Foreign Vegetables. 187 
Hi ft. 1462. Malus Granata five Punica, Labern. 
Jeon. 1033. It grows in Spain, Italy, Provence, and 
Languedoc. The Flowers of this Tree, and the 
Acini, Juice, Kernels, and Bark of the Fruit, are 
ufed in Phyfick *. Diofcorides calls thefe Flowers 
xunvoi or Cytini, to diftinguifh them from thofe of 
the wild Tree which are called Balauftines i but 
the fame Word is ufed by Lheophraftus to fignify 
only the Calyces of Pomegranate-Flowers in gene- 
ral. The Bark of the Fruit, which was the llhov 
of the Greeks, is called in the Shops Malicorium, 
Pliny tells us that the common People were ac- 
quainted with a Method of making Leather with 
it ; whence (viz. from the Word Corium) Phyficians 
termed it Malicorium . 
Pomegranate-Bark yielded in Diftillation an 
acid Liquor, another intenfely auftere, and a lit- 
tle alkaline or urinous Liquor, with a large Pro- 
portion of Oil. The black Coal, which remained 
in a large Quantity, being calcined for thirty Hours, 
continued fmoking, and the Refiduum always re- 
tained a dark brown Colour ♦, from which was got 
a moderate Quantity of fixt alkaline Salt, and a 
copious Earth. But this brown Earth feems to me 
to be chiefly a Portion of Oil, fo greatly concen- 
trated and fixt as to refill the Adlion of Fire : And 
the Stypticity of acerb and auftere Subftances, in 
my Opinion, is not owing fo much to a certain 
porous and aftringent Earth, as to a certain acid 
Salt, which is fo fixt, as not to be raifed by the 
Force of Fire but with the greateft Difficulty. This 
Salt is ufually compared to the vitriolick Acid *, 
and not without Reafon, fince the vitriolick Acid 
is the moft fixt of all others, as we find by Ex- 
* They are all aftringent, and ferviceable in Fluxes and He- 
morrhages ; but the Bark or Rind of the Fruit is the only 
Part ufed in the Englijb Shops. 
perience 
