38 DICTIONARY OF POPULAR NAMES BARBERRY 



the tree above the stripping becoiaes more enlarged than the 

 lower stripped part. The fruit consists of a large, oblong, 

 indehiscent woody capsule 8 to 12 inches long, covered with green 

 velvety down, which becomes brownish when dry ; it contains 

 numerous seeds, the size of peas, embedded in pulp, wliich is 

 slightly acid and agreeable, and forms part of the food of the 

 natives. Major Pedley, in his expedition in search of Mungo 

 Park, lived almost exclusively on it for twelve days. When 

 dry it becomes hard and corky. In some districts the natives 

 call the tree " Mowana." As an example of the slow growth of 

 the Baobab, one at Kew, though more than eighty years of age, 

 was in 1858 only 4 J feet high, consisting of a slender erect 

 stem, bearing a few leaves at the apex only, rising from a 

 swollen, gouty base 6 to 7 inches in diameter. The plant repre- 

 sented a miniature Baobab. 



A species allied to the preceding is a native of North 

 Australia. It was first noticed by Allan Cunningham in one of 

 King's voyages in 1818, who called it the Gouty Tree. It was 

 afterwards frequently seen and specially noticed by the explorer 

 Gregory, in whose honour it has been named A. Gh^egorii. The 

 trees grow singly, or several together from a centre. One so 

 composed measured 85 feet in circumference, and did not exceed 

 25 to 30 feet high ; one main stem measured 35 feet and another 

 40 feet in girth. The leaves, flowers, and fruit are produced 

 from a small, ordinary-looking tree stem, growing out at the top. 

 The fruit is not so large as that of the preceding, and is attached 

 by a shorter foot-stalk, being about 6 inches in length and 3 to 4 in 

 diameter, and covered with a velvety down. It contains a dry, 

 farinaceous substance, in which the seeds are embedded. When 

 ripe, the mealy part has an agreeable acidity, like cream of 

 tartar ; it melts in the mouth and is very refreshing. The wood 

 is exceedingly soft, and full of moisture, which it readily yields 

 on pressure, affording a grateful beverage to travellers in the 

 arid places where the trees grow. It is known by the name of 

 Cream of Tartar Tree. 



Barberry (Berheris vulgaris), a deciduous simple - leaved 



