802 ECONOMIC BOTANY. 



On account of its great value it is extensively cultivated ; 

 it is said the cultivated trees furnish better wood than 

 those growing wild. It is a magnificent tree, with opposite, 

 ovate or elliptical leaves six to eight inches long ; they are 

 rough on the upper surface, and are used for polishing; 

 they also yield red dye. The trees are cultivated ; when 

 forty to sixty years old they attain a height of sixty feet 

 and a diameter of four feet. The Teak-wood when fresh 

 is a light brownish-red ; upon exposure it becomes brown, 

 or brownish-black. The annual rings are not clearly 

 marked ; the Medullary Rays are irregular in their course 

 and distribution. The wood is heavy (specific gravity .9), 

 hard, and splits with difficulty. It is said to contain much 

 silex. It is highly prized in ship-building. " It is said to 

 resist the attacks of Limnoria terebrans when exposed in 

 sea-water." It is employed in building temples, dwellings, 

 etc. 



289. The yellow dye called Fustic, or Old Fustic, is 

 the wood of Madura iinetoria, a large tree of the West 

 Indies, belonging to the Nettle family (Vrtiaacece). The 

 heart-wood is yellowish, brown, or orange-yellow. Neither 

 the annual rings nor the Medullary Rays are plain to the 

 naked eye. The ducts become visible when examined 

 with a lens. The important constituents of the wood are 

 Morin and Maclurin, both soluble in alcohol and slightly 

 soluble in water. The dye is obtained by boiling the wood, 

 and is used " for converting silks, woolens, and light fabrics 

 already dyed blue to a green." 



290. The curious tree called She-Oak, or Iron-wood 

 (Casuaria equisetifoUa), a representative of the Beef-wood 

 family (Casuarinacece), is found on the South Sea Islands 

 and Indian Archipelagoes. It is also cultivated in the 



