388 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



a small scale the appearance of a seed of the horse-chestnut, and used 

 in Brazil to prepare the paste called Guarana} With the coarsely 

 pulverised seeds and water a paste is made, having the colour of 

 chocolate, and formed into cylindrical cakes. Travellers often carry 

 these cakes to dilute with water and make an antifebrile refreshing 

 di-ink, of a slightly astringent taste, and whose properties ax'e, it 

 appears, very nearly the same as those of coffee.^ The seed of 

 the horse-chestnut ^ (fig. 404-408) contains a very large fleshy 

 embryo, and it has been long regretted that the immense amount of its 

 fecula was not used as an aliment. Animals with some rare excep- 

 tions do not eat it easily. It is, however, easy to extract a pure fecula 

 from these seeds, by treating the embryo, reduced to a pulj), with 

 alcalinised or ordinary water, and it can also be transformed into 

 sugar, and then into alcohol. Besides these substances, the horse- 

 chestnut contains an oil extracted from it for medical purposes, 

 and recommended outwardly for rheumatic and gouty affections. It 

 has, like many other Sajnndaceœ^ the property of rendering water 

 frothy and soapy, conseqiient, it is said, on its containing saponine. 

 Esculine has also been extracted from it, to which febrifuge and anti- 

 periodic properties have been assigned, similar to those of Quin- 

 quina.'^ The fruit of ^sculus macrostachys ^ is eaten cooked in 

 Carolina, and the seed of several species of the section Pavia ^ has 

 properties analogous to those of JEsculus Hifiiocastanum. The seeds 

 of Staphylia trifoUata ^ contain a sweet oil ; they are sometimes eaten 

 like Pistachios. 



' GuiB. np. cit. iii. 592. — Fourn. Journ. febrifuge. It has been used for dressing ulcers 



Pliarin. el Vh'im. sc'r. 3, xxxix. 291. of bad appearance. The roots are considered 



- It is said that the Guarana contains to bo poisonous in America {Poison root.) 



cafeino. ' Michx, Fl. Bor.-Amcr. i. 220. — ^. parvi- 



' vEscutus Uippicaslaiiiim L. Spec. 488. — DC. Jlora Walt. Cnrol. 128. — Paria macrostachi/a 



Prodr. i. 597.— Gben. et Gonii. Fl. de Fr. i. DC. Prodr. i. 598, n. I.— P. edulia Poit. Arbr. 



324. — MÉR. et Del. Diet. Mat. MM. i. 87. — Frtiit.t.8^. — Macrotht/rsus discolor Sfacu, Ann. 



Nees, pi. Med. t. 375.— Lindl. J'Y. Med. 124 ; Sc. Nat. sér. 2, ii. 61. 



Veg. Kingd. 384. — Endl. Enehirid. 565. — Guib. 6 Especially the^. glabraW. discolor "Pvusa, 



op. cit. iii. 59S. — Rosenth. o/). cji. 783.— Rev. J'i. rubicniida Lone, californica 'Nvn. (Rosenth. 



Méd. du XIX' Slide ii. 296.^Hippocastaiium op. cit. 784.) 



fulgare T. Insi. 612, t. 382.— G^rtn. Frucf. ii. 7 L. Spec. 386.— Schm. Œstr. Bamn. ii. t. 81. 

 t. n\.—Castanea equinaDoji. Penipf. 814. This —DC. Prodr. ii. 2.— Endl. Fiw/ririd. 673. S. 

 plant was brought from Constantinople to pinnuta (fig. 335, 339-341) has the same pro- 

 Paris in 1615. perties (vulg. Nez coupé, Fatenâtier). Its root 

 '' The flower of ^lisculus has been employed yields a red dye. Triceros japoniea (p. 343, 

 as a cosmetic ; it has been introduced into note 1, fig. 336-338) has a bitter and astringent 

 stéarine candles. The bark of the tree, in baric, used in Japan for treating dysentery and 

 powder or in decoction, has been particularly re- chronic diarrhœa (Goiizoui of the Japanese), 

 commended as tonic, detersive, anti.septic, and 



