180 NATURAL HISTOIiY OF PLANTS. 



known in JOiirope iu 1579, having discovered it in tlie neighbourhood 

 of ^Iiigellan's Straits, in Sir F. Drake's circumnavigation of the 

 world. The use of this bark during the passage had, it appears, 

 cured or preserved the crew from scuiwy. Clusius gave it the name 

 of IFinfer bark, and described it^ as aromatic, acrid, burning, and 

 pungent." It is probably the same plant, or one of its varieties, that 

 FousTER names Drinii/s IFinteri, and of which Solander & Murray 

 made their Wlntcrania, or Wintera aromatica. Drim?/s cJiihnsis DC. 

 (the Cauelo of Chili), jjunctata Lamk., and (jranatemis L. riL., which 

 are for many authors only forms of J). Winien, all have aromatic, 

 pungent, very stimulating barks, that might be employed like the 

 true Winter bark,^ now-a-days extremely rare, so that the bark of 

 species of Camlla and Cinnamodendron is almost always substituted 

 for it. As to the acrid, pungent, astringent, aromatic bark from 

 Mexico, called ChacJiaca, or Palo piquante, if produced, as conjectured, 

 by D. mexicana DC, it only owes whatever difference it may have 

 in taste or aroma from D. granatends to the different conditions 

 under which it is developed, for the two plants are identical. All 

 the American and Ocean iiin species of Drimys indifferently might, 

 no doubt, serve the same ends. The Australian and Tasmanian 

 species, which constitute the section Tasmannia, have very similar 

 properties.'* 



All the Canellca are very aromatic, pungent, stimulating plants. 

 These properties have been long recognised in the type of this group, 

 Canella alba, or Winterama Canella, which produces the Canella Alba 

 Bark of druggists, often substituted for IFinter Bark,^ from which it 

 is easily enough distinguished by its agreeable scent of cloves and 

 nutmeg, by its perfumed, pungent taste, and by its characteristic 



Exotic, lib. iv. c.ip. i. 75, fig. * D. axillaris Forst., from New Zealand, is 



- Winter Bark, as analysed by E. Hentiy also aromatic, stimulant, and stomachic. The 



{Joum. Pharm., v. 489), contains volatile oil fruits of D. lanceolata, or Tasmannia aromatica 



{oleum corficis Winteri), a nearly inodorous very R. Br., are powdered by the colonists and used as 



acrid reddish-brown resin, a colouring matter, a condiment instead of pepper, 



tannin, chlorate, sulphate, and acetate of potass, * Accordingly it is sometimes called False 



oxalate of lime and oxide of iron. Winter Bark (cortex Winteranus spurius), and 



3 D. granatemis is called in New Granada also Cannelle poivrce, or bdtard Cosius doux. 



Arhol de Agi, and in Brazil Palo de Malambo, It is not only a stimulating tonic drug, but it is 



Caiielu de Paramo, Casca d'Anta, or Tapir's also used as a condiment in the French colonies of 



Barh, because it is alleged that this animal eats the Antilles. The fruits enter into perfumed pre- 



the plant to cure its diseases, and that from the serves, and the bark is candied. A sweet sub- 



aninial man learned to know its virtues. The Bra- stance extracted from it has been called cannel- 



ziiians often employ this aromatic, very stimulating line (Endl., Enchir., 536). 

 birk (A. S. II., PL Us. Brasil, t. xxvi.-xxviii.). 



