75 



No. 212. Pods and seeds of Caesalpinia Bonducella, CASE 

 Flem., a common climbing shrub on tropical shores. 38. 

 Seeds are exhibited that have been washed up on the 

 shores of Kaffraria, Tristan d'Acunha, and St. Helena ; 

 they are also occasionally washed up on the Irish, Scotch, 

 and Norwegian coasts. 



The seeds, known as NiCKBR NUTS, are used in India 

 in medicine. Their principal use, however, is for making 

 into bracelets, necklaces, rosaries, &c. They are of a slate 

 colour. An allied species is C. Bonduc, Roxb., the seeds 

 of which are of a yellow colour, as may be seen from the 

 specimens. 



No. 213. Sappan Wood (Caesalpinia Sappan, L.). 

 A red dye-wood, furnished by an East Indian tree grow- 

 ing to a height of 30 or 40 feet. It is imported from 

 India, Siam, and Ceylon. 



No. 214. Logwood. The heart wood of Haemato- CASE 

 xijlon campechianum, L., a small spreading tree of 39. 

 Central America introduced into Jamaica in 1715, and 

 now naturalised. The wood is imported in logs, which 

 are cut up into chips and ground for the use of dyers and 

 printers. Esteemed as one of the best deep-red and 

 black dyes. Medicinally Logwood is a mild astringent. 



Note ' wood and pods of the Kentucky Coffee 

 Tree {Gymnocladus canadensis, Lam.). The wood is 

 occasionally used in America for cabinet-work, posts, 

 rails, &c., and the roasted seeds were formerly employed 

 as a substitute for coffee. The fresh leaves macerated 

 and sweetened are sometimes used as a poison for house 

 flies, its action is said to resemble that of the Calabar 

 Bean (see No. 196). 



Observe a mounted specimen with pod of Gymnocladiis 

 chinensis, Baill. From the pods a soapy substance is 

 obtained, used by the Chinese for washing purposes. 

 They are steeped for two days in water, and the liquid 

 resulting is used as soft soap, or it can be dried into hard 

 soap. Note also pods of Oleditschia sinensis, Lam. The 

 ashes of these are used by the Chinese to restore 

 animation in partially drowned persons, and the pods 

 themselves are used as soap. On the top of the case is a 

 section of the remarkable spiny stem of this species. 



