178 



NATUIiAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



peculiar perfume of the table liquors of Martinique is due to the 

 presence of a liquid distilled from the bark of the Tulip tree.' The 

 bruised leaves applied to the forehead are supposed to cure headache. 

 The seeds form an aperient medicine." Finally, the Tulip tree is 

 one of the finest trees known ; it is often more than 1 20 feet in 

 hciL^-ht, and its trunk may be as large as twenty-one feet round at the 

 base. It is not used in medicine in our country. " But," in the words 

 of a classical writer'' on this subject, " as it is naturalized there, and 

 very common, new attempts might be made to verify its efficacy." 



The SchizandrecB are very little used. The only species quoted is 

 Schzandra japonica,^ which, according to K^mpfer^ & Thunberg,^ 

 develops a large quantity of mucilage in presence of a liquid. On 

 chewing the bark, the mouth becomes full of gummy matter. The 

 leaves infused in water give a sort of glue, used for gluing the paper 

 made from Uroussonnetia papyrifera. The Japanese women cover 

 their hair with this mucilage, either before shaving it, or to remove 

 the fatty cosmetics which they use to excess. The seeds are viscid, 

 of a disagreeable taste. Several Asiatic species of Splicer ostema 

 are said to have edible berries.' Of the Eiqjtelede, Trochodendron 

 aralioides Sieb. & Zucc. is alone cited as an odoriferous plant. " The 

 aroma of the leaves and fruits," says Siebold/ " would lead us to 

 expect medicinal virtues." 



No product of this family is more used than the Star-anise \_Fr. 

 Anis eioile, Badiane,Y the name given to the fruit of various species 



* The opinion of Citbiekes {loc. cit., 6). 

 Others tliink that the trees used for this purpose 

 are Talaumas. 



^ Anc. Journ. de Mid., Ixx. 350. 



^ A. Rich., Eldm. d'Hist. Nat. Medic, cd. 4, 

 Bot., ii. 453. 



■* Kadsura japonica Dun., Monogr. Anonac, 

 25, 28. 



* Aman. Exot., 476, t. 477. 

 6 FL Jap., 237. 



^ RosENTii., op. cit., 594. 



* " Fama Kuruma, i.e., rota montana (SiEB., 

 Zoc.cJ/.,86)fit/-/>or lUicio&Tasmanniajfl^wis 



fuliorum el frucluum quali/ate aromatica affuii- 

 talem confirm ante." (Enul., Ewhir., 430.) 



' The best collection of information, historical 

 and hibliographical, relatinfr to these products 

 will be found in the work we have recently pub- 

 lished under the title, " Recherchex siir I'Origine 

 Boinniqtie des Badinnes oti Anis Etoiles" [Adan- 

 sonia, viii. 1). See also K.empfee, Amoen. Exot., 

 880, t. 881. — Clusius, His!., ii. 202.— Bauhin, 



Pin., 159.— L., Gen., 611; Spec, 664; 3Iat. 

 Med., 510. — Thtjnb., Voyag., iv. 77. — Adans., 

 Fam., ii. 364. — JiTSS., Gen., 280. — G^rtn., 

 Fruct., i. 368, t. 69, f. 6.— Eliis, Act. Anql. 

 (1770), 524, t. 12.— BuCH., PI. Noiw. (1779), 

 30, t. xxviii. — Regnault, Bot. Tab., 396. — 

 Lour., Fl. Cochinch., ed. Ulyssip. (1790), 353. — 

 Lame., Diet., i. 351 ; Illustr., t. 493, f 2.— 

 PoiR., Sup>pl., i. 558. — Vent., Jard. Cels., t. 

 22.— MiCHX., Fl. Bor.-Amer., i. 326.— Meh. & 

 DE Lens, Diet. Mat. Med., i. 592. — Duch., 

 Rf-pert., 176.— Nees, PL Med., iii. t. 371.— 

 MiERS, Contrib., i. 142. — Sieb. & Zvcc, Fl. 

 Jap., i. 5, t. 1. — A. Ricu., EUm. d'Hist. Nat. 

 31ed., ed. 4, ii. 456. — GuiBorET, Drog. Simpl., 

 ed. 4, iii. 649, f. 430.— Pereika, Elem. Mat. 

 Med., ed. 4, ii. p. ii. 677. — Lindl., Flor. Med., 

 25. — RosENTH., Syn. PI. Diaphor., 598.— Re- 

 veil, Fl. Med. du xix-^ Siecle, i. 143.— MiQ., 

 Ann. Mus. Lugd.-Bat., ii. 257. — H. Bn., Diet. 

 Encycl. des Sc, Medic, viii. 81. 



