ON THE CASCARILLA BABK, ETC. 279 



Carolina for that of the Bahamas. Nicolson, in his " Essai sur l'Histoire 

 Naturelle de St. Dominique," evidently alludes to this or a similar pro- 

 duction under the synonym of " Ricinoides ; " and by the Creole appel- 

 lation of Sauge du Port de Paix. — Chaunieton, in his ' Flore Medicale ' 

 gives a tolerable illustration of it, remarking that the shrub flourished 

 so extensively on the northern coasts of the island, as to form large 

 forests occupying an extensive arid track of country, in the neighbour- 

 hood of Cape La Grange, and the immediate vicinity of the town of 

 Port du Paix. It is there known by the name of " The du Port de Paix," 

 from an infusion made by the inhabitants from the leaves. He adds, in 

 a note, that it was very plentiful in the island of Eleutheria, and was 

 distinguished by certain pharmacologists by the term Cortex Eleu- 

 theriGe." 



The comparative rarity of this species of Croton, with the difficulty 

 of obtaining authentic specimens, has rendered it very imperfectly 

 understood ; a wide diversity of opinion existing among botanical 

 writers, with reference to it constituting a distinct species, or only a 

 variety of the Croton linear e of Jacquin. The delineation of the plant 

 in Catesby's work is of suck an indifferent character as to lead Lindley 

 to question to what Croton it could belong* By the majority it has 

 been confounded with Jacquin's plant. The general habit, form of leaves, 

 and other peculiar characters however, obviously separate it from this 

 and all other species of Croton ; so much so, that when placed in com- 

 parison no question could arise about the recognition of their specific 

 differences. The following remarks by Pereira indicated the doubt and 

 obscurity in which these details were involved. He observes that the 

 plant called by Linnaeus " Croton Cascarilla was regarded for many 

 years as the source of our Cascarilla bark. In 1787, Dr. Wright de- 

 clared that Linneeus's Croton Cascarilla is the wild Eosemary shrub of 

 Jamaica the bark of which has none of the sensible qualities of Casca- 

 rilla. It appears however that the wild Eosemary shrub of Jamaica 

 is the Croton lineare of Jacquin, and that some botanists are not quite 

 decided whether we ought to regard it as a variety merely of, or a 

 distinct species from, the Croton Cascarilla of Linnaeus. Willdenow 

 considered it to be a variety ; Sprengel a distinct species ; Don says it 

 is identical with Linnseus's plant. It is remarkable, however, that the 

 specimen in the Linneean Herbarium is, according to Mr. Don, C. lineare, 

 and we are therefore in want of a good botanical description of the 

 plant alluded to by Catesby." This desideratum has lately been supplied 

 by the excellent Paper of Mr. Bennett, in the Journal of the Proceed- 

 ings of the Linnean Society.' 



Guibourt, in his ' Histoire des Drogues,' appears to incline to the 

 opinion that this species was the one formerly supposed to supply the 



* It is also to be noticed that it is impossible to say what the plant is, that 

 Catesby figured ; for I know of no Croton, nor indeed any other plant, to which it 

 can belong. ('Flora Medica,' p. 170.) 



