MALPIQHIACEM. 



in their wood of pimctate tubes. Some also by " tlie absence of 

 liber in all the layers, the fii'st excepted, under which the fibres are 

 found disseminated." 



The uses ^ of the Malpigliiaceœ are not numerous. In general, 

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

 tannin, sometimes also in red colouring matter. The Byrsonimas 

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

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

 tonic, and febrifuge qualities, was partly furnished by B. coccolohœ- 

 foliu K. and laurifolla K. In Guiana, the bark of B. crassifolia" 

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

 of Chuhari'o and CJiapara manteca it is employed to treat the bite of 

 the rattlesnake and for intermittent fevers and various inflammatory 

 affections of the lungs and bronchia. B. verlascifolia^ frorn the same 

 country, has a red wood, 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 manufactures 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. chrysophylla, from 

 South America, and some species of Bunclwsia fi"om the same country, 

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

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

 Malpiyliia^ the fruit is often edible, being s'n eetish, mucilaginous, 



at least that have teen studied), tte bark, pene- {J[uco, Naiiei, Chaparro of the Columbians, 



trating into the deep grooves separating from Quinquina des Savanes). 



one another the projections of the stem, doubles ' Rich, ex A. Juss. Malpigh. 26. — Malj)ii/hia 



itself, 80 to speak, without its two surfaces ad- rerbascifoUa L. 



hering externally. In others (Banisteria, Stiff- * DC. P/odr. i, 580 {Bois Dysentérique, Mtri- 



maphtjltum), there is only a single cortical pro- sier Doré). 



cess in each groove : so that the stem does not ^ H. B. K. Nov. Oen. et Spec. v. 152, t. 



appear outwardly divided into lobes and its 447. 



woody projections are only seen in a transverse ^ H. B. KKov. Gen. et Spec. v. 15. — ^al- 



section, phimia chrijsophylla Spueng. 



' Endl. Enehirid. 557. — Linbl. Vcg. Kingd. ? DC. Frodr. i. 581, n. T.—Malpighia tuber- 



390.— EosENTH. Syn. PI. Diaphor. Til, 1152.— culata jAca. Hort. Sehœnbr. i. 54, t. 104. 



'M.à.m.Fl. Bras. Malpigh. m. » The common name of Jfoi^riVfcr is said to 



" H. B. K. Nov. Gen. et Spec. v. 149. — come, perhaps, from the Galibic Moiirei or the 



EosENTH. op. cit. 773. — B. rhopalcefolia K. — Indian Morecy, Murlci, words whicli, it is sup- 



B. montana K. — B. Jeiruginca K. — B. Cumin- posed, indicate that the nourishment derived 



giana A. Juss. — P. KarwinsJciana A. Juss. — from it is insufficient. (Makt.) 

 Malpighia Moureila AuuL.— M. CrassifoUa Aubl. 



VOL. V. 3 



