450 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



acidulate or slightly astringent. Their colour and shape have often 

 given to the shrubs bearing them the name of Antilles or Barbadoes 

 cherries. Such are M. aquifolia^^ coccifera^ fucata^ punicifolia,^ 

 introduced into our greenhouses and esteemed for the elegance of 

 their flowers.^ They are less beautiful however than the species of 

 GalpMmia with long clusters of yellow flowers, frequently cultivated 

 by us. M. glabra,^ a native of Mexico, and Nicaragua, has received 

 the common names of Xocot and XocMoU (that is to say berry). In 

 Jamaica, it is cultivated for its fruit. The same with M. urens '' in 

 the French Antilles, under the names of Bois-capitaine (Fr.), Brin- 

 d^amour (Pi".), etc. The flesh of the pericarp has an agreeable 

 bitterish taste, is easy of digestion, and is supposed to dilute and 

 refresh the blood. A rob is prepared from it, or it is made up with 

 jelly and preserved fruits, and used for diarrhoea, haemorrhage, leu- 

 corrhcea and iaflaramatory fevers. M..punicifoUa'h.as ?ii\.so an. edible 

 fruit ; it is eaten rolled in sugar, and a refreshing juice is prepared 

 from it ; it is said to be laxative beyond a certain dose. The wood 

 is used for tanning and dyeing i-ed. Remarkably enough, whilst the 

 Brazilians have long recognised as edible the fruit of Byrsonima^ 

 especially those of .B. crassifolia, intermedia, pachyphylla, sericea, spicata, 

 and those of several Bunchosia, the almonds of B. Armeniaca,^ are 

 supposed to be poisonous ; and whilst the bark , of so many species 

 of Malpighiacece form astringent remedies, the root of Banisteria 

 Pragua ^^ is employed in Brazil, according to Yellozo, as an evacuant, 

 sometimes substituted as laxative and emetic for Cephcelis Ipeca- 

 cuanha. The wood of the Malpighiacece is neither heavy nor hard, 

 but it is sufficiently resistent to serve for the fabrication of beams 



' L. (Spec. 611. — Cat. J>iss. viii. 409, t. 236. — hedges of them in tropical America, so that 



M. ilieifoliaMiVL. these insects may pillage them. 



2 L. Spec. ed. Reich, ii. 371.— Jacq. le. Mar. ^ L. Spec. 609.— Cav. Diss. 406, t. 234 



t. 470. — M. ooecigrya L. This species owes its (Jamaicam, Cherries). 



name, like several others, to being used as a re- ' L. Spec. 6019. — Oat. Diss. 407, t. 236 



treathyinsects(C2^«ips.?)whopuncturetheleaves {CerisUr-capitaine, de Courwilt, Bois Sinselin, 



to deposit their eggs, and it becomes, in conse- Gouhaye). 



quence, cOTered with galls, in the thickness of ^ Makogr. Bras. (ed. 1648), 118. — Piso, 



which the larvae may find nourishment. Bras. (ed. 1668), 171 (^Mureci petinga, M. 



^ Kek, va. Bot: Beg.t. 189. — M. Maerophylla gunfu). 



Desp. Cat. Hort. Par. 169 (neo Pers.).— Tukp. 9 Rich. DO. Prodr. i. 582, n. ll.—Malpighia 



Diet. So. Nat. Atl. t. 164 (Moureitler with large Armeniaca Cat. Diss. 410, t. 238. 



flowers^ 10 Ve^loz. m. Mrnn. 190, iv. t. 168.— ? £"e- 



■• L. Spec. 609.— A. Juss. Malpigh. 10, n. 12. tenpterys Syringaeflora Geiseb. Zdnnaa xiii. 



' These flowers are often Tery odorous ; they 223. 

 attract bees, and de Mabtids advises planting 



