YELLOW WOOD. 195 
the tree can hold. After the bloom come bunches of a 
membranous substance, looking like hops at a distance, 
in which are contained the seed. Calyx of a brownish 
red, covered with greenish hairs. The leaves are twice 
pinnatifid, somewhat coriaceous, covered with a fine 
down when young, afterwards becoming almost glob- 
ous, and deciduous. Leaflets about two inches long, 
twelve to sixteen lines broad, and pointed. The leaves 
are shed early in the year, and previous to the develop- 
ment of the new foliage the flowers make their appear- 
ance. This tree is easily propagated by seeds or cut- 
tings, and stakes cut from it soon take root and form an 
excellent live fence. The bark of the trunk is very as- 
tringent ; a decoction of it stops the immediate discharge 
of ulcers, especially when it is combined with mangrove 
bark. It cures the mange in dogs, and would probably 
answer well for tanning leather. The bark of the root, 
pounded, is used in catching fish; if mixed with the wa- 
ter in some convenient part of a river or creek, whence 
its influence may spread, in a short time the fish that lie 
under the rocks or banks rise to the surface, where they 
float as if dead. Fish caught in this manner are eaten 
without hesitation, and are not considered unwholesome. 
The bark of the root, to be effectual, should be gath- 
ered during the period of inflorescence. When chewed 
it has an unpleasant taste. It yields its virtues to alco- 
hol, but not to water. A saturated tincture prepared 
from the bark is used as an anodyne in toothache, and 
found very efficacious, not only affording relief when 
taken internally, but uniformly curing the pain when 
introduced upon a dossil of cotton into the tooth. 
The preparation of the bark for the sport of fish- 
catching is as follows: Being detached from the roots, 
it is mashed up with what is termed in the West Indies 
temper lime and the low wines or lees of the still-house, 
and the mixture distributed into small baskets, from 
which it is gradually washed out by persons holding the 
