F A B A C E iE. 245 



This tree is found in the elevated portions of Malabar, and also at the foot 

 of the Himalaya mountains. 



All these varieties contain a large proportion of modified tannin. They dis- 

 solve better in alcohol than in water, being muddy in solution in the latter, but 

 transparent, and of a rich red colour in the former. From the analyses of Vau- 

 quelin and Bucher it is shown that the East Indian contains about 75 of mo- 

 dified tannin, the remainder being a red gum and catechine. 



Medical Properties, fyc. — Kino is powerfully astringent, and is given in 

 the same manner and for the same purposes as Catechu. It is principally 

 employed in obstinate chronic diarrhoeas, and in uterine and intestinal haemor- 

 rhages, either alone or combined with other astringents. It has also been 

 employed to restrain mucous secretions. Externally it is used as a wash to 

 indolent ulcers and as a gargle. It is given in substance in a dose of from 

 ten grains to half a drachm. The tincture in doses of from one to two 

 drachms. 



3. P. Santalinus, Linn. — Leaves ternate ; leaflets roundish, retuse, glabrous. Petals 

 with long claws, crenate, waved. Legume long stalked, with a broad membranous wing, 

 obtuse at base. 



Linn., Suppl. 318 ; Woodville, iv. t. 254; Stephenson and Churchill, in. 

 168. 



Common Name. — Red Saunders. 



Foreign Names. — Santale rouge, Fr.; Sandalo rosso, It.; Rothes sandal- 

 holtz, Ger. 



Description. — The Red Saunders is a lofty tree with alternate branches, covered with a 

 brown bark. The leaves are ternate, seldom pinnate, with ovate, blunt, entire leaflets, 

 which are very smooth on the upper surface, and hoary beneath. The flowers are in 

 axillary simple or branched erect spikes. The calyx is five-toothed ; the vexillum of the 

 corolla is obcordate, reflexed, dentate and waved at the edges, of a yellow colour with red 

 veins ; the alae are yellow, spreading, toothed and waved ; the carina is oblong, inflated 

 and curled at tip. The filaments are yellow, with globular white anthers. The ovary 

 is oblong, compressed and hairy, supporting a curved style with a simple stigma. The 

 legume is curved upwards, compressed, smooth, with a membranous wing, and contains 

 one orbicular, compressed seed. 



This tree is a native of the East Indies, thriving in a rich soil ; it is very 

 abundant in the Mysore and is also found in Ceylon, in both places at some 

 elevation. It was first observed and described by Koenig. The wood is im- 

 ported in billets, which are blackish externally, of a blood-red internally, with 

 black veins ; they are very hard, heavy,, and capable of a high polish. The 

 wood has a slight odour, and a weak and nearly insipid taste. It has some- 

 times, but erroneously, been confounded with the Red Sandalwood, but is 

 very different from that highly-perfumed substance. Its colouring matter is 

 very sparingly soluble in water, but is readily so in alcohol, ether, or some of 

 the volatile oils. Red Saunders has been found to consist of a peculiar co- 

 louring matter, called by Pelletier, Santalin, extractive, gallic acid, &c. 



Medical Properties, fyc. — Red Saunders was formerly used as a mild 

 astringent and tonic, but is now seldom or ever employed, except as a colour- 

 ing agent, especially in the preparation of compound tincture of Lavender. 



Most of the other species of Pterocarpus furnish analogous products to the 

 above; among them maybe mentioned the P. draco, a large South American 

 tree, which affords one of the varieties of gum-resin known under the name 

 of Dragon's-blood ; this comes from Carthagena, and is of inferior quality. 

 The P.flavus, a native of China; the bark is used as a vulnerary and also 

 as a dye. 



