Yerbenaceae. 187 
advantage over competing vegetation. Owing to its commercial 
value Teak has been planted extensively in India, the Andaman 
Islands, and other neighboring countries. 
The sapwood of the Teak is white and small, while the heart- 
wood when cut gives off a pleasant, rather strong aromatic odor, the 
color of the heartwood is a dark golden yellow, which on seasoning 
darkens into brown and becomes mottled with darker streaks. It is 
moderately hard, exceedingly durable, does not split, warp, shrink nor 
alter its shape when once seasoned. Most of the Burmese pagodas 
or shrines are carved of Teak, its durability is mainly due to a large 
quantity of resinous fluids that it contains, which fill the pores and 
thus resist the action of water. Teak-wood two thousand years old 
seems perfectly good at the present day. 
The leaves of the Teak are said to yield a dye of a red or yellow 
color used mainly for dyeing silks. 
The native physicians of Burmah recommend the medicinal prop- 
erties of the Teak for various ailments, for example, a plaster of 
powdered wood for bilious headaches and for dispersion of inflam- 
matory swellings. Charred wood saturated with poppy juice and 
reduced to a smooth paste is used to relieve swellings of the eyelids, 
etc. The bark is employed as an astringent and the oil of the nuts, 
which has an agreeable odor, is used as a hair tonic, and is supposed 
to remove itching of the skin. 
Though cultivated in many tropical countries, the tree is rare in 
Honolulu, only very few trees exist, perhaps only a half-dozen in all. 
One can be found on the Government Nursery grounds on King 
Street and others on Mrs. Jaeger's grounds on King and Punahou 
Streets, and on Mrs. Foster's premises on Nuuanu Street. Owing 
to its deciduous character and rather slow growth it is not a tree 
to be recommended for ornamental plantings. 
Duranta repens Linn. 
Golden Dewdrop. 
Plate LXXIV. 
Duranta repens, commonly known as Duranta plumieri Jacq., is 
an unarmed, glabrous, erect shrub six to ten feet high with the 
branches often drooping. The leaves are obovate-elliptical, the base 
is wedge-shaped and the margins toothed above the middle. The 
axillary racemes form terminal panicles, which are slender and spread- 
ing with the flowers mostly on one side of the rachis ; the former are 
blue or white; the fruit is flesh}-, ovoid, and yellow. 
