CHOCO OF ECONOMIC PLANTS. 113 



for mixing with coffee as an adulterant has led to an Act of 

 Parliament being ^^assed prohibiting its sale except alone or 

 when definitely stated. It possesses diuretic qualities. In 1880 

 the quantity imported amounted to 145,457 cwts. 



Chignite. {See Butter Tree.) 



Chillies. {See Capsicum.) 



China Grass. {See Grass Cloth.) 



China Root, the thick rliizome of Smilax China, {See Sar- 

 saparilla.) 



Chinese Olive, a name for the fruit of Canarmm commune, a 

 wing-leaved tree of the Myrrh family (Amyridacese), native of 

 Java, Moluccas, and Malayan Islands generally. Cultivated for 

 its fruit, a three-sided drupe, from which an oil is expressed, 

 used as a condiment when fresh, and for burning in lamps. A 

 kind of gum, like Gum Elemi, exudes from the stem. 



Chirata {Ophelia Chirata), a slender branching annual 

 of the Gentian family (Gentianacese), 2 to 3 feet high, with 

 yellow flowers ; native of India, where the stems are held in 

 high repute as a tonic and febrifuge both by native and 

 European practitioners. Allied to Chirata, and possessing the 

 same qualities, is 0. elegans, native of the north of India, where 

 it is made up into bundles a foot in length, about as thick as a 

 man's arm, and sent to the bazaars. Its native name is Salaras,. 

 and it is said to be exported in considerable quantities. 



Chittagong Wood. {See Mahogany, Indian.) 



Chives {Allium scha^noprasuin), a cultivated pot-herb of the 

 Lily family (Liliaceae), allied to Garlic ; native of the North of 

 Europe. It has hollow, grass -like leaves, and is cultivated 

 in kitchen gardens. 



Choco, a name in the West Indies for Sechium edule, a 

 tendril climber of the Gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). It has a 

 large, fleshy tuber resembling a yam, and sometimes weighing 

 as much as 20 lbs. It is eatable when cooked, but is not very 

 palatable. The fruit is oblong, gourd-like, 4 inches in length, 

 covered with small, blunt tubercles ; when ripe, of a yellowish 

 colour. These fruits may sometimes be seen m Covent Garden 



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