170 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



priueiples which make them tannic, tinctorial, tonic, and stomachic 

 plants, is another proof of the little uniformity of properties which 

 may be observed in a group otherwise perfectly natural. Species of 

 Ph//llmithus are very often tonic and astringent, for example, P. 

 sqnnmijhlius SpRENfi., rctnws Dennst, oilonr/ifolhift, Dexnst, 



Niniri 



Bischoffiajavanica ^ Bl., Myrabolanx rnihlics ; ~ many Indian Amanou of 

 the section 5r2rf<?//«,^ whose bark. rich in tannin, is employed; Securinega 

 Leucopyrus, Excoecaria guianensis* (tig. 207-209) of tropical America, 

 and especially an allied species E. llUarimm^ used for tanning skins ; 

 Alchonim IdfifoJia'' h-om the Antilles, employed in diseases of the diges- 

 tive organs and falsely considered to produce Alcornoque bark ; ' many 

 species of Mabea ^ from Brazil, having a bitter, astringent, febrifuge 

 bark; Trewia nudiflora,^ the bark of whose roots is prescribed in Mala- 

 bar for gout and rheumatic affections ; EchimiM f/nlipj)iiicnsis,^'^ whose 

 roots and fruit serve for the topical treatment of contusions, pains, 

 etc.; the Asiatic Macarangn^"^ of the section Mappa^ rich in tannin 

 and used for the preparation of leather; and finally Acahjpha hkpida, '" 

 whose flowers are considered in India as a specific for diarrhoea. 

 The bitterness and astringency are combined with a large proportion 

 of aromatic, stimulant, febrifuge principles in species of Cascarilla,^^ 

 whose botanical history has been so long covered with obscurity, all 

 the barks of American species of the genus Croton, species from the 



1 Bl. Uijilr. 11G8.— M. Akg. Prodr. 478.— 

 SttjMiscm trifnUaltis^ES-s. PI. Jar. Jim: 133, t. 

 2D. — Mk-roelus licepet'iftiius Wight. — Aud/nchne 

 tri/uUutfi RoxK. 



2 See p. 164, note 5. 



' Particularly B. spiiiosa W. and scaiidfii.^'W. 

 (KosE.NTH. op. cil. 838). A. cullina H. Bn. 

 {Enphorh. 582 ; — Cluijiia coUiniiHoy.'K. PL Coi-om. 

 ii. 37, t. 69; — Zibidieropsis orliicitlarii Jl. AitfJ. 

 Prodi: 509), has fruits whose pericarp is pre- 

 scribed for several affections of the digestive 

 organs ; more than a small dose is said to he 

 very poisonous. 



* Maprnunea gnianaisis Aubl. Guiriii. ii. 895, 

 t. 342. — JEgopricum bctiiliiiiim L. FiL. SiippL 

 413. — Stilli ia guianensis H. Bn. Eiipfiorb. 521 

 Mapronnier of Guiana). The root is used 

 for the treatment of diseases of the stomach. 

 The leave.s, tannic, dye black. 



' StiUiiigia Hilariana H. Bn. in Adaiisviiia,v. 

 332. — Maprounca brnsilieiisis A. S. H. PI. Us. 

 Bras. t. 65.— M. Ano. Prodr. 1191. 



« Sw. Prodr. 98,— IIeyn. ^»-s«. Qeu: 10, t. 42. 

 — M. Ano. Prodr. 908. 



' See Hist. Plants, ii. 379, note 7. 



^ Especially in Guiana, M. Piriri Auel. and 

 Toqnori AuHL. commonly called Pipe wood and 

 Calmut wood, because these plants (which j-ield 

 a little caoutchouc) have lioUow branches used 

 to make pipe stems ; and in Brazil, i[. f^tuli- 

 fira M.iET. Eeis. et in Limiaia (1830), 39. — M. 

 fcrrvgiiiu Benth. {Caimdo de Pitu), used for the 

 treatment of fevers and stomach complaints. 



' L. Spec. ed. 3, App. 1061.— M. Akg. Prodr. 

 953. — T. macrophylla Koth. — Tctragastris ossea 

 G-raiTN. Friict. ii. 130, t. \{>'d.—Rottlera Eirpe- 

 riaiia Bl. — Caiischi Eheed. Sort. Malab. i. 76, 

 t. 42. 



•" Sec p. 164, note 8. 



" Principally M. Taiiarius (M. Arg. Prodr. 

 997, n. 25 ; — Mappa taiiarius Bl. Bi/'dr. 624 ; 

 — M. tomeiitosa Bl. ; — M. moluccaiia Benth. ; — 

 M. glabra A. Juss, ; — liicimis Tciiaritis L. ; — 

 Croton lacciferus Blanco, nee L.). 



i» BuRM. Fl. Jnd. 303, t. 61, fig. 1 (nee W.). 

 — M. Arg. Prodr. 815, n. 38. — Caturus spici- 

 Jlorus EoxB. Fl. li.d. m. 760. 



" GtiiB. op. cit. ii. 361.— H. Bn. in Diet. 

 Eiictjcl. Sc. Med. xii. 756. 



