9 



■with wool, cotton, and silk; it is said to be very soft and to take dyes easily. 

 They have treatises and volumes on its culture, showing the best soil and the 

 seasons for planting and transplanting this useful production. 



58. Bauhinia vahlu. — The Maloo-climber of India, where the gigantic shrubby 



stems often attain a height of 300 feet, running over the tops of the tallest 

 trees, and twisting so tightly around their stems as to kill them. The exceed- 

 ingly tough fibrous bark of this plant is used in India for making ropes and 

 in the construction of suspension bridges. The seeds form an article of food; 

 they are eaten raw, and resemble cashew nuts in flavor. 



59. Beatjcarnea recurvtfolia. — This Mexican plant is remarkable for the large 



bulbiform swelling at the base of the stem. It is a plant of much elegance 

 and beauty, resembling a drooping fountain. 



60. Bergera konigi. — The curry-leaf tree of India. The fragrant, aromatic leaves 



are used to flavor curries. The leaves, root, and bark are used medicinally. 

 The wood is hard and durable, and from the seeds a clear, transparent oil, 

 called Simbolee oil, is extracted. 



61. Berrya ammonilla. — This furnishes the Trincomalee wood of the Philippine 



Islands and Ceylon, and is largely used for making oil casks and for bunding 

 boats, for which it is well adapted, being light and strong. 



62. Bertholletia excelsa. — This furnishes the well known Brazil nuts, or cream 



nuts of commerce. The tree is a native of South A merica and attains a 

 height of 100 to 150 feet. The fruit is nearly round and contains from eight- 

 een to twenty-four seeds, which are so beautifully packed in the shell that 

 when once removed it is found impossible to replace them. A bland oil is 

 pressed from the seeds, which is used by artists, and at Para the fibrous bark 

 of the tree is used for calking ships, as a substitute for oakum. 



63. Bignonia echinata. — A native of Mexico, where it is sometimes called Mari- 



posa butterfly. The branches are said to be used in the adulteration of sarsa- 

 parilla. B. chica, a native of Venezuela, furnishes a red pigment, obtained 

 by macerating the leaves in water, which is used by the natives for painting 

 their bodies. The long flexible stems of B, Jcerere furnish the natives of French 

 Guiana with a substitute for ropes. B. alliaeea is termed the Garlic shrub, 

 because of the powerful odor of garlic emitted from its leaves and branches 

 when bruised. These plants all have showy flowers, and the genus is repre- 

 sented with us by such beautiful flowers as are produced by B. radicans and 

 B. capreolata. 



64. Bixa orellana. — Arnotta plant. This plant is a native of South America, but 



has been introduced and cultivated both in the West and East Indies. It 

 bears bunches of pink-colored flowers, which are followed by oblong bristled 

 pods. The seeds are thinly coated with red, waxy pulp, which is separated 

 by stirring them in water until it is detached, when it is strained off and evapo- 

 rated to the consistence of putty, when it is made up into rolls ; in this con- 

 dition it is known as flag or roll arnotta, but when thoroughly dried it is 

 made into cakes and sold as cake arnotta. It is much used by the South 

 American Caribs and other tribes of Indians for painting their bodies, paint 

 being almost their only article of clothing. As a commercial article it is 

 mainly used as a coloring for cheese, butter, and inferior chocolates, to all of 

 which it gives the required tinge without imparting any unpleasant flavor 

 or unwholesome quality. It is also used in imparting rich orange and gold- 

 colored tints to various kinds of varnishes. 



65. Blighia sapida. — The akee fruit of Guinea. The fruit is about 3 inches long 



by 2 inches wide; the seeds are surrounded by a spongy substance, which is 

 eaten. It has a subacid, agreeable taste. A small quantity of semisolid 

 fatty oil is obtained from the seeds by pressure. 



66. Boehmeria NIVEA. — A plant of the nettle family, which yields the fiber known 



as Chinese grass. The beautiful fabric called grasscloth, which rivals the best 

 French cambric in softness and fineness of texture, is manufactured from 

 the fiber of this plant. The fiber is also variously known in commerce as 

 rheea, ramie, and in China as Tchow-ma. It is a plant of the easiest cul- 

 ture, and has been introduced into the Southern States, where it grows 

 freely. When once machinery is perfected so as to enable its being cheaply 

 prepared fer the manufacturer, a great demand will arise for this fiber. 



67. Boldoa fragrans. — A Chilian plant which yields small edible fruits; these, as 



well as all parts of the plant, are very aromatic. The bark is used for tan- 

 ning, andj the wcod is highly esteemed for making charcoal. An alkaloid 



