EVPHORBIACE^. 173 



such. Euphorhia hypericifolia'^ shares in Columbia the name of 

 Canchalagua with certain bitter and depurative Geniianacece, of 

 which it appears to possess the properties. In certain countries of 

 South America it is considered as slightly narcotic, elsewhere its juice 

 is employed to extract spots on the cornea. The juice of ^. Chamcesyce ^ 

 is used for itch and as a sudorific. In Brazil U. pilulifefa^ is 

 believed to be good for curiiig the bites of serpents ; the juice is used 

 for the treatment of aphtse. : E. officinarum^^ employed in Morocco for 

 tanning leather, is at the same time an insecticide and antirheumatic. 

 There have also been proposed as remedies for rabies E. pilosa ^ of 

 Eussia and Mercurialis tomentosa of the south of Europe.^' 



Very few of the Euphorhiaeem are edible, with the exception of 

 those whose fruits and seeds we have mentioned as being eaten. Still 

 the shoots of several species of Euphorbia^ as E. halsamifera of Africa, 

 are eaten when cooked. E. eduUs '' is especially mentioned, Lotjrbiro 

 has seen it eaten by the Cochin-chinese ; species of Mercurialis, 

 of which the peasants are said sometimes to eat the young leaves ; 

 species oi Plukenetia of India, particularly F. volubilis,^. from which 

 a delicate dish is , prepared by cooking them in the milk of the 

 cocoa-hut ; and finally Manihot, whose leaves, minced and cooked 

 in oil, are sometimes eaten by the South Americans. But the most 

 celebrated aliment of this family is the fecula extracted from the 

 roots of certain species of the latter genus, bearing the names of 

 Cassava, Moussache, Couaque, Tapioca and Manioc.^ It is furnished 

 principally. by M. amer (Ft.) or Manihot edulis of Plumier,!" culti- 

 vated in most tropical countries, and by M. doux (Fr.) or Camagnoc^^ 



1 L. Eort. Cliff. 198.— Hook. Exot. Fl. i. t. » L. Spec. 1192 (part.).— Lamk. III. t. 788.— 



36. — Boiss. Prodr. n, 61. . Plum. Nov. PL Amer. t. 13, fig. 2.— Rosenth. 



'2 li. Aman. iii.' 115.— Boiss. Prodr. n. 101. — op. cit. 822. In the Moluccas, P. corniculata Sm. 



3. massiliensis DC. PI. fr.yi 351. is cultivated as a potherb. It is employed 



,3 L. Amoen. iii. 114. — Boiss. Prodr. n. 43. topically in the treatment of oedema, abscesses, 



—E. eapitata Lamk'. Diet. ii. 422. &o. {Sajor Putj . 



* L. Spee. Bil.-^E. polygonatwm Isn. in Act. ' Endl. Mnehirid.' 595. — Guib. op. cit. ii. 347 



Aead. Sc. Par. (1722), 387, t.- 10. - — Pereira, Mem. Mat. Med. ed. 4, ii. p. i. 428.— 



5 L. Spec' 659. — E. procera Bibb. — E. villoma H. Bn. in Diet. Encyel. Sc. MSd. ser. ii. iv. 661. 



Waldst. et KiT.—E.illt/rica Lamk. Diet, ii."436. lo M. utilliasima Pohl. P^. bras, i, 32, t. 24. 



— E. paniculata JjOib. M.. A^a. Prodr. 1064, n. 17. — M. eduleA.Hicm. 



-6 A peculiar property is mentioned, that of Otib. iii. iOS.^JatropAa Manihot L. Spec. 1007. 



being phosphorescent in the dark, in a Brazilian — Tvsb. Fl. Ant. iii.t. 1. — Desoowkt. Fl. Ant iii. 



species, E. phosphorea Mart. {Seis. 726 ; in t. 176. — Janipha Manihot H. B. K. Nov. Gen. et 



.i»««<Ea[1820], Litt. 612.— Boiss. Prodr. n. Spec. ii. 108.— .Boi. Mag. t. 3071. ' {Mandijba, 



697). . Mandiocoa, Juca amwrya.). 



1 Lour. Fl. Gochinch; (ed. 1790), 298 {Xuong " M. Palmata M. Aro. Prodr. 1062, «. 16. 



raong la).— BoiBB. Prodr; n. 29i: — M. diffusa Pohl. — M. Aipi Pohl. — M. 



