156 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



characterized, especially H. Candolleatia H. B. K., confertifolia Hayne, 1 

 confertiflora Mart., latifolia Hayne, Olfersiana Hayne, Sellowiana 

 Hayne, stigonocarpa Mart., stilbocarpa Hayne, and venosa Vahl. 2 

 The origin of the copal so largely exported from the west of tropical 

 Africa is even at the present day still ver} T doubtful. Perhaps some 

 of it exudes from the trunk of a living species of Cynometra? 

 Perhaps, again, it was formerly produced by trees whose species is 

 now extinct in the country, 4 and in this case constitutes a sort of 

 fossil resin like yellow amber. 5 



Besides these resinous matters and the astringent principles of which 

 we have spoken, the wood of Casalpiniece often contains colouring 

 matters ; so that several of these plants are prized by the dyer. We 

 shall review the chief of them. 



Logwood, or Campeachy-wood (Bois de Campeche, d'Lide),<me of the 

 best known dyestuffs, is produced by Hamatoxylon campechianum L., 6 

 which grows not only in and around Campeachy, but in the Antilles, 

 Venezuela, and Guiana. This wood, of a rather pale brownish-red 

 colour, becomes bright red in the air, and blackish when exposed to 

 damp. Heavy, close-grained, and taking a fine polish, it is valued 

 for cabinet-making. It is its colouring principle, called hamatine 

 or hematoxylin, that renders the wood chiefly available for dyeing 

 black, blue, or violet. The wood, moreover, contains astringent 

 principles, also found in the bark and gum. These products are 

 used in certain intestinal affections, and especially the decoction of 

 the wood in cases of chronic diarrhoea, in the Antilles and the United 



1 See Arzneig., t. 7-16, 18, 19. — Makt., Mat. Bistr. of the Gum Copal in Angola (lor. cit., 

 Med. Bras., 115. 301). [Seealso K.IBK, On the Copal of Zanzibar 



2 Eel. Amer., ii. 31 (see p. 108, notes 3, 5). (Joitrn. Linn. Soc., xi. 1) and On Copal (loc. 



3 C. laxiflora Benth., in Trans. Linn. Sor., cit., 179).] 



xxv. 318. Cynometra, whose leaves often re- 5 Among the plants producing a resin more 



sernble those of Ilymenma, has more than once or less closely allied to anime may be cited 



been confounded with it. Thus H. (Trachy- Daniellathurifera Bexx. (mPharmaceut.Journ., 



lobium) Martiana Hayne (loc. cit., t. 17) is a xiv.251; — H. lis., in Adansonia, vi. 186), which 



Cynometra. Welwitsch (loc. cit., Wo) gives affords the bumbo or owngbo of Sierra Leone, and 



this plant as a synonym of U. verrucosa Lame. which lias been mentioned as producing some of 



The Nam-nam of India is C. caulijlora L., (Spec, the African copal. 



547 ;— Lamk., III., t. 331. fig. 1 ;— DC, Prodr., 6 Spec, 549.— SlOAN., Hist., t. 10, fig. 1-4.— 



ii. 509, n. 1). According to Ruiipmrs (Herb. Black w., Kerb., t. 163. — Lamk., III., t. 340. — 



Amboin., i. t. 62) its roots are purgative, and the DC., Prodr., ii. 485. — M&R. & Del.. Diet., iii. 



oil obtained from the seeds cures itch and other 419. — GriB., Drog. Simpl., ed. 4, iii. 317. — A. 



cutaneous diseases. C. ramiflora L. (Spec, 547; — Rich., JBlem., ed. 4, ii. 324. — Peeeira, Elem. 



DC, loc. cit., n. 2; — Rheed., Hort. Malab.,iv. Mat. Med., ed. 5, ii. p. ii., 315. — Lindl., Fl. 



t, 31) has similar properties. Med., 264. — Rosenth., Syn. Plant. Diapltor., 



4 This is the opinion maintained by Wei- 1035 (Lignum nephriticum Heen.) (see p. 78, 

 WITSCH in his Obs. on the Orig. and the Geogr. figs. 49-51). 



