CANAEIUM STEICTUM. (Nat. ord. Burseraoese.) 



OANARIUM STRICTUM. (Roxb.) A very large tree, polygamous, trunk tall and straight ; young branches, petioles, pani- 

 cles, and costa beneath, densely rufo-tomentose, leaves equally or unequally pinnate 1-4 feet long, by 10-20 inches broad, leaflets brilliant- 

 red -when young and densely tomentose on both sides, at length glabrous and shining above, soft and densely tornentose beneath, (the 

 tomentum being reddish on the costa and veins but otherwise whitish) ovate to oblong, acuminate, often very unequal at the base, about. 

 4-7 opposite or subopposite pair with or without a long petioluled odd one, more or less crenulate or serrate particularly when young or 

 subentire, 5-12 inches long by 3-6 broad, petiolules about 3 lines long ; panicles axillary densely rufo-tomentose (as is the calyx) a 

 little shorter than the leaves, flowers white crowded towards the apex of the pedicels, calyx cupular 3-4 fid valvate persistent, petals 3-4 

 more than twice as long as the calyx much imbricate, slightly hairy on the outside towards the apex ; male flowers, disk none, staminal 

 tube submembranaceous as long or a little longer than the calyx terminating in 6-8 filaments which are Jrd the length of the calyx 

 slightly dilated at the base and attenuated upwards, anthers oblong slightly acute dehiscing longitudinally attached at the back slightly 

 above the base, rudiment of the ovary small 6 lobed glabrous below densely hairy towards the apex ; female flower unknown, drupe oval 

 tapering at both ends, putamen hard woody 3 celled. 



This very beautiful tree is most abundant in all the moist ghat forests on the western side of the Madras and Bombay Presidencies 

 up to 4,000-4,500 feet, but it does not occur in Ceylon or elsewhere, and it is never seen in dry forests, its brilliant crimson foliage makes it 

 a most beautiful sight when in young leaf, the leaves of sap>lirigs and young trees are very much larger than those of adults, the tree is known 

 as the " black dammer" to Europeans and is called Karapu Kungiliam in Tamil; but also receives the names of Googal and Dhup, and 

 in S. Canara Mandd Bhoop, a brilliant black dammer exudes from incisions in the trunk which is a considerable article of trade with some of. 

 our hill tribes, this dammer is used medicinally and for various purposes ; it is insoluble in cold, but partially soluble in boiling alcohol with 

 the addition of camphor; when powdered it is readily soluble in oil of turpentine, it emits a more resinous smell and bums with more smoke 

 than the Vateria resin, a small piece makes an excellent "fire reviver," the tree flowers early in the year, generally in January or February, but 

 sometimes as late as April, 1 am not acquainted with the timber. 



The following is Mr. Broughton's report upon some of the resin submitted to him for chemical analysis. 



This well known substance offers little chance of usefulness in Europe, at least when the many resins are considered that are found in the 

 market at a fai less price. It is used in this count' y for manyismall purposes, as in the manufacture of bottling toax, varnishes, &c. Its colour 

 when in solution is pale compared with its dark tint when in -mass. Though, insoluble in spirit, its solution in turpentine forms a tolerable var- 

 nish. When submitted to destructive distillation it yields about IS per cent of oil resembling that obtained from common colophony. Bull 

 fear in the majority of its possible applications it possesses few advantages over ordinary resin at Is. 6d. p.er cwt. The number of substances 

 suitable for coach varnishes have lately become very numerous in Europe, common resin is now purified by a patent process consisting of distil, 

 lation with superheated steam, by which it is obtained nearly as transparent and colorless as glass, in such amount that a single firm turns 

 Out 60 tons per week. 



The figure represents a branch in bud, and nearly the whole of a panicle from a male tree. Fig i. is the stamen tube from a 3 merous mule flower . 

 fig. ii. the same from a 4 merous flower; Hi. abortive 6 lobed ovary opened out. In the plate are also analysis of the flowers of Cauarium commune and C. 

 Zeylanicum (communicated by Dr. Thwaites.) 



128 



