MELIACEJE. 167 
ironi tlie foliage resembling that of the Manna-Ash, iiO.ia., 
from /msXi honey . 
1. Melia sempervirens. Hoop-tree , or JVest- India 
Lilac. 
Leaves bipinnate, leaflets about nine in number 
incised slightly angulose shining, petiole roundish at 
the base. 
Sivartz, FI. Ind. Occ. II. 737.— Bot. Reg. t. 643— M. 
Azedarach, var. fi. Linn. Sp. 550. 
HAB. Common ; especially in fences. 
FL. Throughout the year. 
A shrub, sometimes acquiring the port of a tree: branches 
erect, long, terete, glabrous. Leaves at the ends of the branches: 
leaflets ovato-lanceolate, acuminate, unequally serrated, nerved, 
veined, of a bright green. Panicles axillary, solitary, corym- 
bose : flowers numerous, showy, blue mixed with purple and 
white, pedicelled. Calyx minute, pubescent. Petals lineari- 
lanceolate, spreading, reflected. Tube of the filaments 10- 
striated, toothed at the apex, of a deep purple, hairy within : 
anthers oblong, yellow. Ovary conical, glabrous : style erect : 
stigma 5-lobed. Drupe subglobose, yellow : nut 5-sulcated. 
This shrubby tree, although now very common, is probably, 
as it is not noticed by either Sloane or Browne, an introduced 
plant, and merely a variety of M. azedarach, a native of the 
East Indies. 
We are informed by Dr Ainslie that a sort of toddy may 
be obtained from young healthy trees of this species, as well as 
from those of M. azadirachta, and that it is prescribed as a 
stomachic by the Hindoo doctors. 
The bark of this tree is bitter and astringent, but by no 
means disagreeable to the taste. We are informed by the 
Author just quoted, that it is regarded, by the native practi- 
tioners of India, amongst their most valuable tonics. They 
generally prescribe it in powder or decoction combined with 
some aromatic, as a substitute for Cinchona, in Fevers and 
chronic rheumatism. The bark of the root is said to be a 
powerful anthelmintic ; and is much employed by the Javanese, 
and in the Mauritius, and the southern States of America. In an 
overdose it is said to be followed by stupor, dilatation of the 
pupils, difficulty of breathing, spasmodic twitchings, &c., symp- 
toms similar to those produced by spjgelia anthelmia. It 
is given in decoction, prepared by boiling four ounces of the 
fresh root in a quart of water, till it has acquired the colour of 
strong coffee : of this, a table-spoonful is taken every hour, till 
the worms come away. It acts on the tape- worm, as well as the 
