A C Y N O S A D A N S O N I A. 



33 



Wood, and thus is distinguished from Spina, a thorn. 

 Examples of it may be seen in the rose, the raspberry, 

 bramble, &c. 



ACYNOS (Richard). A genus comprising 

 eleven species of European herbaceous plants allied 

 to "the common thyme. Some of them are biennials, 

 others annuals. Linnauan class and order, Didynasua 

 Gymnospermia. Natural order, Ijabiatcc. 



ACYONIA (Leach). A genus formed from the 

 ti'cnus Scal(irin, to distinguish those species whose 

 spiral turns are disconnected, and not touching in any 

 part ; but other naturalists have not adopted this genus, 

 considering it at most but a variety, or perhaps merely 

 a sport of nature. 



ADAMANTINE SPA. See CORUNDUM. 



ADANSONI A. A genus of plants which derives 

 its name from the famous French botanist, Michel 

 Adanson. It belongs to the natural family of Bom- 

 bacca' (Kunth and Richard), or the cotton-tree tribe ; 

 and to the class Monadclphia, order Polyandria, of the 

 Linnoean system. The generic characters are : Calyx 

 naked, deciduous, deeply divided into five segments ; 

 petals, five ; style very long ; many stigmas ; capsule 

 or seed-vessel woody, divided into ten cells, contain- 

 ing a farinaceous pulp and numerous seeds. 



Isert, a Dane, in his voyage to Guinea, states that 

 he observed several species of the genus ; but the 

 only one which has been hitherto known to botanists 

 is the Adansomn digit at a of Linnaeus, the Ethiopian 

 sour gourd. This immense tree, the colossus of the 

 vegetable kingdom, is found in Senegal, Guinea, and 

 the countries on the west coast of Africa, from the 

 Niger to the kingdom of Benin. It was first intro- 

 duced into Britain in 1724, and may be reared in 

 a mixture of peat and loam, in bark or a moist stove. 



The tree is called by the inhabitants of Senegal 

 Goui, and its fruit Soiti; while the French give the 

 name of Calebnssia to the former, and that of pain dc 

 singe to the latter. The designation of monkeys bread 

 applied to the tree is derived from the French appel- 

 lation of the fruit. 



Its height, is moderate, varying from fifty to sixty 

 feet, but the size of its trunk is almost incredible. 

 According to Adanson, trunks are met with having 

 a diameter of twenty-five or thirty feet, and a cir- 

 cumference of ninety ; and Mr. Golberry observed 

 one which was thirty-four feet in diameter and 104 

 in circumference, while at the same time it only at- 

 tained an elevation of twenty-four feet. The lower 

 branches shoot out frequently to the length of fifty 

 or] sixty feet, at first in a horizontal direction. They 

 are covered with a dense foliage, which, from its 

 weight, causes the branches to bend towards the 

 ground ; and thus there is presented an immense 

 hemispherical mass of verdure, 120, 140 or even 150 

 feet in diameter, and perhaps sixty feet in height. 

 At a distance a full-grown tree almost presents the 

 appearance of a forest. Cape de Verd is said to owe 

 its name in part to the foliage of this tree, which 

 adorns the whole of Senegambia and Guinea with 

 its green elliptic arches. The flowers are very 

 large, white, and pendent. At sunrise the ne- 

 groes religiously watch the opening of the flowers 

 which have been closed during the night. The roots 

 are numerous, and attain a very great length. A 

 main root has been measured 110 feet long. It 

 flowers in Jtdy, and its fruit is ripe in October 

 and November. The age to which the tree is said 

 to live is astonishing. Adanson looks upon it as the 



NAT. HIST. VOL. I. 



oldest living monument of the globe. In 1761 he 

 noticed two of these trees growing on an island off the 

 west coast of Africa, which were distinctly ascertained 

 to be several centuries old ; and he seems to tbi*ik 

 that some trees on that coast have existed upwards of 

 5000 years. His conjectures are probably erroneous, 

 but they are founded on the rate of growth of the 

 trees. The following are his calculations, as given 

 by Dr. Hooker : a tree of 



1 year old is 

 20 



30 . 

 100 



1000 . 

 2400 

 3150 



Diameter. 



1 or H inch 



1 foot" 

 . 2 



4 . 

 . 14 

 . 18 . 

 30 



Height. 



feet, 



15 



22 

 29 

 58 

 64 

 73 



From this it will be seen that the increase in height 

 is not in proportion to the increase in diameter. 



The wood of the tree is pale and soft, and is per- 

 forated by bees for the purpose of depositing honey, 

 which is often found in great abundance. The trunk 

 of the tree decays by disease, and is hollowed by the 

 negroes into chambers, which are large enough to 

 serve for temples or habitations. These cavities are, 

 however, generally used as receptacles for the dead 

 bodies of those denominated guiriots, that is, poets, 

 musicians, &c. ; for whom the negroes entertain high 

 respect, as beings possessed of superior intelligence. 

 They are respected, consequently, during life ; and after 

 death superstitious motives prevent the negroes from 

 interring them in the usual way. Their bodies are 

 suspended in the cavities , hollowed out of this tree, 

 and there they become completely dried, and are in a 

 short time rendered perfect mummies, without the aid 

 of any perfumes or embalming materials. 



The tree is mucilaginous in all its parts, and is used 

 for a variety of economical and medicinal purposes. 

 The bark and leaves when dried and powdered form 

 a substance called lalo, which is used by the natives 

 of Senegal as a seasoning for their food, and which 

 is employed medicinally, both in the form of powder 

 and decoction, to diminish excessive perspiration, and 

 to check dysentery and the epidemic fever, which 

 rage in September and October after the rainy season 

 has ceased. By the use of the decoction Adanson 

 and a friend kept off the attack of fever at a time 

 when it was remarkably prevalent, and were thus en- 

 abled to prosecute without interruption their scientific 

 researches in Africa. 



The fruit, which is ten inches long, has an agreeable 

 acid flavour. It is used for food, and when mixed 

 with water and sugar is a grateful drink in fever. 

 The fruit is carried by the Mandingos to the eastern 

 and southern parts of Africa, and sold to the Arabs, 

 who convey it to Morocco and Egypt. The pulp 

 when dried and powdered is an article of commerce, 

 and is sold in the market of Cairo, under the name of 

 Lemnian earth. The ashes of the outer rind of the 

 fruit are mixed with rancid palm-oil, in order lo 

 form soaps. 



A very full account of this wonder of the vegeta- 

 ble kingdom is given by Adanson in the Memoirs of 

 the Royal Academy of Sciences of Paris, in the year 

 1761. 



ADAPIS (Cuvier). A name used by Gesner as 

 a synonym of the Daman, but applied by Cuvier to 

 designate one of the fossil pachydermatous quadrupeds, 



