Pet. Th. diet. sc. no. 1. Colubrini ligni 

 tertium, genus in Malabar, Bauh. pin. p. 301. The tree is 

 called Koochila by the Bengalese, and Mtisadi by the Telingas. 

 Leaves smooth, shining, from 1^ to 4 inches long. Stipulas 

 wanting. Flowers small, greenish white, collected into terminal 

 corymbs. Anthers half within the tube, and half out. Berry 

 round, smooth, size of a pretty large apple, orange-coloured, 

 when ripe. The wood of this tree being hard and durable, is 

 used for many purposes by the natives. It is exceedingly bitter, 

 particularly that of the root, which is used to cure intermitting 

 fevers, and the bite of venomous snakes, when that of Naga- 

 Musadi, the S. colubrina, cannot be had. The seeds are em- 

 ployed in the distillation of country spirits, to render them more 

 intoxicating. The pulp of the fruit seems perfectly innocent, as 

 it is greedily eaten by many sorts of birds. 



Nux \ omica is one of the narcotic acrid class of poisons, and 

 seems to have a direct power over the spinal cord. It produces 

 laborious perspiration, which is followed by torpor, trembling, 

 coma, convulsions, and death. M. Drapiez has ascertained, by 

 numerous experiments, that the fruit of FeuUlea cordijolia is a 

 powerful antidote against this, and other vegetable poisons. 

 For a century Nux I omica has been known as a powerful medi- 

 cine, and is employed in a vast variety of diseases, with different 

 degrees of success. M. Majendie discovered that the plant 

 possessed the singular effect of strongly affecting the spinal 

 marrow, without affecting, except indirectly, the function of the 

 brain ; and it was conjectured by him, that it might be turned to 

 advantage in the cure of diseases. This conjecture has since 

 been amply confirmed. M. Majendie, ignorant of Dr. Fouquier's 

 published cases, succeeded in curing persons of paralysis ; and 

 has since given the alcaholic extract of -Vux J'omica, not merely 

 to palsies, both partial and general, but also to various other 

 kinds of local and general debility. Strychnine is a preparation 

 of .Vuj: f 'omica. 



f'omit-Xut, or Poison Nut. Clt. 1788. Tree middle-sized. 



2 S. roTATORCM (Lin. spec. p. 227.) leaves opposite, from 

 ovate to oval, glabrous, pointed ; bark deeply cracked ; berries 

 1-seeded. ^ . S. Native of the East Indies, in mountains and 

 woods of great extent. Lin. suppl. p. 148. Roxb. cor. 1. p. 9. 

 t. 5. Strychnos Tettan-cotta, Retz. obs. 2. p. 12. Gaertn. 

 fruct. 2. p. 477. t. 179. Caniram Titan-cotta, Pet. Th. diet. 

 des. sc. no. 2. The Hindoo and Bengalese name of the tree is 

 Nirmulee; it is called Induga by the Telingas, and Tettan- 

 Kotta by the Tamuls. The leaves cannot be either said to be 

 3-nerved or triple-nerved. Stipulas connecting. Corymbs from 

 the tops of the last year's shoots, round the base of the present 

 year's, bearing, in a ternary order, many small, greenish yellow, 

 fragrant flowers. Berry shining, black when ripe. The wood 

 of this, like that of the former, is hard and durable, and is used 

 for various economical purposes. The pulp of the fruit, when 

 ripe, is eaten by the natives, although not very agreeable to 

 Europeans. The ripe seeds are dried, and sold in every market, 

 to clear muddy water. The natives never drink clear well- 

 water, if they can get pond or river water, which is always more 

 or less impure. One of the seeds is well rubbed, for a minute or 

 two, round the inside of the vessel containing the water, gene- 

 rally an unglazed earthen one, which is then left to settle ; in a 



VOL. IV. 



very short time the impurities fall to the bottom, leaving the 

 water clear, and perfectly wholesome. These seeds are gene- 

 rally carried about by the more provident part of our officers 

 and soldiers, in time of war, to enable them to purify their 

 water. They are easier to be obtained than alum, and are pro- 

 bably less hurtful to the constitution. 



Drinker t' Strychnos or Clearing Nut. Clt. 1794. Tree 15 

 to 20 feet. 



3 S. OVALIFOLIA (Wall. cat. no. 1592.) leaves oval, tapering 

 to both ends, acuminated; peduncles axillary, corymbose; fruit 

 size of a small cherry, t; . S. Native of Penang. Leaves 

 with three principal nerves. S. laurlna, Wall. cat. no. 1591, 

 a native of Tavoy, does not appear to differ much from the present 

 species, unless in the peduncles being branched and panicled. 



Oval-leaced Strychnos. Shrub cl ? 



4 S. MADAGASCARIE'NSIS (Pet. Th. ex Poir. diet. 8. p. 696.) 

 leaves ovate, acute ; corolla quadrifid, with a villous throat ; fruit 

 very large, 1-seeded. ^ . S. Native of Madagascar, about 

 Foul-Point. Caniram de Madagascar, Pet. Th. 1. c. no. 3. 

 Flowers in axillary bracteate corymbs, at the tops of the branches. 

 Very nearly allied to S. potaionun. 



Madagascar Strychnos. Clt. 1823. Tree. 



5 S. SPIXOSA (Lam. ill. no. 2449. Poir. diet. 8. p. 697.) 

 branches spiny ; leaves obovate, acute or acuminated ; corolla 

 with a bearded throat, hardly longer than the calyx. 1? . S. 

 Native of Madagascar, in sand, on the shore. Caniram, Voutac. 

 Pet. Th. I.e. no. 4. Voutaca, Flacourt, mad. p. 121.no. 13. 

 Pluk. phyt. t. 170. f. 4. Leaves glabrous, 3 inches long, and 2 

 broad, 5-nerved. Spines (abortive tendrils) longer than the 

 petioles, axillary. Corymbs axillary, at the top of the branches, 

 with opposite peduncles. Corolla tubularly ventricose, small. 

 Fruit globose, many-seeded, 8 inches in diameter, at length 

 orange-coloured . 



Spiny Strychnos. Clt. 1818. Tree 10 to 12 feet, cl. 



6 S. LU'CIDA (R. Br. prod. p. 469.) leaves ovate, acutish, 

 coriaceous, 3-nerved ; nerves bipartite. J? . G. Native of 

 New Holland, within the tropic. 



Shining-leaved Strychnos. Shrub. 



7 S. IGNA'TII (Berg. mat. med. p. 149.) leaves ovate, acute, 

 glabrous ; berry pear-shaped, many-seeded ; peduncles axillary, 

 about 4-flowered. 1? . ^. S. Native of Cochinchina, and 

 the Philippine Islands. Ignatia amara, Lin. suppl. p. 149. 

 Gaertn. fruct. t. 179. f. 8. Ignatiana Philippinica, Lour. coch. p. 

 125. Caniram de St. Ignatio, Pet. Th. 1. c. no. 6. Camelli, 

 Phil, trans. 21. t. 1. f. 46. Branches sarmentose, scandent. 

 Leaves a span long, veiny. Panicles small, axillary, composed 

 of 3-4 -flowered peduncles. Flowers long, drooping, white, 

 with the scent of jasmine. Fruit ovate, attenuated at the neck, 

 size of a Bon Chretien pear. Loureiro, however, says that the 

 fruit is rounded, attenuated at the neck, dry. Seeds ovate, 

 trigonal, of a dry, very bitter substance. 



St. Ignatius' t Bean. Shrub cl. 



* Tendrils present. 



8 S. COLVBRISA (Lin. spec. 271.) scandent; tendrils sim- 

 ple ; leaves from oval to oblong, bluntly acuminated, triple- 

 nerved, polished ; berries many-seeded. Ij . w . S. Native of 

 the coast of Coromandel, and of Silhet. Plenck, off. t. 118. 

 Modira Caniram, Rheed. mal. 8. t. 24. Caniram a Crochet, 

 Pet. Th. 1. c. no. 5. Arbor ligni Colubrini, Rumph. amb. 2. t. 

 37. Tendrils lateral, becoming thick and woody. Corymbs 

 terminal, small, composed of 2-3 pairs of villous branches. 

 Stipulas none. Flowers small, greenish yellow. Leaves 3-6 

 inches long, and 2-3 broad. Berry often as large as an orange : 

 rind yellowish. The tree is called by the Bengalese Kooch'da- 

 luta, and by the Telingas Naga-Musadi. (Naga, or Tansoopaun, 



K 



