CLASSIFICATION OF ANGIOSPERMS. 337 



Edible fruits are yielded by the following plants : Mango 

 FRUIT from Garcinia Mangostana and other species of Garcinia; 

 Mammei apple or Apricot of St. Domingo from Mammea amer- 

 icana of tropical America, the latter being used in the prepara- 

 tion of Mammey wine or " Toddy " and a liquor known as " Eau 

 de Creole." The seeds of Platonid insignis are used like almonds 

 in Brazil and Paraguay ; the fruit of the latter plant is quite acid 

 and is eaten with sugar. 



e. HYPERICACE^ OR ST. JOHN'S- WORT FAMILY.— 

 The plants are herbs or shrubs of the temperate regions, and are 

 represented in the United States by the Hypericums, which are 

 quite common. The flowers are characterized by the numerous 

 stamens which are united into distinct groups or clusters. The 

 flowers of Hypericum perforatum or Common St. John's-wort 

 contain yellow and red coloring principles. Yellow coloring prin- 

 ciples have also been isolated from Hypericum laricifolium of 

 Ecuador and H. elodes of Northern Europe. The entire plant of 

 H. perforatum is used in medicine and contains considerable resin, 

 and a small amount of volatile oil. 



f. FAMILY DIPTEROCARPACE^.— The plants of this 

 family are principally trees and indigenous to tropical Asia. The 

 family derives its name from the winged fruits of the principal 

 genus Dipterocarpus. A number of economic products are fur- 

 nished by this group of plants. Borneo camphor is obtained 

 from Dryobalanops aromatica. The camphor separates in canals 

 in the older parts of the wood and between the wood and bark, 

 and is obtained by felling the trees, splitting the wood, and then 

 removing the camphor by hand. Owing to the fact that some of 

 the trees do not contain camphor, it is sometimes necessary to fell 

 a hundred trees in order to obtain 6 or 8 K. of the product. The 

 young twigs of this plant as well as the older wood yield a volatile 

 oil known as Oil of Borneo camphor. 



GuRjUN BALSAM or Wood oil is obtained from a number of 

 species of Dipterocarpus growing in the East Indies by incising 

 the stems as in the collection of turpentine. The balsam is used 

 as a substitute for copaiba and contains an ethereal oil which 

 consists chiefly of a sesquiterpene, an indifferent resin, and gur- 

 junic acid. Sindor balsam is obtained from Dipterocarpus mar- 



