P A P AV E R ACE/E. 
21 
FL. Throughout the year. 
Herbaceous, 1-2 feet in height : brandies erect, terete, 
glaucous, subaculeate with stiff prickly hairs. Leaves alter- 
nate, sessile, oblong, repando-sinuated with the angles-dentato- 
spinulose, nerved, glaucescent. Peduncles axillary, very short, 
1 -flowered. Flowers large, yellow. Calyx sparingly aculeato- 
pilose ; sepals usually 2, accrete, previous to the opening of the 
flower, concave with the apex hooded, and externally conical 
(the cone terminating in a prickly awn), deciduous. Petals 
usually 6, wedge-shaped at the base. Stamens about 20, half 
the length of the petals, and of the same length as the ovary : 
anthers oblong. Ovary oblong, angulose, setaceo-pilose with 
appressed hairs: stigmata usually 4, purple, reflected, concave. 
Capsule size of a walnut, somewhat oblong, angulose, setaceo- 
prickly. Seeds numerous, spherical, compressed, with numer- 
ous minute roundish excavations on the surface. 
This plant, as its specific name indicates, was supposed at 
one time to be peculiar to Mexico. It has however been found 
in all the warmer parts of the globe, as far South in the Old 
World as the Cape of Good Hope, and as far North in the New 
as Canada. It is common in all the West India Islands, in 
the valleys and on the hills of St Helena, and even in the 
Sandwich Islands. De Candolle states that he has had oppor- 
tunities of examining specimens from very different parts of 
the world, and that he could detect no difference. He supposes 
that it must have migrated from America, which he considers 
to have been its native country, by means of its seeds conveyed 
by travellers, to India and elsewhere. 
The Spaniards call the fruit of this plant, Figo del inferno , 
from the prickly hairs with which it is armed. Barham how- 
ever tells us a different story. “ The fruit,” he says, “ is called 
Ficus infernalis ; and well it may, for it contains seeds enough 
to send any that should take them wilfully to inferno, being 
much stronger than any opium.” There is however a good 
deal of exaggeration in this. The late Dr Affleck mentions 
that he frequently administered the seeds in the form of emul- 
sion, by rubbing up two drachms of them with sugar, and 
adding a pint of boiling water ; and that it acted at first as an 
anodyne, and afterwards as a purgative. M ere this the case, it 
would be invaluable as a remedy in many diseases ; but unfortun- 
ately it has not been found to fulfil the desired intentions, for 
an emulsion, prepared in the manner above described, produced, 
when administered, no perceptible effect. An oil, expressed 
from the seeds, is employed in Mexico by the native artists, for 
varnishing the wood, to prepare it for the reception of the colours. 
In the East Indies, the native doctors, are said, to make use of 
this oil as an external application in cases of headach, and for 
scald-head. 
All parts of the plant abound with a milky gelatinous juice, 
