November 2 , 1891.] 
THE TROPICAL AQRI0ULTURI8T, 
and in Nepal, as Jhuri. The use of the leaves as a 
substitute for tea in India is said to have been noticed 
as far back as 1821. Dr. Watt says the leaves iirc 
used, hero aud there throughout the Himalayas, from 
Alniora to Sikkim, in place of tea. Wheu specially 
prepared they have a strong tea-liko smell, but the 
infusion has powerful emetic prtmerties which require 
long usage to overcome. Dr. Iloyle suggested that 
experiineiitfl should be made in the cultivation of the 
plant in order to discover if this emetic property 
could be removed by careful cultivation. The dis- 
cover)^ of tea proper in Assam, and the greatly ex- 
tended cvltivation of that plant, have left the matter 
of Osyris tea in the position in which it was at the 
beginning of the present century, when it first attract- 
ed the attention of the public. There is a good 
sample of this tea in the Kew Museum. 
UiTic.iCK.f;. 
70. £7fmui caMpestn'^, 8m.— -The common 131m, John- 
son, in his Vse/ul 77«n/s of Great a book 
published many years ago by Hardwick, without date, 
says;— “ Some years ago an immense quantity of dried 
Elm leaves were used for adulterating tea, and for 
manufacturing a substitute for it. They arc astrin- 
gent, but contain a considerable quantity of mucil- 
aginous matter." 
71. co/ymfm/osrt, Wedd.— This plant, which 
iH now sunk under the genus I^eucosyke.is astraggl- 
*ng shrub from 6 to 8 met high, growing in Fiji, 
where it ia known as Matadra. Seemann, in his 
f says: — “Some of the white residents 
in Viti have drunk a decoction of the leaves without 
perceiving it to be different from Chinese tea. The 
natives do not seem to use the plant iu this way.” 
72. Pilea aitjeufea, DC. — 'I’he leaves of this plant 
arp stated in llosenthal's Siptajmsf Planiarum PHa- 
phortearum, to be used in Greece as a substitute for 
tea, though nothing is said about the extent of its 
consumption or of Us peculiar properties. 
Mtricacejs. 
73. Mynca Endl. — An American plant’ 
native of tlie mountanous parts of N. Carolina, and 
extending northwards. It is known as Fom Bush or 
oweet Fern, and from the plant a pleasant aromatic 
astringent drink is made, and generally used in the 
summer complaints of children. The dried leaves 
are said to make an excellent tea. The plant is 
frequently known as Cojn^>tonia asplenifolia. There 
IS a good sample in the Kew Museum. 
Cui*ui.iFKa.-E. 
7-i Jietuia fl/Aff., D. — The white Birch. Among the uses 
to which this valuable tree has been put, ia the adap- 
tation of the dried leaves for tea, a use to which it is 
said they are commonly put in Finland. 
Orciiihea;. 
7.5. AemnihxLi fragi'ans^ Kchb. — This Orchid is per- 
iiaps batter known as Angriocsmn fragrans, Thouars. 
A native of Mauritius and Bourbon, where it is known 
ft-sFaham. It wus first brought to notice as a teaiu 
this country in having been brought from Paris, 
whore it liad been sold for H<JinG time. The leaves are 
simply dried and packed in small boxes, and from the 
label it would seem not to have been introduced for 
the purpose of supplanting Chinese tea, but to afford 
an ouportmiity of choosing between two beverages 
equally beneficial and iisefuJ. 
The following notes nre from au account of Faham 
tea which I gave in the Gai'dnu-rif' Ckronich tat 
7, 1866, p. 315. It is a translation of a circular which 
accompanies each packet “ Faham is not a now 
production. From time immemorial, the natives of 
the Islands of Reunion and Mauritius, situated as it 
wore at the very gates of China, have profened it to 
tea; every traveller has partaken of their preference. 
tJne of our most illustrious writers, Georges Sand 
eulogises it in the midst of the fnie description which 
»he gives of the Isle of Bourbon, a eulogy wliichcan- 
not be suspected of puffery, inasmuch as it w'as writ- 
ten thirty years before the introduction of Faliam 
mto hranco was thought of. Every work on botany 
OT any importance similarly places it hi the foremost 
3” 
rank of the beneficial productions of this favoured 
clime. The difficulties experienced in the gathering 
and manufacture of Faham on a large scale, and 
consequently the almost impossibility of procuring 
^ quantity to recompense the labour of 
obtaining it tor consumption, and also its very high 
price, have alone prevented until now tliia valuable 
article of diet from being imported into France. 
j\fler many fruitless attempts, these obstacles have 
been overcome. 
“Faham tea possesses a taste differing greatly from 
that of true tea, and is preferred by the majority of 
persons who have tasted it. It can be used as a sub- 
stitute for tea on all occasions, as it combines its 
tmne and digestive qualities, free from the sleoples.s 
effect. It possesses an aroma of great delicacy, cap- 
able of being rendered more or less pungent, accord- 
ing to the quantity used, and it gives forth a most 
agreeable perfume. After being drunk, it leaves a 
lasting fragrance in the mouth, and in a closed room 
tlie odour of it can bo recognised long after. This 
beverage has the further advantage over tea, which 
requires to lie drunk at the time of making, that it can 
be reswved for a future occasion, if required, aiidmav 
be either taken cold or made hot again. Milk or 
spirits in small quantities, especially rum, serve to 
develop Its aroma, and.lending it additional delicacy 
ojr greater strength, render it a delicious drink. Lastly 
this valuable plant ia made use of to flavour custards 
and ices, to which it communicates its delicate fra- 
grance. 
“ To be taken as a warn beverage, the leaves and 
Btmks flhould be placed in cold water in about the 
proportion of 1 pramnie to a tea-cup, more or less 
as flio consumer may desire it of a greater or lesser 
deCTco of strength The water should be immediately 
.made to boil for about 10 minntos in the tea-kettle 
or other closed vossol. It should then bo emptied 
into tlie tea-pot or tea-cups, and sweetened accordingly." 
In the so-callod tea, the loaves are simply dried 
without being curled or roasted, and in their dried 
state, as well ns in infusion, they emit a strong fra- 
grance, roseinbliiig that of the Tonqiiin Bean. There 
IS a good sample of this tea in the KewMiiseuni. 
IjILUCEJl. 
76. .Similax f ycuphylto. Smith,— A glabrous climh- 
ing plant, with the stems niid brnnobes more or less- 
nniied with scattered prickles. It is found in N 
Australia Victoria, New South Woles, and Queens- 
and. A decoction made from the leaves has a sweet 
taste, and ik UKed m Auntralia under the name of 
Sweet lea or Botany Bay Tea. It would seem, how- 
ever, to be used more as a medicine than a tea pro- 
S or, for it ih stated to have similar properties to Jamaica 
arsaparilla, which ia a nearly allied plant. 
I’ALMACKsK. 
77. Phn mx daciylifera, L.— Date Palm. Under the 
name of Date Coffee, the hard, horny seeds of this 
well-lcnowm Palm w'ere roasted and ground, and largely 
advertised a few years ago as a substitute for true 
coffee. A company was formed for the exclusive manu- 
fneturo and sole of this article, which is now seldom 
or never heard of. 
GltAMINE.IC. 
7H. Andropagon dtratum, DC. (Lemon-grass).— This 
scented-leaved grass occurs only in a cultivated state 
and very rarely Howers. It is cultivated in Ceylon 
fragrant oil which 
18 distilled froni the leaves, and used in perfumery. 
In the fresli state tliese leaves are said to be some- 
Bnies used as a substitute for tea, under the name of 
Citronelle tea; a warm infusion made from tlieiii is 
likewise stated to be a valuable medicine in febrile 
affections, 
FinicEs. 
79. Aspidium frngittits.—Tho fronds of this Fern 
whicli liavo a scent similar to that of the Rasnberr ’ 
are niiicli estcoiiied in the north of Asia for their anr' 
scorbutic properties, and are used as tea I .s' 
Mongols. "y 
80. Adiantum raudaium, L. — A widely i c 
tliroiiglioiit tlio Tropica of the OldWovTo 
tea in Biiinion, under the uame of Capillaire. 
