TEAK-WOOD. TAMARISK. 77 



The Marking-nut tree, Semicar / pus anacarMium, 

 is a native of woody mountains in the East Indies. 

 It is a lofty tree, and bears a fruit which contains 

 a black resinous juice, that is used in the East for 

 marking linen. This is done by putting the linen 

 over the nut, and pricking it till the juice comes 

 through, which makes a stain that never washes 

 out. The fleshy receptacle, when roasted, has the 

 flavour of apples, and is eaten by the natives of 

 India. 



The forests of Java, Ceylon, and some other 

 islands in the East Indies, afford a very valuable 

 tree called the Indian oak, or Teak-wood, Tec'tona 

 gran'dis. The leaves, even of the young trees, are 

 nearly two feet long and more than a foot in 

 breadth. The trunk grows to a great size, and 

 the wood is the most useful timber of the East ; 

 it is supposed to be superior to every other for 

 building ships, as the worms which destroy deal 

 and oak, do not injure it. 



The order Trigynia contains, besides other 

 genera, the Tamarisk- tree, one species of which 

 Tam'arix gal'lica, grows wild on the southern 

 coast of England, the Guelder-rose, or Snow- 

 ball tree, Viburnum Op'ulus, the Laurusti'nus, 

 Viburnum Ti'nus, and the Sumach-tree, Rhus. 

 The Varnish-sumach-tree, Rhus Ver'nix, produces 

 the gum from which the Japanese make their beau- 

 tiful black varnish. 



