300 ECONOMIC BOTANY. 



the aid of a lens. The heart-wood has a silky lustre, is soft 

 and light, diiEcult to split, and when fresh has a turpen- 

 tine odor. The important constituent is Fisetin, which is 

 nearly related to Quercitrin. Young Fustic is used in 

 dyeing wool and leather. 



284. The Box'wood-tree, Buxus sempervirens, of the 

 Spurge family (EuphorhiacecB), is an evergreen shrub, or 

 small tree, of Southern Europe and Asia Minor. The 

 leaves are small, oval, and opposite ; the flowers are dioe- 

 cious and inconspicuous. The pith, annual rings, and fine 

 Medullary Rays are visible to the naked eye. Under the 

 microscope the rings are scarcely recognizable ; on the con- 

 vex or outer side of the ring is a row, one or two cells 

 thick, whose cells are compressed radially, and whose 

 cavities are reduced to a line. Though these cells are not 

 visible to the naked eye, yet they have a peculiar color, 

 which makes the annual ring distinguishable. The ducts 

 are regularly distributed, and vary from .0008-0016 

 inches in width. Each Medullary Ray is composed of one 

 or two, seldom three, rows of cells. The wood is hard, 

 fine, homogeneous, yellowish, and lustreless. It is very 

 difficult to split and very durable. Its specific gravity 

 varies from .99 to 1.02. It finds extensive use in making 

 wood-cuts for pictures and illustrations. It is also highly 

 prized in turnery, and in the manufacture of musical and 

 mathematical instruments. 



285. The Mahogany, Swietenia Mahogani (family 

 Meliacea), is a large spreading tree of the West Indies 

 and South America. It grows about fifty feet high, and 

 has a diameter of four or five feet. The leaves are pinnate 

 and shining; the flowers are small, greenish-yellow, in 

 axillary panicles, which are three or four inches long ; the 



