17 



138. Copaifera officinalis. — This tree yields balsam of copaiba, used in medicine. 



The balsam is collected by making incisions in the stem, when the liquor is 

 said to pour out copiously; as it exudes it is thin and colorless, but imme- 

 diately thickens and changes to a clear yellow. Like many other balsams, it 

 is nearly allied to the turpentines: it has a moderately agreeable smell, and 

 a bitter, biting taste of considerable duration. Distilled with water it \ ields 

 a limpid essential oil. 



139. Copernica cerifera. — The Carnuba, or wax palm of Brazil. It grows aboul I <) 



feet high, and has a trunk or 8 inches thick, composed of very hard wood, 

 which is commonly employed inBrazil for building and other purposes. The 

 upper part of the young stem is soft, and yields a kind of sago, and the bitter 

 fruits are eaten by the Indians. The young leaves are coat i id with wax, called 

 Carnaub wax. which isdetatched by shaking them, and then melted and inn 

 into cakes; it is harder than beeswax, and has been used for making candles. 

 The leaves are used for thatch, and, when young, are eaten by cattle. 



140. Coprosma robusta. — A cinchonaceous shrub. The leaves of this plant were 



formerly used in some of the religious ceremonies of the New Zealanders. 



141. Cordia myxa. — This produces succulent, mucilaginous, and emollient fruits, 



which are eaten. These qualities, combined with a slight astringency, have 

 led to their use as pectorals, known as Sebestens. The wood of this tree is 

 said to have furnished the material used by the Egyptians in the construction 

 of their mummy cases; it is also considered to be one of the best woods for 

 kindling fire by friction. 



142. Cordyline australis. — The Australian Ti, or cabbage tree, a palm-like plant 



of 15 to 20 feet in height. The w T hole plant is fibrous, and it has been sug- 

 gested as good for a paper-making material. The juice of the roots and stem 

 contains a small amount of sugar, and has been employed for procuring 

 alcohol. 



143. Corypha tjmbraculifera. — The Talipot palm, a native of Ceylon, producing 



gigantic f au-like leaves. These leaves have prickly stalks 6 or 7 feet long, 

 and when fully expanded form a nearly complete circle of 13 feet in diam- 

 eter. Large fans made of these leaves are carried before people of rank 

 among the Cinghalese; they are also commonly used as umbrellas, and tents 

 are made by neatly joining them together; they are also used as a substitute 

 for paper, being written upon with a stylus. Some of the sacred books of 

 the Cinghalese are composed of strips of them. The hard seeds are used by 

 turners. 



141. Couroupita guianensis. — The fruit of this tree is called, from its appearance, 

 the cannon-ball fruit; its shell is used as a drinking vessel, and when fresh 

 the pulp is of an agreeable flavor. 



145. Cratjeva gynandra. — This West Indian tree yields a small fruit which has a 



strong smell of garlic, hence it is called the garlic pear. The bark is bitter 

 and used as a tonic. 



146. Crescentia cujete. — The calabash tree of the West Indies, where it is valued 



for the sake of its fruits, which resemble pumpkins in appearance and oc- 

 casionally reach a diameter of 18 inches. Divested of their pulp, which is 

 not edible, they serve various useful domestic purposes, for carrying water, 

 and even as kettles for cooking. They are strong and light. 



147. Croton calsamiferum.— This West Indian shrub is sometimes called sea-side 



balsam or sage. A thick, yellowish, aromatic juice exudes from the ex- 

 tremities of the broken branches, or wherever the stem has been wounded. 

 In Martinique a liquor called Eau de Mantes is distilled from this balsamic 

 juice with spirits of wine. The young leaves and branches are used in 

 warm baths, on account of their agreeable fragrance and reputed me- 

 dicinal virtues. 



148. Croton eleuthekta.— This plant furnishes cascarilla bark, used as an aro- 



matic bitter tonic, having no astringency. It has a fragrant smell when 

 burnt, on which account it has been mixed with smoking tobacco. 



149. Croton tigmum. — A plant of the family Euphorbiacece, from the Indian 



Archipelago, which produces the seeds from whence croton oil is extracted. 



It is a very powerful medicine, and even in pressing the seeds for the pur- 

 pose of extracting the oil, the workmen \ue subject to irritation of the eyes 

 and other casualties. 

 28582 2 



