PEREIRIA. 



nearly round, villous, of the size of a large filbert, each with a single 

 seed, as represented by that excellent and accurate Botanist Gaertner. 

 Receptacle of the fruit ; while in blossom the flowers are nearly sessile, 

 on a globular receptacle, of the flowers I will call it, but, like the ovaries 

 in Uvaria, as the fruit advances in size, the very short pedicel of the 

 original flower lengthens into a pretty long, stout, cylindric, villous 

 pedicel, ending in a round-headed receptacle, on which sit from 1 to 3 

 berries surrounded with the small permanent calyx. Roxb. This is 

 considered by the Cingalese to be an excellent stomachic. The root, 

 which is of considerable size, is sliced and steeped in water, and after 

 several hours infusion the liquid is swallowed. 



It is obvious from Roxburgh's account of this plant, as above quoted, 

 that it forms a distinct genus of Menispermaceas. The male flowers are 

 still wanting to complete our botanical knowledge of it, but the small 

 sterile stamens (or inner sepals), the lengthening thickening peduncle, 

 and the loopholed cotyledons, of themselves afford sufficient marks of 

 distinction. I have named it after my friend Jonathan Pereira, Esq. 

 F.R.S., of whose valuable and original researches into the origin of 

 drugs I have so often had occasion to avail myself in the present work. 



ANAMIRTA. 



Flowers dioecious. Calyx of 6 sepals in a double series with 

 2 closely-pressed bracteoles. ^ . Stamens united into a central 

 Column dilated at the apex : anthers numerous, covering the 

 whole globose apex of the column. $ . Flowers unknown. 

 Drupes 1-3, 1 -celled, 1 -seeded. Seed globose, deeply exca- 

 vated at the hilum. Albumen fleshy : cotyledons very thin, 

 diverging. Twining, with a corky bark. Leaves more or less 

 cordate-ovate. Flowers in lateral compound racemes. W.andA. 



768. A. Cocculus W. and A. i. 446. Anamirta paniculata 

 Colebr. in Linn. soc. trans, xiii. p. 52. and 66. Menispermum 

 cocculus Linn. sp. pi. 1468. Gcertn.fr. t. 70. f. i. Cocculus 

 suberosus DC. syst. i. 519. C. orbiculatus, lacunosus and fla- 

 vescens id. L c. Menispermum orbiculatum Linn. sp. 1468. 

 M. lacunosum and flavescens Lam. diet. iv. 98. Malabar, the 

 Eastern Islands, &c. of India. (Cocculus indicus.) 



A strong climbing shrub, with the bark corky, ash-coloured, and 

 deeply cracked into fissures. Leaves roundish, acute, very slightly 

 cordate, if at all, but sometimes truncate at the base, hard, leathery, 

 shining, smooth (said to be downy when young), with 5 digitate ribs, 

 about 6 inches long and as many broad ; stalks a little shorter than the 

 leaves, tumid at both ends, especially the lower. Female flowers in 

 lateral compound racemes. Drupes 2-3, globose ; cotyledons distant, 

 linear-oblong, very membranous. The Cocculus indicus seeds of com- 

 merce are obtained from this plant. They are a well-known poisonous 

 drug, used occasionally in the form of powder or ointment for destroy- 

 ing pediculi, and in some skin diseases, as porrigo, but chiefly employed 

 to render malt liquor intoxicating. This practice is said to be per- 

 severed in, although prohibited by severe enactments. By one man, 

 who writes upon the art of Brewery, it is recommended that 31bs. be 

 371 B B 2 



