i 9 6 
Malacca Gardens and also in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. 
It is easily grown and fruits readily and abundantly, but cultiva- 
tions are always marred here, as often elsewhere by plagues of 
caterpillars (Bulletin O. S. 266) which speedily reduce the leaves 
to skeletons. It might however, come in as a catch crop for 
rubber, as it is of rapid growth and fruits in about six months. 
A little is grown by Malays for local use. Their method of pre- 
paiing the oil is, I am informed, to boil the seeds and pound them 
up m water, afterwards skimming off the oil. 
Jatropha c ureas. - The purging nut is commonly grown as a fen- 
cing plant, cuttings growing readily and making a rather poor 
but quickly raised fence. The latex of this plant stains clothing 
ot a dirty grey, and clothes put out to dry on this kind of hedge, 
not rarely used by the washermen, are apt to get spoiled. The 
seeds are rather too strong and irregular a purgative for general 
use, and it has never been used as a medicine bv Europeans. The 
drastic part of the seed is said to occur in the embryo and it is 
said that it this is removed four or/ five of the seeds mav be used 
as a gentle and safe purgative. 
“The leaves are rubefacient and used in India to produce a flow 
o milk, and the juice of the stem. is applied as a stvptic and said 
to be excellent. —( Watt's Dictionary). . 
Croton oil, Croton Tiglmm {Euphorhiacese) is seldom cultivated. 
Plants occasionally are to be met with in Native gardens. It is 
an easily grown shrub, and fruits readily. Seeds are imported ap- 
parently from Java chiefly, but there is little demand for it, the oil 
being so drastic that it is but little used and only in small quantities. 
The Natives know its properties well and use it for poisoning, 
grinding up the seed and sprinkling it over food. 
Aloes are imported and used in the ordinary way. 
v ^j nna (Sena Maki) is the dried leaves of Cassia augustifolia , 
V CLlix. 
The leaves of this plant are imported from Arabia,' and a decoc- 
tion is made of them which is drunk. As it is supposed to come 
from Mecca it has a semi-religious value, and in combination with 
other substances is supposed to be good for all kinds of sicknesses 
The leaves are ground to powder and sifted and die weight of 
three drachms is a dose. The following is an account of its use 
from a Malay manuscript : — - 
Article fc r the use and method of taking Senna Maki leaf, 
bark and :dem which are famous for their use and success by 
eminent native doctors. In the first place, take the Senna bark, 
leaf and seem together, and pound them into powder and sift it. 
To take it for a dose let it be weighed three dirhems and mix it 
with any of the Allowing mixtures as the case of the sickness 
may require: — 
1 If taken with rose water n will cm*e disease in the. .he-L 
2 If taken with sugar U w.n expel cold up m the bod • and act 
as an aphrodisiac. 
