The Aborigines of Br axil, 329 



observe the very remarkable fact, that among these plants 

 we find those which have the most powerful medicinal 

 properties ; for instance, the Cephaelis ipecacuanha, in Tupi 

 Ipe-caa-goene, i. e. creeping emetic plant, different species 

 of Copaiva balsam, gum elemi, gum anime, those plants 

 which are used in the same way in Brazil, as the common 

 Nicotiana Tabacum and Rustia in Florida, Mexico and the 

 Carib islands, where it is called Jubi : the tree which pro- 

 duces elastic gum, Hevea Gujanensis : a great number of pow- 

 erful cathartics, various Convolvuli and Ipomecc, the Cucurbi- 

 tacece, Trianosperma ficifolia, and Tayuyd, Mart. &c, and the 

 purging nut, Anda Brasiliensis, Raddi : the most powerful 

 alteratives, as different species of Guarea, of Andira, and of 

 the Umari, Geoffraa spinosa, L. whose seeds are powerful 

 vermifuges, &c. The list might be much increased, but I 

 content myself with here referring to my " Specimen Mater. 

 Med. Vegetab. Brasil. Leipzig, 1843." 



Some of these plants are common to Brazil along with 

 many other tropical regions, like the Ananas (pine apple,) the 

 Icaco-plum, Chrysobolanus Icaco, L. some widely-spread kinds 

 of Mureci, Brysonima V. and Chr. of Kunth. &c. Others are 

 less widely extended, but have been confounded with allied 

 American species. Among them for instance is that Rubiacea, 

 whose fruit, when unripe is employed to prepare a dark 

 colour and in tattooing, and is when ripe, eaten : the Genipa 

 Brasil, Mart., a tree, different from the G. Americana, L. as 

 well as from the G, Caruto, Humb. In like manner the 

 Mombin-plum, Spondias venulosa, Mart, is different from the 

 Mombin and Hobo, Sp. purpurea and <S. lutea, L. I must 

 also in this hasty enumeration not forget to mention, that 

 certain useful plants grow wild in Brazil, the use of which 

 was as good as unknown to the aborigines before the arrival 

 of Europeans, although other American tribes were at the 

 same time familiar with their uses. The most striking exam- 

 ple of this is the Cacao-tree, Theobroma Cacao, L. While, as 



