268 ECONOMIC BOTANY. 



auy odor; the taste is at first astringent, then sweetish. 

 It is soluble in hot water. Its important constituent is 

 Catechin. Gambier is used, like Catechu, in dyeing and 

 tanning. 



238. Another substance similar in properties and uses 

 to Catechu aud Gambier is Gum- Kino, which is yielded 

 by several species of plants. That called Malabar, or 

 Amboyna Kino, is from a leguminous tree, Pteroearpm 

 marsupium. It is said to flow from incisions, and resem- 

 bles red currant jelly. This is evaporated, dried in the 

 sun a few hours, and then exported. It is lustrous, and 

 has a blackish or reddish color. Under the microscope it 

 is amorphous and full of clefts. It is soluble in hot water, 

 alcohol, and caustic alkalies. The solution is, ruby-red, 

 and has an acid reaction. The Botany Bay Kino is from 

 several Australian species of Eucalyptiis (family MyrtaoecR). 

 It is called also Blood-wood Gum, Spotted Gum, and Bl^ck- 

 beetle Gum. It is said to occupy cavities in the trunks of 

 the trees, and is collected by wood-splitters and sawyers. It 

 varies in color from red to yellowish. It is odorless, has 

 an astringent taste^ and is soluble in hot water and alcohol. 

 Bengal Bay Kino, or Ked Gum, is yielded by a legumi- 

 nous plant, Butea frondosa. It is slightly lustrous, and 

 swells in water. In medicine it is chiefly used in the form 

 of tinctures. 



VEGETABLE FATS AND WAX. 



239. From the fruits of the Palm, Elceis guineensis 

 (family Pahnaceos), is expressed the Palm-oil of com- 

 merce. The plant is found in Africa, the West Indies, 

 and Brazil. It is generally less than twenty feet high, 

 and crowned with pinnate leaves. It lives many years, 



