MALPIQHIAGEX. 



449 



in their wood of punctate tubes. Some also by ''the absence of 

 liber in all the layers, the first excepted, under which the fibres are 

 found disseminated." 



The uses ' of the MalfigMacece are not niimerous. In general, 

 they are plants with astringent wood and bark, rather rich in 

 tannin, sometimes also in red colouring matter. The Bi/rsonimas 

 are the best known, on this account, in tropical America. It was 

 formerly believed that Alcornoquo Bark, in repute for its astringent, 

 tonic, and febrifuge qualities, was partly fui-nished by B. coccolohw- 

 folia K. and laurifolia K. In Guiana, the bark of B. crassifolia" 

 has also been considered as a sort of Alcornoque. Under the name 

 of CJucharro and Chapara mantcca it is employed to treat the bite of 

 the rattlesnake and for intermittent fevers and various inflammatory 

 affections of the lungs and bronchia. B. verhascifolia,^ from the same 

 country, has a rod Avood, much used in dyeing, and its febrifugal 

 virtues are vaunted. B. spicata* is also rich in tannin, whence its 

 common name of Tan wood ; it is used in manufactux'es and medi- 

 cine, and in cases of dysentery its fruits, acidulate and astringent, 

 have been prescribed. In Mexico, the bark of B. cotinifolia^ 

 has been especially applied to the same uses. B. chrymplnjlla^ from 

 South America, and some species o^ Btmchosia from the same country, 

 have an astringent principle, a red tinctorial bark. The fruit of 

 B. tuherculata is used to prepare a carmine tincture. In the genus 

 MalpigJiia,^ the fruit is often edible, being sweetish, mucilaginous, 



at least that have been studied), the hark, pene- 

 trating into the deep grooves separating from 

 one another the projections of the stem, doubles 

 itself, so to speak, without its two surfaces ad- 

 hering externally. In others [Baiiis/crin, Stiif- 

 maphylhou)^ there is only a single cortical pro- 

 cess in each groove ; so that the stem does not 

 appear outwardly divided into lobes and its 

 woody projections are only seen in a transverse 

 section. 



' Endl. Enc/iirid. 567. — Lindl. Vcg. Kingd. 

 390.— RosENTH. Sij)i. PI. Diaplwr. 11% 11.52.— 

 Mart. Fl. Ilrcis. Malpigh. 121. 



- H. B. K. Nov. Gen. et Spec. v. 149.— 

 RosENTH. op. oil. IIS. — S. rkopalafulia K. — 

 11. moiitana K. — li.feirugiiiea K. — B. Cumin- 

 ffiaiia A. Ji'ss. — S. A'arwiiiskiaiia A. Juss. — 

 Malplijliia Moureila AviiL.— M. CrassifvUa AviiL. 

 VOL. V. 



( Ykco, Nunci, Cliaparro of the Columbians, 

 Quinquina des Savanes). 



^ Rich, ex A. Jus.s. Malpigh. 26. — Malpii/liia 

 verhafinfoiia L. 



■■ r>C. Prodi: i. 580 {Bois Dijseuterique, Men- 

 sicr Dura), 



■' II. B. K. Nov. Om. et S,<cc. v. 1.52, t. 

 147. 



« H. B. KA"<-y. Qcn. et Spec. \. XZ.—'inl- 

 phimia chrysophijlla SpUENG. 



-■ DC. Prodi: i. o81, n. 7. — Malpighia tuher- 

 culata jAca. Uort. Schaiih: i. .54, t. 104. 



^ The coinmon name of Monreiller is said to 

 come, perhaps, from the Galibic Moiirei or the 

 Indian Murcci/, Murici, words -which, it is sup- 

 posed, indicate that the nourishment drriviid 

 from it is insufllcient. (Maht.) 



3 M 



