SIMARUBACEiE. 201 



equal, lanceolate petals, longer than the sepals. The stamens are 5, somewhat longer 

 than the petals, pubescent, and supporting roundish anthers. The ovary is ovate, sur- 

 mounted by a slender, grooved style, which is trifid at the apex. The fruit is a small 

 black drupe, usually three, sometimes two, or even only one, attached to the side of a 

 fleshy receptacle. 



This fine tree is a native of Jamaica, and some of the other West Indian 

 islands, flowering in October and November, and ripening its fruit in Decem- 

 ber and January. Much confusion has existed with regard to it, from its 

 having been confounded with the true Quassia. Sloane, in his Plants of Ja- 

 maica, describes it under the name of Quassia excelsa, but refers to a plate 

 in Plukenet of a different plant. Both Brown and Long, in their respective 

 histories of the same island, notice it under the names of Xylopicrum and 

 Xylopia glabra; and in Wright's account of the medicinal plants, it is 

 called Picrania atnara, whilst Swartz styles it Quassia excelsa. The first 

 accurate description of it, however, was given by Mr. Lindsay, in the Trans- 

 actions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, under the name of Quassia poly- 

 gama. De Candolle includes it in the genus Simaruba. 



The wood, which is used as a substitute for the genuine Quassia, and bears 

 the same name, is imported from the West Indies in logs of various sizes, 

 covered externally with a smooth, brittle bark. The wood is white, but by 

 age and the action of the air, becomes yellowish ; it has no marked odour, 

 but possesses a most intense and permanent bitter taste. In consequence of 

 the scarcity of the true Quassia, this article is almost universally substituted 

 for it in this country, though, if full credit be given to the accounts of the 

 powers of the former, it is far inferior; and Willdenow suggests that this is 

 perhaps the cause why modern practitioners make so little use of it. The 

 principal consumption of this wood is by brewers, to give additional bitterness 

 to malt liquors. 



In noticing the qualities of this article, it is difficult to ascertain to which 

 of the two woods, authors refer, both bearing the same name, and apparently 

 possessed of the same physical qualities, though, as just observed, more ac- 

 curate observations may show that they differ in many important particulars. 

 No complete analysis of it has been made, though it has often been examined. 

 From what has been done, it appears that Quassia contains a bitter principle, 

 which is termed Quassin, gummy extractive, a small proportion of volatile 

 oil, some salts, woody fibre, &c. Quassin is a neutral crystallizable princi- 

 ciple, very soluble in alcohol, less so in water, and intensely bitter. Its solu- 

 bility is much augmented by both acids and alkalies. 



The medical properties of Quassia are peculiar. In moderate doses it acts 

 like a simple tonic, with no irritating, stimulant or astringent effects ; nor have 

 any ill consequences been observed by the generality of practitioners from a 

 long-continued or free use of it ; though it is stated, by Barbier and others, 

 that effects have been noticed which would induce a belief that it had some 

 influence on the cerebro-spinal system. These statements receive confirma- 

 tion, from the fact that it operates as a narcotic poison on the lower animals, 

 as is well known as regards flies ; an aqueous solution, properly sweetened, 

 destroying these insects very readily ; and the experiments of Buchner and 

 others show that animals of a higher grade, as dogs and rabbits, are de- 

 stroyed by small quantities of the extract. 



Quassia is now principally used as a tonic in dyspepsia, want of appetite, 

 and other functional disorders of the stomach and bowels, and is sometimes 

 given in intermittents and other paroxysmal complaints, but is far inferior to 

 Cinchona and many other febrifuges. At one time it was in high repute in 

 the treatment of malignant fevers, verminose affections, and even gout ; but 



