Notes . 
361 
CALCAREOUS DEPOSIT IN HIERONYMA ALCHOR- 
NEOIDES, Allem. The following note may be of interest to 
readers of the ‘ Annals of Botany ’ : — 
Royal Botanic Gardens, Trinidad, 
Jan. 19, 1888. 
Dear Sir, 
I send you by this mail a piece of wood from the trunk of 
a Euphorbiaceous tree ( Hieronyma alchorneoides , Allem.). In it and 
on the outside is a curious deposit, called by the native sawyers 
‘stone.’ This material is a great nuisance to them, as it blunts 
.their saws. The wood is a very useful one, and is known locally as 
Tapana — Tapanare in Spanish. My attention was called to this de- 
posit by Mr. C. W. Meaden, Superintendent Convict Depot, 
Chaguanas, who does considerable timber cutting. Considering it 
to be worth examination I asked the Government to allow an analysis 
to be made by Mr. M c Carthy, the results of which are given 
below. 
Calcium as carbonate (Chalk) . . . .85-81 
Loss on ignition, woody fibre and some carbonic 1 
acid gas j 
Insoluble in acids . . . . . . . -76 
Alumina, including phosphates and iron . . 8-37 
Total ioo-oo 
Mr. M c Carthy further remarks, ‘ In my opinion the land on which 
the “ Tapana ” tree in question was grown contained a fair proportion 
of lime. This lime was dissolved by the rain water containing 
carbonic acid gas, and the solution was subsequently assimilated. 
During the circulation of the sap and at a certain height an outlet 
was reached when the gas essential to the dissolving the lime parted 
company with the solution, and as a result the lime was deposited 
as it is on the inside of a boiler or tea-kettle.’ 
The deposit occurs in cracks or fissures which may be caused 
by the action of the air or may be caused by the concussion when 
the tree is felled to the ground. 
The fact, however, would appear to be new 1 2 that wood should make 
1 Fissures caused by fall probably. — J. H. H. 
2 Deposits of phosphate of lime in teak are well known (Quart. Journ. Chem. 
Society, Vol. xv. p. 91). — W. T. T. D. 
