490 



CASSIA AND OTHEK SPICE BABKS. 



Nepal from S. glanduUferum ; while the bark of Benzoin odoriferum 

 of North America is also highly aromatic. The bark of Atherospermum 

 moschatum of Tasmania is pleasantly aromatic. The aromatic Malambo 

 bark (Croton Malamho), of Central America, is said to be used in the 

 United States for adulterating spices. 



The spice bush (Oreodaphne Calif ornica) a lofty tree, has leaves 

 which are pungently aromatic, and the spice wood (Lindera Benzoin) 

 found in Western Virginia has a highly aromatic wood. Sassafras 

 nuts, the large separate cotyledons of two Lauraceous trees of Brazil, 

 are also occasionally met with in commerce and used for flavouring. 

 Another member of the Laurel family, Daphiidium Cubeha of Nees 

 von Esenbeck, has berries which have an agi-eeable warm aromatic 

 flavour, and are used as spice by the Chinese. 



In ancient Italy the berries and flower buds of the myrtle were 

 used as a kind of sj^ice. The modern Tuscans and the people of 

 Syria and Palestine still frequently substitute these for pepper or 

 flavouring. 



Cassia Bark. — Messrs. Hanbury and Fluckiger have furnished 

 more ample details respecting this bark than had previously been 

 published, and they state that various species of Cinnamomum occur- 

 ring in the warm countries of Asia from India eastward, afford what is 

 termed in commerce Cassia bark. The trees are extremely variable 

 in foliage, and inflorescence, and aromatic properties, and the dis- 

 tinctness of several of the species laid down even in recent works is 

 still uncertain. At present, neither botanists, pharmacologists, or 

 spice dealers are able to point out characteristics by which to dis- 

 tinguish the barks of this group, or even to give definite names to 

 those found in our warehouses. 



The bark which bears par excellence the name of cassia, or cassia 

 lignea, and which is distinguished on the Continent as Chinese cinna- 

 mon, is a production of the provices of Kwang-se and Kweichan in 

 Southern China. Cassia lignea is also produced in the Kliasyo moun- 

 tains in Eastern Bengal, whence it is brought down to Calcutta for 

 shipment. In this region there are three species of cinnamon, grow- 

 ing at 1000 to 4000 feet above the sea-level, and all have bark with 

 the flavoui' of cinnamon, more or less pure ; they are Cinnamomum 

 ohtusifolium, Nees; C. pauciflorum, Nees; and C. Tamala, Nees. 

 C. iners, Reinw. a very valuable species occurring in Continental 

 India, Ceylon, Tavoy, Java, Sumatra, and other islands of the Indian 

 Archipelago, and possibly, in the opinion of Thwaites, a mere 

 variety of C. Zeylanicum, but, according to Meissner, well dis- 

 tinguished by its paler, thinner leaves, its nervation and the cha- 

 racter of its aroma, would appear to yield the Cassia bark or wild 

 cinnamon of Southern India. C. Tamala, Fr. Nees et Eberm, which, 

 besides growing in Khasya, is found in the contiguous regions of 

 Silhet, Sikkim, Nepal, and Kumaon, and even reaches Australia, 

 probably affords some Cassia bark in Northern India. Large quan- 

 tities of a thick sort of cassia have at times been imported from 

 Singapore and Batavia, much of which is produced in Sumatra. In 

 the absence of any very reliable information as to its botanical 



