56 



POPULAR ECONOMIC BOTANY. 



suffer severe excoriation of the lips and tongue. Like many 

 other noxious vegetable secretions however^ heat destroys the 

 acridity of the Cashew-nut husk ; it is therefore roasted be- 

 fore being eaten^ and in that state is a great delicacy. The 

 tree producing this nut is of considerable size^ with very 

 small flowers ; its most remarkable feature is^ that the disc 

 of the flower to which the nut is attached continues to grow 

 after the flower has fallen^ until it is of considerable size, 

 giving the appearance of a kidney-shaped nut growing out 

 of a large-sized fruit ; this enlarged fruit-like disc is used 

 as a fruit, and its juice is fermented into a kind of wine in 

 the West Indies. 



The Marking Nut. Semecarpus Anacardmm, 

 This belongs to the same Natural Order as the preceding, 

 and is closely allied to it ; it is however very different in 

 shape and colour, being somewhat like a tamarind-stone, 

 but rather longer, with a whitish scar at the base^ marking 

 its place of attachment to the receptacle. It has the same 

 marked division of the pericarjo into three parts ; the inter- 

 mediate one is fluid, of a remarkably fine black colour, and 

 is used extensively as a black varnish, for which purpose it 

 is principally imported, although when roasted the nuts are 

 as sweet as those of the cashew, but too smaU to repay the 



