182 
The Natural Hiftory of the Book Vir 
ripe Fruit, when unpeeled, is boiled with the tougheft old fat Meat, i¢ 
will foon make it foft and tender; and if Hogs are for any confiderable 
Time fed with it, efpecially raw, it is faid that it will wear of al] the my- 
cous flimy Matter, which covers the Infide of the Guts, and would in 
time, if not prevented by a Change of Food, intirely lacerate them, 
I know of no phyfical Virtue in any Part of this Tree, unlef§ tha the 
milky Juice of the Popo is fometimes made ufe of to cure Ring-worms, and 
fuch cutaneous Eruptions. 
It grows beft in fhady Places. 
This Tree is delineated in Plate XV. 
The PLANTAIN-T REE. 
“¥ T is the Opinion of many Writers, that this Tree was formerly pe- 
culiar to Ezhiopia only, though now very common in all the hot Parts 
-of Afia, Africa, and America; efpecially in Guiney, and the Wof Indies, 
Its Height, great Bulk, and large Leaves, claim a Place among Trees ; 
but its foft bulbous Roots, the pulpy Texture of the Trunk, which is © 
herbaceous, that it is often fliced and given by way of Fodder to Cattle, 
feem to partake of a liliaceous Plant, more thana Tree: but as it hath 
generally been claffed among the latter, I fhall treat of it in the fame Light, 
Its Roots are numerous, white, and fpongy; the Trunk near the Earth is 
about thirty Inches in Circumference, round, tapering, and undivided, 
till about nine or ten Feet high, at which Height it puts forth feveral large 
green Leaves in an alternate Order: Thefe are often five Feet in Length, 
and near two and an half in Breadth, of a delightful fhining Sea-green Co- 
lour, and of a long oval Shape; thefe ftand upon long tapering Footftalks, 
the middle Rib in each Leaf is very prominent, and deeply chanelled on 
the upper Side. . This ferves as a Gutter to convey the Water that falls up- 
on the Leaf, to the main Trunk, where it is foon abforbed by fo foft 
and porous a Body; for the Trunk of the Tree is compofed of feveral 
Lamine upon Lamine of large longitudinal Veins, or Veflels horizontally 
croffed at about one tenth of an Inch Diftance, with very thin membranace- 
ous Filaments. Thefe laft prevent both the copious Juices from the Roots, 
or the Dew and Rain defcending from the Leaves, to penetrate through 
the other perpendicular Veffels, till each Part is faturated with its proper 
nutricious Juice. From the quick Growth, and great Bulk, of fuch fuccu- 
lent Plants, fpongy Shrubs, and Trees which have their Veflels fo much 
diftended, we may perhaps account for the far flower Growth of more du- 
rable Timber, both here and elfewhere: For the Clofenefs of the Grain of the 
latter having their Veffels very fine in clofe Contaé@t, the annual Lamne 
-of thefe, when fucceeded by exterior new ones, clofe and confolidate to- 
-gether, and fo add to the Bulk of the Tree: Yet fach an Addition will be 
no more, when compared in Quantity to the grofs Lamine of fucculent 
Plants, fpongy Shrubs or Trees, than fo many Layers of Muflin compart 
i 
