MALPIGHIAOEJS. 449 



in their wood of punctate tubes. Some also by " the absence of 

 liber in all the layers, the first excepted, under -which the fibres are 

 found disseminated." 



The uses ^ of the Malpighiacece are not numerous. In general, 

 they are plants with astringent wood and bark, rather rich in 

 tannin, sometimes also in red colouring matter. The Byrsonimas 

 are the best known, on this account, in tropical America. It was 

 formerly believed that Alcornoque Bark, in repute for its astringent, 

 tonic, and febrifuge qualities, was partly furnished by B. coceololce- 

 folia K. and laurifolia E. In Guiana, the bark of B. crassifolia ^ 

 has also been considered as a sort of Alcornoque. Under the name 

 of Chabarro and Chapara manteca it is employed to treat the bite of 

 the rattlesnake and for intermittent fevers and various inflammatory 

 affections of the lungs and bronchia. B. verlascifolia^ from the same 

 country, has a red wood, much used in dyeing, and its febrifugal 

 virtues are vaunted. B. sjozca^a* is also rich in tannin, whence its 

 common name of Tan wood ; it is used in manufactures and medi- 

 cine, and in cases of dysentery its fruits, acidulate and astringent, 

 have been prescribed. In Mexico, the bark of B. cotinifolia^ 

 has been especially applied to the same uses. B. chrysophylla, from 

 South America, and some species of Bunchosia from the same country, 

 have an astringent principle, a red tinctorial bark. The fruit of 

 B. tuherculata is used to prepare a carmine tincture. In the genus 

 Malpighia^ the fruit is often edible, being sweetish, mucUaginous, 



at least that have teen studied), the bart, pene- (Yueo, Nanci, Chaparro of the Columhians, 



trating into the deep grooves separating from Quinquina des Savanes). 



one another the projections of the stem, doubles ^ Rich, ex A. Juss. Malpigh. 26. — Malpighia 



itself so to speak, without its two surfaces ad- verbaacifolia L. 



hering externally. In others [JBanisteria, Stig- * DC. Piodr. i. 580 (^Bois Dysmterique, Meri- 



maphglltim), there is only a single cortical pro- sier Dore). 



cess in each groove ; so that the stem does not ^ H. B. K. Nov. Gen. et Spec. v. 152, t. 



appear outwardly divided into lobes and its 447. 



woody projections are only seen in a transverse ^ H. B. KAok. Gen. et Spec. v. 15. — Oal- 



section, phimia chrgsophylla Spreno. 



' Endl. Enchirid. 557. — Lindl. Veg. Kingd. ~i DO. Frodr. i. 581, n. 7. — Malpighia tuber- 



390. — EosENTH. Syn. PI. Diaphor. 712, 1152. — culata jAca. Sort. Schoenbr. i. 54, t. 104. 



tli.is.T.Fl. Bras. Malpigh. \1l, s The common name of ilfoMm?fer is said to 



, 2 jj B. g;. Nov. Gen. et Spec. v. 149. — come, perhaps, from the Galibio Mourei or the 



EosENTH. op. cit. 773. — B. rhopaltcfulia K. — Indian Morecy, Muriei, words which, it is sup- 



B. Montana K. — B. feirteginea K. — B. Cumin- posed, indicate that the nourishment derived 



giana A. Juss.^ — B. KarwinsJciana A. Juss. — from it is insufficient. (Mart.) 

 Malpighia Moureila AvbIj. — M. Crassifolia AvBh.- 



VOL. V. 3 M 



