368 PRODUCTS OF THE PEA FAMILY. 



ON THE PRODUCTS OF THE PEA FAMILY (LEGUMINOSEAC). 



BY JOHN R. JACKSON. 



Part III. — Mimosea 



The Ordeal, or Red Water tree of Sierra Leone, — so called on account 

 of its bark being used in trial by ordeal by the natives, — is the Erythro- 

 phlceum Guineense, Don. A red juice flows from the tree, which is drank by 

 the culprit ; and, according to the effects, whether fatal or otherwise, so is 

 he considered guilty or innocent of the crime imputed to him. The bark 

 is very thick, and appears to contain an abundant quantity of resin. In 

 Soudan the seeds of Parkia Africana, R. Br., are wasted, bruised, and then 

 fermented in water. When they become putrid, they are thoroughly 

 washed and pounded, and afterwards made up into cakes in much the same 

 manner as some of our forms of chocolate. The pulpy matter 

 enclosing the seeds is made into an agreeable beverage, and is also 

 employed in confectionary. The seeds themselves are said to " form an 

 excellent sauce for all kinds of food." The seeds of Parkia speciosa, R. 

 Br., are eaten with rice by the Javanese. From Entada pursostha, D.C. — 

 climbing Indian shrub — a fibre is obtained called " Poospatta," which is used 

 in Ceylon for making ropes. The seeds are employed for making snuff- 

 boxes, spoons, &c, and are also used as an anti-febrile medicine by the 

 Ghauts. In Java and Sumatra, they are roasted and eaten like chesnuts 

 and are likewise employed as an emetic. The seeds of E. gigalobium, D.C., 

 are used like the former for making boxes, &c. The pods of both species 

 are of an immense size, sometimes four or five feet long. Stryphiodendron 

 Barhatemas, Mart., and S. Juvema, are said to contain astringent properties 

 similar to Catechu. 



Adenanthera pavonina, L., is one of the largest and most common trees 

 of the Indian forests ; the wood called " Ruktachundun " is in great esti- 

 mation on account of its solidity. The heart wood of the larger trees is of 

 a deep red colour, which the Brahmins extract for the purpose of staining 

 their foreheads after bathing. The seeds, powdered and mixed with borax 

 and water, are employed by the jewellers as an adhesive substance, they 

 also use them for weights, each seed weighing uniformly four grains. From 

 the very showy appearance of the bright scarlet testa, they are frequently 

 made up into necklaces, &c. The natives of Travancore consider them 

 poisonous if taken internally. 



The pulp surrounding the seeds of Tetrapleura Thoningii, Bth., is used 

 by the natives of the Zambezi for washing. The pods of this plant are 

 very curiously formed, from four to six inches long, of a dark-brown 

 colour, and having a strong ridge down the back of each valve. Prosopis 

 juliflora, D.C, a native of the West Indies, produces a wood used for knees 

 of boats, and for ship-building generally. It is said that the pods furnish 

 a black dye, and that an intense permanent ink is made from them ; a 

 resin flows from the trunk resembling gum Arabic. P. spicigera, L., a 



