PISTACIA OF ECOJSrOMIO PLANTS. 325 



forests are fast disappearing. Their nutty seeds form an im- 

 portant part of the winter food of the native Indians, and their 

 bark is even said to be nsed as food. 



Piney Varnish. {See Copal.) 



Pinguin, a name in Jamaica for Bromelia Pinguin, well 

 knoAvn as the wild pine of Jamaica, a plant of the Pine-apple 

 family (Bromeliace^e) ; leaves numerous, 2 to 3 feet long, sword- 

 shaped, curved, and rigid, with strong hooked spines on the 

 margin, which, when the plants are closely grown together, 

 form an impenetrable barrier to man and animals ; a good fibre 

 is obtained from its leaves, as also from B, Karatas, an allied 

 species. Its fruit is the size of a plum, and is an excellent 

 vermifuge. 



Piper mhiopicum. {See Guinea Pepper.) 



Pipi, a name given to the astringent pods of Ccesalpinict 

 pipai, a plant of the Bean family (Leguminos^e), native of Brazil. 



Pippul Tree, a name in India for Fims religiosa, a bushy tree 

 of the Mulberry family (Morace^e), having small elliptical smooth 

 leaves. It is a native of India, and one of the trees of Hindoo 

 worship. 



Pishamin, a name in Sierra Leone for the fruit of Oar- 

 podimis didcis and 0, acidus, shrubby climbers of the Dogbane 

 family (Apocynacece). The fruit of the first is of a yellowish 

 colour, about the size of a lemon, and is called the Sweet Pish- 

 amin, while that of the latter is somewhat smaller, and is called 

 the Sonr Pishamin. They are both pnlpy, and, when cut, yield 

 a quantity of sweet milky juice, which is also called Pishamin. 



Persimmon Plum. {See Date Plum.) 



Pistacia Nut (Piskceia vera), a small tree of the Cashew 

 Nut family (Anacardiaceae), native of "Western Asia, common 

 in Palestine, and has become indigenous in the Mediterranean 

 region. It has shining, winged, evergreen leaves. Its fruit is 

 of an oblong form, rather larger than an olive ; it has a brittle 

 shell enclosing the cotyledons (embryo), which are oblong and 

 of a greenish colour and an agreeable flavour. They are eaten 

 in large quantities by the Turks and Greeks, and are to be seen 



