164 THE USES OF PLANTS. 



a small scale, is a Boraginaceous plant, used as a red 

 stain for furniture in imitation of rosewood, and, as is 

 also DRAGON'S BLOOD, which was referred to among 

 the resins (p. 119, supra), for giving a crimson colour 

 to oils. 



QUERCITRON, the bark of the North American 

 Quercus tinctoria, L., though useful for tanning, is, 

 with us, mainly employed as a yellow dye. 



INDIGO, though obtained by chemical synthesis, is 

 likely for some time to be mainly produced from the 

 Leguminous Indigofera tinctoria, L., /. Anil, L., /. 

 ccerulea, Roxb., natives of India, as a precipitate ob- 

 tained by soaking the plant in water. We imported 

 4,774 tons of this dye in 1882, as against 3,524 tons 

 in 1851. From it laundress's 'blue' is prepared. 



GAMBOGE, though a valuable Water-colour, and 

 used also in colouring lacquer varnish, is not a true 

 dye. The best Pipe Gamboge, from Siam, is the 

 gum-resin of Garcinia Hanburii, Hook. fil. ; that of 

 Ceylon, of G. Morella, Desr. ; and that of Southern 

 India, of other species. 



PART VI. FIBRES AND PAPER- 

 MATERIALS. 



As in oils, gums, resins, rubbers, and tanning mate- 

 rials, so in fibres, the rapidly increasing population of 

 the civilized world and the extended needs of our 

 advancing refinement of life would alone account for 

 the necessity of a search for new material to be carried 

 further afield. Textile fabrics and cordage have for 



