212 MALAY POISONS AND CEABM CUBES 



commercial " coarse roots " and " fine roots,'* which 

 were supplied as " good specimens " of D. elliptica, were 

 Bent to Kew Gardens for verification, where considerable 

 adulteration was detected. 



D. elliptica, though indigenous, is frequently culti- 

 vated, especially in Borneo, where it is planted in 

 patches on the padi fields (Ref. 12). It strikes readily 

 from cuttings, wh*ch soon grow into a tangle of strag- 

 gling stems. In Perak it flowers in February and March, 

 and the fruit ripens in May and Jmie (Ref. 24). The 

 juice of the root is used by Malays and Dayaks in 

 temporarily poisoning jungle streams, because fish are 

 quickly stupefied when it is put into water and are easily 

 caught when they rise to the surface. L. Wray, jun., 

 mentions some nearly allied leguminous genera, such as 

 Pongania, Milletia and Tephrosia, as being used as a 

 means of catching fish in the East Indies. Tephrosia 

 toxicaria, Persoon, and T. piscatoria, Persoon, are used 

 in Java and Sumatra ; while Louchocarpus and Piscidia 

 erythrina, Linn., or Jamaica dogwood (all belonging to 

 the Leguminosse), are used in the same way in other parts 

 of the world. Mention may here be made of jering 

 (Pithecolobium lobatum, Benth. — Leguminosae), which 

 has recently caused poisoning in Sarawak. The evil- 

 smelling pods of the jering tree are often eaten by Malays 

 and are innocuous to monkeys, but may cause intes- 

 tinal and urinary distmbance. D. eUiptica and other 

 species of an allied genus LeguminossB are extensively 

 used by Chinese gardeners in Malaya as an insecticide. 

 It is said that the rhinoceros and the porcupine can feed 

 on the roots of tuba with impunity- In man an 

 increased secretion of saliva is 'caused by D. elliptica, 

 which gradually lessens until a feeling of numbness 

 about the tongue and soft palate occurs ; ultimately 

 speech is affected. 



