OSAGE ORANGE, OR YELLOW WOOD. 
131 
Besides the Fig, we have, in this interesting family 
of plants, the famous Bread-fruit of India and the 
islands of the Pacific. The Cow Tree, or Palo de 
Vaca of South America, which is tapped like a foun- 
tain, and yields a copious supply of rich and wholesome 
milk. The nuts of the Brosimum alcicastrum , when roast- 
ed, are used in the place of bread, in the West Indies, 
and have a taste similar to that of Hazel-nuts: the juice 
of all the plants of this family also contains more or less 
of caoutchouc. Amidst this generally harmless group 
of plants, it is singular to find the deadly Upas of Java, 
( Antiaris toxicaria ,) whose inspissated juice is found to 
contain that most virulent of all poisonous principles, 
strychnia. It is, however, somewhat doubtful what the 
real affinities of this plant are, as it is acknowledged to 
be an anomaly in the family. 
