CORTEX CASSI.E LIONEL. 533 



Allied Products. 



Cassia Twigs. — The branches of the cassia trees, alluded to at page 

 529, would appear to be collected from the same trees which yield the 

 cassia lignea. Garnier (I.e. at p. 528) says that the youngest branches 

 are made into fagots, adding that they have the odour of bugs. 



Cassia twigs are not as yet exported to Europe, but they constitute 

 a very important article of the trade of the interior of China. In 1872 

 no less than 456,533 lb. of this Wood of Cassia or Cassia TvAgs were 

 shipped from Canton, for the most part to other Chinese ports. — The 

 imports of Hankow, in 1874, of these twigs were 1925 peculs (259,G67 

 lb.) valued at 5677 taels (1 tael about equal to os. llfZ.).^ 



In the Paris Exhibition of 1878 we had the opportunity of examining 

 some bundles of cassia twigs from western Kwangtung. The branches 

 were as much as 2 feet in length and of the thickness of a finger. We 

 found their bark to possess the usual flavour of cassia lignea. 



Cassia Buds, Flores Cassice — These are the immature fruits of 

 the tree yielding Chinese cassia lignea, and have been used in Europe 

 since the middle ages. In the journal of expenses (a.d. 1359-60) of 

 John, king of France, when a prisoner at Somerton Castle in England, 

 there are several entries for the spice under the name of Flor de Candle; 

 it was very expensive, costing from 8s. to 138. per lb., or more than 

 double the price of mace or cloves. On one occasion two pounds of it 

 had to be obtained for the king's use from Bruges.^ From the Form 

 of Cury^ written in 1390, it appears that cassia buds ("jPYo de queynel") 

 were used in pi-eparing the spiced wine called Hippocras. 



Cassia buds are shipped from Canton, but the exports have much 

 declined. Rondot, writing in 1848,* estimated them as averaging 400 

 peculs (53,333 lb.) a year. In 1866 there were shipped from Canton 

 only 233 peculs (31,066 lb.); in 1867, 165 peculs (22,000 lb.)' The 

 quantity of cassia buds imported into the United Kingdom in 1870 

 was 29,321 lb.;® the spice is sold chiefly by grocers. The great market 

 for this drug is Hamburg, where in 1876, according to the official 

 statistics, 1324 cwt. of cassia buds were imported. 



In Southern India, the more mature fruits of one of the varieties of 

 Ginnaniomuni iiiers Reinw. are collected for use, but are very inferior 

 to the Chinese cassia buds. 



Folia Malabathri or Folia Indi — is the name given to the dried, 

 aromatic leaves of certain Indian species of CinnamoTnum, formerly 

 employed' in European medicine, but now obsolete. Under the name 

 Taj-iJat, the leaves are still used in India ; they are collected in Mysore 

 fiova wild trees. 



Ishjyingo — This is the designation in Quito of the calyx of a tree of 

 the laurel tribe, used in Ecuador and Peru in the place of cinnamon. 

 Though but little known in Europe, it has a remarkable history. 



^ Returns of Trade at the Treaty Ports in * Rtporis on Trade at the Treaty Ports 



China for 1872, p. 34; for 1874, p. 7. in China/or 1867, Shanghai, 1868. 49. 



- Doiiet d'Arcq, Comptes de FArqenterie " Annual Statement of the Trade and 



de« Boin de France, 1851. 206. 218. 222. Navigation of the U.K. for 1810. 101. 



239. etc. " For further iuformation consult Heyd, 



' See p. 245, note 8. Levantehandel, ii. (1879) 663. 



* Commerce d'exportation de la Chine, 45. 



