3IO BOTANY AND PHARMACOGNOSY. 



rachis and petiole are winged (Fig. 159) ; the flowers are her- 

 maphrodite, with 10 stamens, bright red corolla, and in terminal 

 racemes; the fruit is a S-valved indehiscent pod or nutlet. The 

 wood constitutes Surinam quassia (p. 544). 



A red coloring principle is found in Samadera indica of India, 

 Ceylon and Java. The alkaloid cedronin is found in the seeds of 

 Simaba Cedron of New Granada, the seeds being used as an anti- 

 dote for the bites of poisonous animals. A similar principle may 

 exist in the bark of Simaruba versicolor of Brazil, the plant being 

 used for a similar purpose. The alkaloid brucamarine is found 

 in the fruit of Brucea sumatrana. A tragacanth-like gum is ob- 

 tained from Ailanthus excelsa of India. Dika or Gabun Choc- 

 olate is obtained from the seeds of Irviiigia gabonensis of trop- 

 ical West Africa,^ Cay-Cay-Butter is obtained from the seeds of 

 Irvingia Oliveri and /. Malayana of Malacca and Cochin China. 



A gum resembling acacia is also obtained from the bark, peti- 

 oles and seeds of the species of Irvingia. 



i. BURSERACE^ OR MYRRH FAMILY.— The plants 

 are shrubs or trees, the latter being sometimes quite large, with 

 resin-canals in the bark, and alternate compound leaves ; the 

 flowers are small, occurring in racemes. The members of this 

 family are found in tropical countries. 



Commiphora abyssinica is a shrub 10 M. high, the branches 

 being modified to thorns ; the leaves are trifoliate, the leaflets being 

 oblong, dentate, sessile and the terminal one much larger than 

 the other two; the flowers are dioecious, and the fruit is a drupe 

 with fleshy, resinous sarcocarp (Fig. 160). The official Myrrh 

 is obtained from this plant (p. 673). 



A number of other resinous products are yielded by plants of 

 this family. West India Elemi resin or Elemi Occidental 

 (Anime) is obtained from the stems of Protium Icicariba of Brazil. 

 The resin is greenish-yellow, soft, with a bitter taste and dill-like 

 odor. Manila Elemi is a soft, granular, lemon-yellow or grayish- 

 white resin derived from Canariiim commune of the Philippine 

 Islands. Bengal Elemi is derived from Commiphora Agallocha 

 of the East Indies and Madagascar. The Tacamahac Resins 

 are balsamic resins, of which there are several commercial 

 varieties : Mauritius tacamahaca is obtained from Protium hepta- 



