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berries. The juice, when applied to the skin, frequently produces 

 inflaniation and vesication, and it is the popular belief that a volatile 

 principle escapes from the plant which produces, in certain persons, 

 when coming near it, a troublesome erysipeloid affection, particu- 

 larly of the face. The leaves, among other substances, yield tannic 

 acid, and a volatile alkaloid, on which, it is pretended, its poisonous 

 properties depend. The leaves are stimulant and narcotic; they act 

 as an acrid poison, and produce a stupefying effect upon the nerv- 

 ous system. 



The Dwarf Sumac (Rhus copallina) is a low shrub from five to 

 eight feet high, and grows very abundantly in Louisiana. It bears 

 greenish flowers, and its fruit appears m clusters of red berries 

 which are slightly acid to the taste; the leaves contain an abundance 

 of tannic acid, and they are sometimes collected for tanning pur- 

 poses. 



The Flowering Locust (Robinia pseudo-acacia) occupies the first 

 rank as an ornamental tree, on account of the beauty of its foliage, 

 and its clusters of white iiowers; It is but rarely met with in 

 Louisiana in a wild state. Irs leaves contain much nourishing mat- 

 ter, and have been used as a substitute for clover, as food for cattle; 

 but it must be cultivated for this purpose. The roots are very sweet 

 and afford an extract similar to liquorice. The flowers, when medi- 

 cinally employed, have anti-spasmodic properties, and when dis- 

 tilled furnish an agreeable and refreshing syrup, which, if drank 

 with water, quenches thirst. The timber of the flowering locust is 

 esteemed by shipwrights for the upper and lower parts of the frame 

 of vessels. It is considered as durable as live oak and red cedar, 

 being lighter than the former, aud stronger than the latter. On 

 account of the hardness of the wood when seasoned, and its luster 

 when polished, it is extensively employed in cabinet work. We are 

 told that the American Indians make a declaration of love by pre- 

 senting a branch of this tree in blossom to the object of their 

 attachment 



The Canadian Judas Tree (Cercis Canadensis) is a handsome 

 shrub or small tree. The flowers, which appear before the leaves 

 are of a light purple, and are acid to the taste. The wood is very 

 Lard, elegantly veined, or rather waved, with black, green and 

 yellow spots. When seasoned it is susceptible of a beautiful polish. 

 The bark and young branches are used to die wool of a nankin color. 



