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COPAIFERA OFFICINALIS. 
Copaiva Tree. 
C/ass DECANDRi^i.— Orc/er MONOGY NT A. 
Nat. Old. DuMos^, Linn. Leguminos^, Juss. 
Gen. Char. Calyx none. Petals four. Legume ovate. 
Seed one, with an ovate arillus. 
i 
This tall and elegant tree is a native of South America, particu- 
larly Brazil, and the Spanish West India Islands. It is said to grow 
in great abundance in the woods of Tolii, near Carthagena, and in 
those of Quito and Brazil. 
The trunk of this tree rises to a considerable height, and divides 
into numerous branches at the top ; both trunk and branches are 
covered with a rough brown bark j the leaves are large, pinnated, 
and consist of four pair of ovate, pointed, alternate leaflets, with a 
terminal one, each two or three inches long, entire, shining, veined, 
somewhat narrower on one side, and placed upon short footstalks ; 
the flowers are white, and produced in terminal branched spikes ; 
there is no calyx ; tlie petals are four, spreading, oblong, acute and 
concave ; the filaments are ten, slender, incurved, somewhat longer 
than the petals, and bear oblong incumbent anthers ; the germen is 
roundish, compressed, and stands upon a short pedicle ; the style is 
filiform, incurved, the length of the filaments, and furnished with an 
obtuse stigma. The fruit is an oval two-valved pod, containing a 
single egg-shaped seed, enveloped in a berried arillus. The liquid 
substance called Balsam of Copaiba, is obtained from this tree, by 
making incisions near the base of its trunk, into the heart of the 
wood, when the balsam immediately begins to flow; and at the 
proper season issues in such abundance, that from vigorous trees, 
twelve pounds have been collected in the course of three or four 
hours. This operation is performed two or three times in the same 
year. While flowing from the tree, this balsam is colourless; by 
age it acquires a yellowish tinge, and becomes thicker, but never 
becomes solid like most other resinous fluids. The older trees afford 
the best balsam ; that supplied by the young and vigorous trees is 
