NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



most remarkable are : in Africa, Euphorbia piscatoria ; i in India, 

 Seciirinega Leucopyrus ; ^ in Guiana, Fhijlhmthus brasiiiensis ; ^ in 

 Brazil, Euphorbia coHnifolia^^ and Johanncsia princeps. A very large 

 number of these plants with acrid and venomou.s latex are employed 

 in medicine in warm countries, as sudorific, depuratory, anti-syphi- 

 litic, and for gout ; in the first place may be mentioned certain 

 species of Excœcariu, as E. Agallocha," and E. spinosa\^ nume- 

 rous species of Euphorbia, principally among the cactiform species,''' 

 Fedilantlms^ certain American species of Croton, and especially in 

 Brazil C. antisijphiliticum? Many species of Phijlhmthm are also 

 depuratory, and some are, in tropical Asia, sought as powerful 

 diuretics ; the most celebrated of these are Phjllanthus Niruri ^^ 

 (fig, 251) and urinaria,'''^ equally used as antisyphilitic. As 

 the acrid latex is usually rich in caoutchouc, many of 



> Ait. Soil. Eew. ed. 1, ii. 137. — JAca. Sort, 

 scliaiibr. iv. t. 485. — Rosenth. op. cit. 814. 

 (Figuera de inferno from Madeira). 



• It has also been called Phyllanthus virosiis 

 (W. Spec. iii. 678) and Fluei/r/ea rirosa (see p. 

 164, note .5). 



3 PoiE. Diet. V. 296, n. 2.— P. Coiiami Sw. 

 Frodi: 28.— H. Bn. in Adansuma, v. 356.— P. 

 fruticmis L. C. Rich, in Act. Soc. Hist. Nat. 

 Par. 113. — P. piscatormn H. B. K. Nov. Qcit. et 

 Spec. ii. 113. — Conami brasiiiensis Aubl. Oiiian. 

 ii. 927, t. 354. (Conami, Bois d enivrer.) 



■* L. Âmœii. iii. 112. — AlectoroctonuM cotiui- 

 foliiim Kl. et Grcke, Trie. 40. — A. IVildenouii 

 Kl. et Gecke (Euphorie fustet). These are 

 also mentioned as used to intoxicate fishes E. 

 hijbernica, emploj-ed in England (Hook. Brit. 

 Fl. ed. 4, 326), VE. punicea le Croton Tiglimn, 

 VFrccccaria iiidica, VE. AgaUocha, etc. Fish 

 and crabs who eat the fruit of the ISIanchineel 

 are said to be poisonous. 



» See p. 167, note 2. 



^ With E. Injbernica and stjlratica it is often 

 administered in venereal aiïections before 

 mercurj' is used. 



<■ Especially in India E. piliilifcra and parvi- 

 fiora (LiNDL. Veg. Kingd. 277). It is said that 

 Spanish peasants use for the same purpose Eu- 

 phorbia canescens L. 



8 Particularly P. padifolius PoiT. in the An- 

 tilles and also P. titliymaloides and angnsti- 

 folius PoiT. (in Ami. Mus. xix. 390, t. 19). 



9 Mart, in/sjs (1824), 586 ; iaLimiaa (1830), 

 Litt. 37.-^1. Arc. Prodr. 593, n. 208.— Ro- 

 senth. op. cit. 834. — 0. perdicipes A. S. II. PI. 

 Us. Bras. t. 69. — H. Bn. in Adansonia, iv. 336. — 

 Ocalia grandifolia Ki,. in Eriehs, Arch. (1841), 

 195. — 0. cordifoUa Kl. — 0. cchiifoUa Kl. — 0. 

 Sellowiaiia Kx. (Pe de perdis, Erva miliar.) 



There are employed, in America for the same 

 purpose C. Urucurana H. Bn. Draco S chlchtl, 

 draconoidcs M. Arc. saliitaris Casar. whose 

 juice is reddish, depuratory, and sudorific ; from 

 ■whence their common name of Saiiguc de Drago, 

 Dragon's blood. C. campestre A. S. H. (PL Us. 

 Bras. t. 60 ; — H. Bn. in Adansonia, iv. 316 ; — ^M. 

 Arg. Prodr. 632, n. 300) has analogous proper- 

 ties (vulg. Vtlame do eanipo.) C. orignitifolius 

 Lamk. (Diet. ii. 205), a species from the Antilles, 

 has, it is said, the same virtues as Copaiba. In 

 North America they consider as a powerful 

 anti-syphiHtic and depuratory V E.rciecaria sylva- 

 tica (Stiltingia sglraticu) Gaeuen, in L. Mantiss. 

 126.— MiCHx. Fl. Bor.-Amer.ii. 213.— A. Gray, 

 Man. 391. — Sapimn linearifolium ToRR.), under 

 the name of Yaw-root. In India they prescribe 

 for syphilis E. Chiimcdea H. Bn. (in Adansonia 

 vi. 324 -—Tragia Chamœlea L. Spec. 1391 ; — 

 Cnemidostachys Chamœlea Speeng. ; — Rosenth. 

 op. cit. 822 ; — Microstachys Chamœlea A. Juss. ; 

 — Elachocroton asperococeus F. Muell. ; — Sebas- 

 tiania Chamœlea M. Aeq. Prodr. 1175, n. 9) and 

 Trugia involucrata L. ; in Brazil Jatropha offici- 

 nalis PoHL (PI. Bras. i. 13; H. Bn. in Adan- 

 sonia, iv. 266 ; — Adenoropium elliptieum Pohl), 

 used also as [a purgative in Sertao of Blinas- 

 Geraës. (Mais de Tiuh, B. de Lagarto.) 



i« L. Spec. 1392.— M. Aro. Prodr. 406, n. 

 358. — Rosenth. op. cit. 839. — P. earolinianus 

 Blanco. — Nymphanthus Niruri Lour. Fl. Co- 

 chinch. 545 [lierbe ait chagrin, Erva Poinbinha). 

 Used in Brazil for diabetes, and in India aa 

 stomachic, anti-dysenteric, tonic, diuretic, etc. 



11 L. Spec. 1323.— M. Aro. Prodr. 364.— P. 

 cantoniensis HoENEM. — P. alatiis Bl. — P. lepro- 

 carpiis Wight. — P. echinatus'Vf all. — P. lepido- 

 carpus SiEU. et Zucc. — P. polyphylliis Wall. 

 ( Urinaire da Malabar.) 



