( 
ON THE MALAYAN FISH POISON GALLED 
«AKER TUBA," (DEBRIS ELLIPTIC A,J* 
The fish-poison Imown by the Malayaji name of " aker tiiKa " 
is tlionoot of a papilionsw^exnis wtKnly diniUT (^illt.'^l derris elUf}- 
f liia, Rtnitli. Tliss [iLiiit iKTirs Iniiufbes t)f p]ii:*t.ty, fiii;jri"aut, white 
flowers, tiiitixl witli piuk and pale bufl", whirli tiw followed hy 
tliiii, flat, lilutit-cndetl pods, 2^ iui-hes iony; by 1 inch brf^ad, 
eoiitainiiig one or two seeds. The leaves ore pinimte, with seven 
tliirtwni leaflets, and are whitisli beneath. It flowers in Penik 
in February and March, imd the frtiit ripens in May or June. 
Til*' following" is the botanical description taken from the 
Forest Flora of Britisth Burma, by S. Kiirz; — 
" Derrh EUipftai, Benth,^ — A largt? scandent shrub, the 
yonn^jer parts all rusty puh?sc*?nt; leaflets, in foiu- to five pairs^ 
with an othl am, on a pnliesoent petiohde 2 lin. long, oblong to 
obovate-laucL?o1ate, shortly and rather abrn})tly aeumuiate, Z to C 
ini^ies long, chai-taeeous, entire, (':labj\>us alwve, more or less 
glabrescent In^neath j flowers rather large, pinkiahg on 2 to 3 hn. 
long, rusty villous at ajxjx, bnicteoled pedicels, pedtmcled-cyniu- 
lose and forniiug an elongate, rusty, ptilteseent, narrow panicle in 
the axils of the leaves or above the sears of the fallen ones ; corolla 
I inch long, appressed, ta,wny silk- hairy ; ovary, tawTiy villous ; 
pods elliptie, eompresse<l, mtlier acute, about 2 inches long by 
1 inch broa<l, 1 to 2 set'di'd, pulwmlous and glabrescent, narrowly 
winged along the vexiUar snturo. Habitat^ Tenasserim. Flowers, 
March J fruits, Aiigui^t." 
L^nireiro's geuus De^-rh includes severttl other poisonous 
phLuts, of which IX UUghwm^ Benth., and I>. Forsteriiana, Bl.,t 
are also used as flsh ^K>iaoDa iu Malaya. Other nearly allied 
genera of the papilionac^eoiis leguminosse contain spe^'ies employed 
for the same puiijose, of which Poitgamia, MlUetfia and TepJirona 
may be mentioned- 
* Boprirvted from the TliaTmneeitUml Jourifal of July 23, 1892, 
t Tliis Blimild prnbiiltly bf* D. Fomteniaiiii, Itiq.. which ifinow regartlctl 
am the aatiie as D. UliginoHnj [Itfuth. Stj© JouTtml Lmivean Sucietity Vul, IV,, 
Supplement, [Bji. Phuriit, JoumuL] 
