Sterculiaceae. 151 
natives of India; sometimes they are ground and made into a sort 
of coffee. 
Sterculia urens has been planted quite frequently in Honolulu 
where space permitted it. The finest specimen may be seen in the 
grounds of St. Louis College, others in Thomas Square, facing Bere- 
tania Street and also in private grounds on Emma Street. 
Sterculia foetida Linn. 
Sterculia foetida is also a large deciduous tree, with a tall, stout 
trunk and horizontal, whorled branches; the leaves are crowded at 
their ends, are digitate, consisting of seven to nine elliptical-lanceolate 
leaflets. The flowers are arranged in raceme-like panicles six to 
twelve inches long; they are red and yellow or dull purple and have 
a most offensive odor which attracts carrion flies, which often deposit 
their eggs on them. The fruit consists of scarlet woody follicles, 
nearly glabrous outside but fibrous inside, containing ten to iifteen 
seeds in each. It is of much wider distribution than Sterculia linns, 
extending from western and southern India to Burmah, East tropi- 
cal Africa, the Moluccas, and North Australia. Like the foregoing 
species, it exudes a gum resembling tragacanth. The leaves are used 
medicinally ; the seeds are oily, containing about forty per cent of 
a fixed thick, pale yellow oil ; they are eaten by the natives of the 
various countries in which this species is indigenous, but when swal- 
lowed incautiously bring on nausea and vertigo. 
Occasionally the wood is used for house building and in the con- 
struction of masts and canoes. In Honolulu it is less commonlv 
planted than Sterculia urens, probably on account of the offensive 
smell of its flowers. Trees of this species may be found in Moanalua 
Gardens, opposite the Pleasanton Hotel on Punahou Street, and 
probably elsewhere. It is of more recent introduction than the pre- 
ceding species. 
Brachychiton acerifolium F. v. M. 
Flame Tree. 
Plate LXII. 
The Flame Tree is quite glabrous; its leaves are long petioled, 
deeply five to seven lobed, the lobes oblong to lanceolate often sinuate, 
the whole leaf eight or ten inches in diameter. The rich red flowers 
are arranged in loose axillary racemes or panicles. The follicles are 
