THYMEL^ACEZE^ 121 



is similar, though generally less marked. The pericarp of Bois- 

 gentil is said to be poisonous for all animals except birds, which 

 among us feed upon it. The seeds of Garou were formerly used in 

 the South as a purgative, under the name of Grana gnidia or Coeca 

 gnida^ whence is supposed to be derived the vulgar name Coquenau- 

 dier. Its leaves, as also those of Laureola and Mezereum^ are also 

 employed in decoction and in powder in rural districts ; they purge 

 in a less violent manner. Daphne contains likewise a colouring 

 matter. Garou is used in the south to dye wool yellow. A beau- 

 tiful yellow lac is also extracted from D. alpina and Laureola, 

 Passerina tinctoria also furnishes a dye of the same colour. ^ As 

 plants with a textile liber, the Thymelece still play a certain part in 

 practice. In Madagascar, cord and paper are made from the bark 

 of Gnidia dajphnoefolia^ and paper from that of G, madagascariemis? 

 Daphne Bholua and papyracea^ in India, and D, cannahina and 

 chrysantha^ in China and Japan serve the same purpose. Ear- 

 gasseria Lagetta^ and Lagetta calenzuana"^ in Cuba have a reticu- 

 lated tenaceous whitish liber resembling certain loose tissues; but 

 the most beautiful and best known of these lace-woods is the liber of 

 Lagetta lintearia^ which, prepared by maceration and compression, 

 imitates net somewhat irregularly. Of it are made cuffs, collars 

 and cockades resembling lace, fine mats, and whips used to 

 chastise the negro slaves. In many of the Polynesian Isles, notably 

 in the Sandwich, the clothes of the natives have for a long time 

 consisted of the liber of Thymelece^ chiefly of WiJcstroemia indica^ 

 separated into leaves beaten and compressed with special imple- 

 ments, then smoothed and painted, fairly imitating coarse lace. In 

 Brazil Funifera utilis ^ is used to make mats and cordage. 



1 p. Filiformis L. hirsuta L. ciliata L. and ^ Lamk. Diet. iii. 376, 440 ; Suppl. iii. 236 j 



villosa L. are cited as evacuanis, as also Stelkra III. t. 289. — Mer. et Del. Diet. Mat. Med. iv. 



Chamcsjasme L. 19. — Lindl. Fl. Med. 325.— Hook. Xew Gard. 



^ L. ,F. Suppl. 225. — Lasiosiphon pubescens Misc. ii. t. 4 ; Bot. Mag. t. 4502. — Lindl. Faxt. 



DcNE. — Meissn. Frodr. 597, n. 16. Fl. Gard. i. n. 60, c. ic. — Lem. Jard. Fleur. t. 



^ Dais Madagascariensis Lamk. Diet. ii. 254, 19. — Meissn. Prodr. 526. — Endl. Fnchirid. 



III. t. 368, fig. 2. 209.— EoSENTH. op. cit. I^l.—Lagetto Lunan, 



'• Wall, ex Steud. iV^ommc?. 483. Jam. i. i7S.— Daphne Lagetto Sw. Frodr. 63; 



» D,Fapyrifera'^TE.^.Act.Bat.:s:\\. 24:.— Edge- Fl. Ind. Oec. i. 680 {Lace-bark, Qauze-tree). 



worthia Ohrysantha Lindl. Journ. Sort. Soc. i. ^ Leandro, MSS. C. A. Mey. Full. Acad. 



148; Bot. Reg. (1847), t. 48.—^. Fapyrifcra Fetersb. iv. n. 5.— Meissn. Mart. Fl. Bras. 



Zucc. in Abh. Baier. Akad. iv. 199 {Mitsmata Thymel. 67 ; Frodr. 625, n. 1. — Daphne Braai- 



of the Japanese). liensis Eaddi. — D. Thereminii JjUOTzk. — lagetta 



* Linodoidron Lagetta Griseb. funifera Mart, et Zrcc. Nov. Gen. et Spec. i. 66, 



7 A. Rich. Cub. xi. 193. t. 34 {Embira branca). 



