168 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



most remarkable are : in Africa, EuphorUa piscatoria ; * in India, 

 Securinega Leucopyrus ; ^ in Guiana, Shyllanthus hrasiliensis ; * in 

 Brazil, Euphorbia cotinifolia^^ and Johannesia princeps. A very large 

 number of these plants with acrid and venomous latex are employed 

 in medicine in warm countries, as sudorific, depuratory, auti-syphi- 

 litie, and for gout ; in the first place may be mentioned certain 

 species of Exccecaria, as E. Agallocha^ and E. spinosa ; ® nume- 

 rous species of Euphorlia, principally among the cactiform species,'' 

 Pedilanthus^ certain American species of Croton, and especially in 

 Brazil C. antisyphiliticum? Many species of Phyllanthus are also 

 depuratory, and some are, in tropical Asia, sought as powerful 

 diuretics ; the most celebrated of these are Phyllanthus Niruri ^^ 

 (fig, 251) and urinaria^^ equally used as antisyphilitic. As 

 the acrid latex is usually rich in caoutchouc, many of 



'Ait. Sort. Kew. ed. l,u. 137. — jAca. Sort. 

 schanbr. iv. t. 485. — Kosenth. op. eit. 814. 

 [Figuera de inferno from Madeira). 



2 It has also been called Phyllanthus virosua 

 (W. Spec. iii. 678) and Flueggea virosa (see p. 

 164, note 6). 



3 Pom. Diet. V. 296, n. 2.— P. Conmni Sw. 

 Frodr. 28.— H. Bn. in Adansonia, v. 356.— P. 

 fruticosis L. C. Rich, in Act. Soo. Milt, Nat, 

 Par. 113. — P. piscatorum H. B. 'K.Nov. Gen. et 

 Spec. ii. 113. — Conami brasiliensis AuBt. Guian. 

 ii. 927, t. 354. {Conami, Bois d enivrer.) 



* L. Amcen. iii. 112. — AUetoroctomim cotini- 

 folium El. et Geoke, Trie. iO. — A. Wildenowii 

 Ki. et G-BCKB {Euphorhe fttstet). These are 

 also mentioned as used to intoxicate fishes E. 

 hyberniea, employed in England (Hook. Brit. 

 Fl. ed. 4, 326), VS, punicea le Croton Tiglium, 

 VHxeeeearia indica, VE. Agalloeha, etc. Fish 

 and crabs who eat the fruit of the Mauohiueel 

 are said to be poisonous. 



° See p. 167, note 2. 



8 With B. hyberniea and syhatica it is often 

 administered in venereal affections before 

 mercury is used. 



' Especially in India E. pilulifera and parvi- 

 flora (LiNDL. Veg, Kingd. 277). It is said that 

 Spanish peasants use for the same purpose Eu- 

 phorbia canescens L. 



8 Particularly P. padifolius PoiT. in the An- 

 tilles and also P. tithymaloides and angusti- 

 folius PoiT. (in Ann. Mus. xix. 390, t. 19). 



9 Mart, in Isis (1824), 686 ; in Linncsa (1830), 

 Litt. 37.— M. Aro. Prodr, 593, n. 208.— Ro- 

 SENTH. op, eit. 834. — C perdicipes A. S. H. PI. 

 Us. Bras, t. 69. — ^H. Bn. in Adansonia, iv. 336. — 

 Oealia grandifoUa Ki. in Erichs. Arch. (1841), 

 196. — 0. cordifolia Kl. — 0. echiifoUa Ki. — 0. 

 SelUnniana Bi. [Pi de perdii, Erva mular.) 



There are employed, in America for the same 

 purpose C. UrucuranaH. Bn. Draco Schlchtl, 

 draconoides M. Aug. salutaris Casar. whose 

 juice is reddish, depuratory, and sudorific ; from 

 whence their common name of Sangae de Drago, 

 Dragon's blood. C. campestre A. S. H. {PI. Us. 

 Bras.t. 60; — H. BN.mAdansonia,iv. 316 ; — M. 

 Ako. Prodr. 632, n. 300) has analogous proper- 

 ties (vulg. Velame do eampo.) C. origanifolius 

 Lamk. {Diet. ii. 205), a species from the Antilles, 

 has, it is said, the same virtues as Copaiba. In 

 North America they consider as a powerful 

 anti-syphilitic and depuratory VExecccaria syha- 

 tica {Stillingia sylvatica) Garden, in L. Mantiss. 

 126.— MiCHx. Fl. Bor.-Amer. ii. 213.— A. Gray, 

 Man. 391. — Sapium linearifoUum Tore.), under 

 the name of Taw-root. In India they prescribe 

 for syphilis E. Chamtslea H. Bn. (in Adansonia 

 vi. 324 J — Tragia Chamtska L. Spec. 1391; — 

 Cnemidostachys Chameelea Spreno. ; — Rosenth. 

 op. eit. 822 ; — Microstachys Chameelea A. Juss. ; 

 — Flachoeroton asperoeocem F. Mttell. ; — Sehas- 

 tiania Chameelea M. Aro. Prodr. 1176, n. 9) and 

 Tragia irmohicrata L. ; in Brazil Jatropha offiei- 

 nalis PoHL {PI. Bras, i. 13 ; H. Bn. in Adan- 

 sonia, iv. 266 ; — Adenoropiwm elliptieum Pohl), 

 used also as ^a purgative in Sertao of Minas- 

 Geraes. {Jiaiz de Tiuh, £. de Zagarto.) 



i» L. Spec. 1392.— M. Aro. Prodr. 406, n. 

 358.— Rosenth. op. eit. 839.— P. earoliniama 

 Blanco. — Nymphanthus Niruri Lour. Fl. Co- 

 ehineh. 546 {fferbe au chagrin, Erva Pombinha). 

 Used in Brazil for diabetes, and in India as 

 stomachic, anti-dysenteric, tonic, diuretic, etc. 



11 Ii. Spec. 1323.— M. Aro. Prodr. 364.— P. 

 cantoniensis Hornbm.— P. alatus Bl.— P. lepro- 

 earpus Wight.- P. echinatmWA-hL.—P. lepido- 

 carpus SiEB. et Zccc— P. polyphgllus Wall. 

 {Unnaire du Malabar.) 



