SNAKE OF ECONOMIC PLANTS. 381 



partially affected, some of the grains being left perfect while 

 those affected become filled with dust of a fetid odour, distin- 

 guishing it from the Smut or dust brand, which is scentless. 



A Smut also infests the common reed (Ar%ndo phragmites), 

 which is common in the marshes of the Thames, and which is 

 used for many domestic purposes. The persons who cut them 

 suffer from headache, a swellmg of the head, and acute inflam- 

 mation of the bowels, which is caused by the fungus. 



Snake Gourd {TriclicosmiiJies angitina), a tendril climber of 

 the Gourd family (Cucurbitacese), native of India ; its fruit is 

 cylindrical, about 3 feet in length, and is pendulous, having the 

 appearance of a snake ; but it is surpassed in length by T. 

 colulrina, called the Serpent or Viper Gourd ; it attains a 

 length of 5 or 6 feet, and a diameter of about an inch, and hangs 

 from the plant in a rope-like form. It is of a yellow colour 

 when ripe. 



Snake - nut {p^lnocaryon paradoxum)^ a large tree of the 

 order Sapindace^e, native of British Guiana. The fruit is roundish, 

 about the size of a walnut. It takes its name Snake-nut from 

 the curious form of the embryo of the seed, which is spirally 

 twisted so as to closely resemble a coiled-up snake. They are 

 not known to possess any medicinal properties, but the snake- 

 like form of the embryo has led the Indians to employ it, and 

 believe it to be an antidote against snake-bites. 



Snake -root. — Many plants are held in high repute as a cure 

 for snake-bites, but they seldom prove efficacious when put to 

 the test by learned medical practitioners, their reputation being 

 often derived from the snake-like form of the whole or some part 

 of the plant, or from its colour. The following are a few of the 

 principal : — 



1. OpMorrJma Mmigos^ a low bushy shrub of the Cinchona 

 family (Cinchonacese), native of India, Ceylon, and Malayan 

 Islands. Its roots are intensely bitter, and some degree of super- 

 stition is attached to its first discovery as a cure for snake-bites. 



2. Brazil (Ohiococca angustifolia), a plant of the same order, 

 called Snake-root, or Eaiz de Cobra in Brazil. It is a violent 



