390 DICTIONARY OF POPULAR NAMES ST. HELENA 



as the Cucumber (Cucurbitaceee), trailing on the ground, but 

 devoid of tendrils. It is a native of the South of Europe, and 

 has long been cultivated in botanic gardens as a curiosity. 

 The fruit is about 2 inches in length, hanging down at an acute 

 angle with the short foot-stalk ; on touching it when ripe, it 

 immediately separates from the stalk, and ejects with consider- 

 able force a number of seeds and a quantity of fluid to a distance 

 of two or three yards, to the dismay of the unwarned toucher.- 

 The juice is of a highly poisonous nature, and when concen- 

 trated forms the powerful drug called Elaterium, which is 

 obtained by pressure of the seeds. 



St. Helena Ebony. {See Ebony.) 



St. John's Bread. {See Carob Tree.) 



St. Thomas Tree, a name in Ceylon for Bmihinia tomentosa, 

 a small tree of the Bean family (Leguminosre). It attains a 

 height of 15 feet, and is bush-hke. Its leaves are composed of 

 two oval, blunt leaflets, united by their inner edges for more 

 than half their length. It has pale yellow flowers with crimson 

 spots, which the native Cingalese believe to be the blood of St. 

 Thomas, hence its name. 



Staff Tree, a name for the different species of Celastrus, 

 a genus of the Spindle Tree family (Celastraceae). C. scandens, 

 a trailing, climbing shrub, native of Xorth America, interesting 

 on account of its orange-coloured fruit, and wax-like arillus, 

 henxie it is called Waxwork Shrub. C. 2'><^'if^iculatv.m, native of 

 Brazil. An empyreumatic oil is obtained from its seeds by 

 destructive distillation, called Oleum nigmm,. It is in repute by 

 native doctors for special complaints. C. i:)yr acanthus, native 

 of the Cape of Good Hope, has hard, very formidable spines 3 

 to 4 inches in length. C. cymosus, also native of the Cape of 

 Good Hope, has pretty white flowers, but of a very fetid odour. 



Staghorn Fern is represented by several species of Platy- 

 cerium, a genus of the tribe Acrostichccne of the family Filices, the 

 original species being P, alcicorue, native of Western tropical 

 Africa and Australia, from whence it was introduced into Kew^ 

 in 1808. Its broad, divided fronds, having the resemblance of a 



