20 



feet and bears dense heads of fruit. The oil is obtained by boiling the fruits 

 in water and skimming off the oil as it rises to the surface. It is used in the 

 manufacture of candles. In Africa it is eaten as butter by the natives. 



180. ELjEis mblanooooca.— A palm from tropical America which produces large 



quantities of oil. 



181. El^ooarpus hinau.— A New Zealand tree, of the linden family. The bark 



affords an excellent permanent dye, varying from light brown to deep black. 

 The fruits are surrounded by an edible pulp, and they are frequently pickled 

 like olives. 



182. Elbttaria cardamomum. — This plant furnishes the fruits known as the Small 



or Malabar cardamoms of commerce. The seeds are used medicinally for 

 their cordial aromatic properties, which depend upon the presence of a vola- 

 tile oil. In India the fruits are chewed by the natives with their betel. 



183. Emblica officinalis.— A plant belonging to Euphorbiacece, a native of India. 



In Borneo the bark and young shoots are used to dye cotton black, for 

 which purpose they are boiled in alum. The fruits are made into sweet- 

 meats, with sugar, or eaten raw, but they are exceedingly acid; when ripe 

 and dry, they are used in medicine, under the name of Myrobalani emblici. 

 The natives of Travancore have a notion that the plant imparts a pleasant 

 flavor to water, and therefore place branches of the tree in then- weils, 

 especially when the water is charged with an accumulation of impure 

 vegetable matter. 



184. Enckea unguiculata. — A plant of the family Piperacece, having an aromatic 



fruit like a berry, with a thick rind. The roots are used medicinally in 

 Brazil. 



185. Entada scandens. — This leguminous plant has remarkable pods, which often 



measure 6 or 8 feet in length. The seeds are about 2 inches across, and 

 half an inch thick, and have a hard, woody, and beautifully polished shell, 

 of a dark-brown or purplish color. These seeds are frequently converted 

 into snuff-boxes and other articles, and in the Indian bazars they are used 

 as weights. 



186. Eriodendron anfractuosum. — The silk-cotton, or God tree of the "West 



Indies. The fruit is a capsule, filled with a beautiful silky fiber, which is 

 very elastic, but can not be woven, and is only used for stuffing cushions. 



187. Erythrina caffra. — The Kaffir tree of South Africa. The wood is soft and 



so light as to be used for floating fishing nets. The scarlet seeds are employed 

 for making necklaces. The Erythrinas, of which there are many species, 

 are mostly remarkable for the brilliant scarlet of their flowers, and are 

 known as Coral trees. 



188. Erythrina umbrosa. — This is a favorite tree for growing in masses, for the 



purpose of sheltering cocoanut plantations, and inducing a proper degree 

 of moisture in their neighborhood. 



189. Erythroxylon coca. — The leaves of this plant, under the name of coca, are 



much used by the inhabitants of South America as a masticatory. It forms 

 an article of commerce among the Indians, who carefully dry the leaves and 

 use them daily. Their use, in moderation, acts as a stimulant to the nervous 

 system and enables those who chew them to perform long journeys without 

 any other food. The use of coca in Peru is a very ancient custom, said to 

 have originated with the Incas. It is common throughout the greater part 

 of Peru, Quito, New Granada ; and on the banks of the Eio Negro it is known 

 as Spadic. A principle, called cocaine, has been extracted from the leaves, 

 which is used in medicine. 



190. Eucalyptus amygdalina.— The peppermint tree, a native of Tasmania. It 



produces a thin, transparent oil possessed of a pungent odor resembling oil 

 of lemons, and tasting like camphor, which has great solvent properties. The 

 genus Eucalyptus is extensive and valuable. The greater number form 

 large trees, known in Australia as gum trees. 



191. Eucalyptus gigantea.— This stringy bark gum furnishes a strong, durable 



timber, used for shipbuilding and other purposes. E. robusta contains 

 large cavities in its stem, between the annual concentric circles of wood, 

 filled with a red gum. Many of the species yield gums and astringent 

 principles and also a species of manna. The timber of these trees has been 

 pronounced to be unsurpassed for strength and durability by any other 

 timber known. The leaves of these trees are placed vertically to the sun 

 a provision suited to a dry and'sultry climate. 



