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Cerbera odollam, Gaertn, Buta-buta, Babuta (. Apocyna - 
ce<z ). — This tree is very common in tidal swamps. It never at- 
tains a very large size and is sometimes rather a large shrub than 
a tree. The leaves are oblong and dark green. The flowers in 
corymbs are white with a pink or yellow ring in the throat tu- 
bular ending in a star-shaped limb. The fruit is large and fleshy, 
somewhat of the shape of a Mango, but less flattened, green, 
usually more or less tinted with red and containing a large stone 
covered outside with a strong network of fibre. 
The whole plant is full of milk-like latex, which is stated by 
the Malays to produce blindness when dropped into the eyes, 
whence the native name Buta-buta (blind). 
De Vrij isolated a crystalline substance from the plant known 
as cerberin. It is a violent heart poison acting like digitalin and 
allied to the poisons Tanghinine (from the Madagascar ordeal 
Bean Tanghinia) and Thevetine (from Thevetia). Cerbera ap- 
pears to have been used as a poison intentionally either for crime 
or suicide in India, but I do not know of its use here. Malays have 
told me that to stop for some time under a tree of it makes them 
ill, but this may be imaginary on their part. However they 
generally avoid it when possible. 
Gloriosa superba, L. (. LiliacecB ). — A climbing plant, with 
very ornamental red and yellow flowers with erect spirally twist- 
ed petals, often cultivated as an ornamental plant, and half wild 
on the sea-coast. This has long had a reputation for being poi- 
sonous, but of late it has been stated to be innocuous. A case of 
fatal irritant poisoning due to this plant occurred lately in Sin- 
gapore. Two Chinamen, having collected and boiled a quantity 
of the rhizomes and eaten them, were seized with a severe illness, 
of which one died. 
Rengas Poisons. 
The name Rengas is given by Malays to a number of trees be- 
longing to the order AfiacardiacecB which exude, when wounded, 
a black varnish which produces a serious irritation of the skin. 
Among them are the following: Melannorhea Maingayi , Hook, 
hi., M. Curtisii, Oliver., Melanochyla auriculata, Hook, fil., 
Gluta Benghas , L., Gl. elegans, Kurz and Mangijera Kemanga, 
Bl. — Nearly all the Malayan Anacar diace cb, contain a quantity of 
similar resin, but as a rule, the others are comparatively harm- 
less. An account of the effects of Rengas poisoning has been 
published by Dr. Brown in the Journal of the Straits Asiatic So- 
ciety, No. 24, p. 83. The resin when it touches the skin even in 
very small quantities produces inflammation followed by a pus- 
tular eruption and often much swelling of the part affected, 
sometimes ending in the formation of ulcers. Internally Dr, 
Brown states that it acts as a violent irritant causing vomiting 
and purging and is very dangerous. There is no doubt that some 
persons are more sensitive to the external action of this poison 
than others, but nearly all are more or less affected by it, and I 
have seen natives seriously injured by what must have been 
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