494 



EPI 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



EP I 



phoot into many branches, which also fasten themselves to 

 the boughs of trees, and thus rise to the height of eighteen 

 feet or more, spreading quite over smaller trees. The flowers 

 are of a greenish yellow colour, mixed with white, and are 

 succeeded by fruit six or seven inches long. The pods grow 

 in pairs, are generally the thickness of a child's finger, and 

 about five or six inches in length ; they are green at first, 

 then yellowish, and turn of a brownish cast as they ripen. 

 The stalk is moderately slender, and throws out a long wind- 

 ing tendril, opposite to each of the lower leaves, by which it 

 sticks to the branches or bark of the tree ; but after it gains 

 the top, these become useless, and the place of each is sup- 

 plied by a yellow leaf. The manner of growth and flowering, 

 the size of the flowers, fruit, and lens-shaped dark shining 

 seed, without any aril, distinguish this from the other species. 

 When the fruit turns of a yellowish colour, and begins to open, 

 they gather it, and lay it in small heaps to ferment two or 

 three days, in the same manner as is practised for the cocoa 

 or chocolate pods; then they spread them in the sun to dry, 

 and flat them with their hands, when they are about half dried ; 

 and afterwards rub them over with the oil of Palma Christi, 

 or of the Cocoa ; then they expose them to the sun again to 

 dry, and afterwards they rub them over with oil a second time ; 

 then they put them in small bundles, covering them with the 

 leaves of the Indian Reed, to preserve them. These plants 

 produce but one crop of fruit in a year, which is commonly 

 ripe in May, fit for gathering, for they do not let them remain 

 on the plants to be perfectly mature, because then they are 

 not so fit for use ; but when they are about half changed 

 yellow, they esteem them better for keeping than when they 

 are changed to a dark brown colour, at which time the fruit 

 splits, and shews a great quantity of small seeds, which are 

 enclosed within it. While the fruit is green, it affords no 

 remarkable scent ; but as it ripens, emits a most grateful aro- 

 matic odour. When the fruit begins to open, the birds attack 

 it, and devour all the seeds very greedily, but do not eat any 

 other part of the fruit. Those which are brought to Europe 

 are of a dark brown colour, about six inches long, and 

 scarcely an inch broad ; they are wrinkled on the outside, 

 and full of a vast number of black seeds, like grains of sand, 

 of a pleasant smell, like balsam of Peru. In England the Va- 

 nilla fruit is only used as an ingredient in chocolate, to which 

 it gives a pleasant flavour to some palates, but which to 

 others is equally disagreeable. The Spanish-Ameiican phy- 

 sicians employ it in medicine, and esteem it grateful to the 

 stomach and brain, for expelling wind, as a diuretic, an anti- 

 dote against poison, or a cure for the bite of venomous ani- 

 mals. The Spaniards, French, and Italians, not only use 

 the Vanilla to give chocolate a delicate smell and agreeable 

 flavour, but also to perfume snuffs and other substances. 

 It yields a great quantity of oil and volatile salt. Mr. Miller 

 has another species, which he calls Vanilla Axillaris, dis- 

 tinguished by its oblong, blunt, compressed, jointed leaves, 

 and axillary flowers. It was sent him from Carthagena in 

 New Spain, where it naturally grows. It has a climbing 

 stalk, sending out roots from the joints like the other, and 

 mounting to a great height. The leaves, which come out 

 singly at each joint, are oblong, smooth, and jointed. The 

 flowers come out from the side of the branches ; they are 

 shaped like those of the great Bee Orchis, but are longer; 

 the helmet is of a pale pink; and the lip is purple. There are 

 two or three varieties of the Common Vanilla, differing in 

 the colour of the flowers, and length of the pods. 



2. Epidendrum Flos ./Eris. Stem columnar, somewhat 

 brancned ; leaves lanceolate; petals linear, obtuse. This plant 

 is parasitical. The flowers resemble a spider. Native of Java. 



** Stem upright, leafy. 



3. Epidendrum Tenuifolium. Leaves on the stem subu 

 late, channelled. Native of Malabar in the East Indies. 



4. Epidendrum Spatulatum. Leaves on the stem oblong, 

 alternate, obtuse, vcinless; lip of the nectary bifid and diva- 

 ricate. Native of the East Indies. 



5. Epidendrum Furvum. Caulescent: leaves imbricate, 

 lanceolate ; racemes axillary. Native of the East Indies. 



6. Epidendrum Coccineum. Leaves on the stem ensifonn. 

 obtuse ; peduncles one-flowered, axillary, crowded. This is 

 an elegant parasitical plant ; roots round, numerous, fibrous, 

 ash-coloured; stems several, scarcely attaining to a foot in 

 height; before these spring, the flowers come forth in the 

 axils of the root-leaves ; they also come out from the axils of 

 the stem-leaves successively as the stems advance ; flowers 

 void of scent, the whole, with the gennen, scarlet, agreeing 

 in character with the eighth species, except that the petals 

 are ovate, acuminate, and concave. Native of Martinico, 

 where it is found in moist woods, particularly by the side of 

 torrents : also in Jamaica, where, however, it is not common. 



7. Epidendrum Secundutn. Leaves on the stem oblong, 

 emarginate; stem compressed; spike directed one way; tube 

 of the nectary length of the corolla. Parasitical : roots fibrous, 

 white ; stem round at bottom, gradually compressed, leafy, 

 pendulous ; leaves sessile, sheathing, alternate, spreading in 

 two rows; the outmost tip emarginate, veinless ; peduncle 

 scape-form, often two feet long; flowers terminating, in form 

 of a corymb, nodding one way, pale red or brown. It varies 

 with a rounder and more compressed stem ; leaves broadei, 

 or more acuminate ; flowers terminating, or breaking out on 

 the side ; and tube of the nectary shorter or longer than the 

 petals. Native of the mountainous woods of Martinico and 

 Jamaica. 



8. Epidendrum Lineare. Leaves on the stem distich, 

 linear, obtuse, emargiuate ; stem simple, from one to two feet 

 long, erect, filiform, leafy, compressed a little, smooth. 

 Parasitical ; roots filiform, creeping, strict, white ; sheaths 

 radical, withering, whence the stems appear to be jointed ; 

 leaves alternate, approximating, sessile, sheathing, slightly 

 streaked, smooth on both sides; sheaths of the leaves com- 

 pressed ; spike scarcely the length of the leaves ; flowers in 

 a sort of spike, sessile, alternate, imbricate, from six to ten, 

 small, and blood-red ; spathes sheathing under the flowers, 

 coloured ; corolla three-cornered, gibbous at the back ; the 

 three outer and the two inner petals almost equal, oblong, 

 concave, blunt ; the two outer in front vaulted, compressed 

 at the tip ; nectary of the same shape with the inner petals, 

 erect, embracing the column at the base, having two dark 

 purple spots at the edge, concave, blunt at top, blood-red ; 

 seeds extremely minute, dusty, and bristly; and, according 

 to Jacquin, irregularly shaped like saw-dust. It flowers in 

 spring-, and is a native of the woods in Martinico, and other 

 of the West India Islands. 



9. Epidendrum Punctatum. Leaves lanceolate, nerved ; 

 sheathes imbricate ; scape panieled, and corollas dotted. The 

 sheaths of the leaves, the panicle, and the petals, are dotted ; 

 hence the name. Native of America. 



10. Epidendrum Caudatum. Leaves lanceolate, nerved; 

 scape panieled ; petals spotted, tailed, two very long. Na- 

 tive of America. 



11. Epidendrum Ovatum. Leaves on the stem ovate, 

 acute, stem-clasping, nerved : scapes panieled. Native of 

 the East Indies. 



12. Epidendrum Ciliare. Leaves oblong, veinless ; lip of 

 the nectary three-parted, ciliate, the middle segment linear; 

 sttm two-leaved. This elegant plant is a foot and a half 



