328 DICTIONARY OF POPULAR NAMES PITCHER 



N. Rajah, and others, highly coloured. They are beautiful 

 and interesting objects, and are highly prized by amateur culti- 

 vators of rare plants. They are widely distributed, being found 

 in Ceylon, India, Malayan Peninsula, Borneo, and islands of the 

 Indian Archipelago in general. The first known species, N. 

 distillatoria, native of Ceylon, was introduced in 1789. A few 

 years ago a plant at Kew attained the length of between 30 and 

 40 feet, the lower part of the stem becoming naked, and the 

 uj)per part bearing abundance of pitchers. 

 • Pitcher Plant, North American. {Sec Side-saddle Flower.) 



Pituri, a name given by the natives of Australia to Duboisia 

 Hopivoodii, a shrub of the Figwort family (Scrophulariaceffi), but 

 by some considered to be related to the Atropine section of 

 the Deadly Nightshade family, which its narcotic properties 

 seem to warrant. It is stimulating, and its leaves are chewed 

 by the natives, the same as the betel nut in India, coca leaf 

 in iSTew Grenada, and tobacco in other countries ; they consider 

 it to make them courageous and strong in battle. Experiments 

 made by Dr. Bancroft prove it to be a most dangerous poison, 

 acting on the respiratory system, producing shivering and con- 

 vulsions. 



Piwarrie. {See Cassava.) 



Plane Tree, Eastern {Platanus orientaUs), the type of 

 the Plane Tree family (Platanace?e), attaining a height of from 

 60 to 80 feet, and when standing singly has wide-spreading 

 branches. It is well known in parks and gardens in this 

 country as a highly-ornamental tree. It is conspicuous in the 

 vicinity of Mount Lebanon, one near Damascus measuring 40 

 feet in circumference. The Western Plane (P. occidentcdis) is 

 a tree attaining a large size, native of Xorth America. In 

 this country it is often injured by the spring frosts, and in 

 the year 1811 many trees of it were killed in Scotland and in 

 England. F, acerifolia, believed to be a distinct species, is 

 much grown about London as the Oriental Plane ; it differs 

 in its leaves not being so deeply cut, and it is less disposed as 

 in the true Plane to branch horizontally. P. raccmosa, native 



