94 SYLVA FLORIFERA. 



earth : thus they say it is aperitive, diuretic, 

 and sudorific. 



Were we to transcribe all we have seen 

 written on the medical virtues of this plant, 

 it might naturally be asked how it happens 

 that we do not meet our ancestors upon earth, 

 who had in this tree a cure for every malady. 



The Arabian, as well as the Greek and 

 Roman physicians, highly extol the medi- 

 cinal properties of the seed which the Latins 

 named lingua avis, bird's tongue, which it re- 

 sembles. 



Dr. Taner, Robinson, and the famous Dr. 

 Bowles, are amongst the later physicians who 

 commend the good qualities of this little seed, 

 and it was from these observations principally 

 that our attention was directed to the forma- 

 tion of the seed ; on dissecting the pod of which 

 carefully with a pen-knife, the umbilical cord 

 will be found running from the stalk to the 

 upper end of the fruit, or seed, where it enters, 

 to convey the nourishment to the germ, which 

 (on opening from the reverse end,) will be 

 found the future tree, so formed both in trunk 

 and leaves, as not even to require the assist- 

 ance of magnifiers to see the perfect plant. 

 We are not aware of its being seen so per- 

 fectly in any other seed, therefore we would 



20 



