'228 MIMO'SA. GUM AR'ABIC. FIG. 



you have seen in the hot-house, is a native of Bra- 

 zil ; and belongs to a genus, several other species 

 of which have the singular property of moving their 

 leaves or branches when touched : but they differ 

 from the Hedys'arum gy'rans, which I have de- 

 scribed, with the 17th class, in not having the power 

 of moving of themselves.* Gum- Arabic is pro- 

 cured from the Mimo'sa Nilot'ica, a tree that grows 

 abundantly on the sandy soil of Arabia and Egypt, 

 and several parts of Africa. The purest gum is 

 brought to Cairo, by the Arabs of the country 

 round Mount Tor and Sinai, who convey it across 

 the country, sewed up hi bags of skin on the backs 

 of camels. 



The common Fig, Fi'cus Car'ica, is a native of 

 the south of Europe. What we consider as the fruit, 

 is called by Linnaeus the receptacle, or a sort of 

 common calyx of the flowers ; and he describes it 

 as being top-shaped, fleshy, closed at the broad end, 

 with several scales, and having the inside covered 

 with little flowers, both perfect and imperfect, 

 sometimes on the same plant, and sometimes on 

 different trees. In other plants, generally, it is 

 the flower that contains the young fruit ; but in this 

 plant the fruit encloses and conceals the flower. 



It was a long time before it was known how the 

 fig was propagated ; and the history of this tree 

 is so very curious, that at some future time you 

 shall read an account of it. 



* See page 200. 



