156 ANACARDIACEiE. 



ate regions. It is the only genus in the United States ; but two allied genera 

 occur in California. In the Old World, Pistacia and two species of Rhus are 

 natives of the Mediterranean region. 



The resinous juice is the most characteristic product of this family. That 

 of Pistacia Lentiscus and P. Atlantica hardens into the well-known resin 

 called INlastich ; while the fragrant and balsamic Scio turpentine is yielded 

 by P. Terebinthus. In most cases the resinous juice is caustic or highly 

 poisonous, as in our two venomous species of Rhus, and in allied Japanese 

 species, as well as in many tropical trees of the order. This juice, turning 

 dark-colored on exposure to the light and air, forms a natural black varnish, 

 which is sometimes also used to lacquer various kinds of ware. The black 

 varnish called Japan Lacquer, is obtained from Stagmaria verniciflua in the 

 Indian archipelago ; a tree which the inhabitants of Sumatra consider it 

 dangerous to sit or sleep beneath the shade of. Species of Semecarpus, 

 Melanorrhcea, &c., yield similar, more or less poisonous varnishes in various 

 parts of India. The fleshy receptacle of Anacardium occidentale and the 

 kernel of the seed (the Cashew-nut) are edible, the latter being a substitute 

 for almonds, yet its shell or rind, which has to be carefully separated or de- 

 stroyed by roasting, like the juice of the bark, is so acrid that it blisters the 

 skin. Of more importance as articles of food are pistachio-nuts, of the 

 Levant and Northern Africa, the seeds of Pistacia vera and P. Atlantica, 

 which are free from noxious qualities, and from which a bland oil also is 

 expressed. Another tree of this family, the Mangifera Indica, notwithstand- 

 ing the active properties of its juices, yields one of the most famous and 

 luscious fruits of the tropics, namely, the mango, a stone-fruit which is as 

 highly prized in tropical as the peach is in temperate countries. 



Tlie properties of the genus Rhus are more particularly mentioned under 

 that genus. 



