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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
CATALOGUE
OF
ECONOMIC PLANTS
IN THE COLLECTION OF THE
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
BY WILLIAM SAUNDERS.
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE.
WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
1891.
Transcriber's Note
Variant and obsolete spellings remain as printed. Minor
typographical errors have been corrected without note, whilst more
significant amendments have been listed at the end of the text. The
oe ligature is shown as [oe].
CATALOGUE OF ECONOMIC PLANTS IN THE COLLECTION OF THE U. S. DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE.
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
_Washington, D. C., June 5, 1891._
SIR: I have duly prepared by your direction a descriptive list of the
more important economic plants at present contained in the collection of
the Department, in such a form as will, in my opinion, most
satisfactorily meet the wants of the numerous visitors and others
interested in the work performed by the Department in this direction,
and I beg to submit the same herewith for publication.
WILLIAM SAUNDERS,
_Superintendent of Gardens and Grounds._
Hon. J. M. RUSK,
_Secretary of Agriculture._
DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF PLANTS.
1. ABELMOSCHUS MOSCHATUS.--This plant is a native of Bengal. Its seeds
were formerly mixed with hair powder, and are still used to
perfume pomatum. The Arabs mix them with their coffee berries. In
the West Indies the bruised seeds, steeped in rum, are used, both
externally and internally, as a cure for snake bites.
2. ABRUS PRECATORIUS.--Wild liquorice. This twining, leguminous plant
is a native of the East, but is now found in the West Indies and
other tropical regions. It is chiefly remarkable for its small
oval seeds, which are of a brilliant scarlet color, with a black
scar at the place where they are attached to the pods. These seeds
are much used for necklaces and other ornamental purposes, and are
employed in India as a standard of weight, under the name of Rati.
The weight of the famous Kohinoor diamond is known to have been
ascertained in this way. The roots afford liquorice, which is
extracted in the same manner as that from the true Spanish
liquorice plant, the _Glycyrrhiza glabra_. Recently the claim was
made that the weather could be foretold by certain movements of
the leaves of this plant, but experimental tests have proved its
fallacy.
3. ABUTILON INDICUM.--This plant furnishes fiber fit for the
manufacture of ropes. Its leaves contain a large quantity of
mucilage.
4. ABUTILON VENOSUM.--This malvaceous plant is common in collections,
as are others of the genus. They are mostly fiber-producing
species. The flowers of _A. esculentum_ are used as a vegetable in
Brazil.
5. ACACIA BRASILIENSIS.--This plant furnishes the Brazil wood, which
yields a red or crimson dye, and is used for dyeing silks. The
best quality is that received from Pernambuco.
6. ACACIA CATECHU.--The drug known as catechu is principally prepared
from this tree, the wood of which is boiled down, and the
decoction subsequently evaporated so as to form an extract much
used as an astringent. The acacias are very numerous, and yield
many useful products. Gum arabic is produced by several species,
as _A. vera_, _A. arabica_, _A. adansonii_, _A. verek_, and
others. It is obtained by spontaneous exudation from the trunk and
branches, or by incisions made in the bark, from whence it flows
in a liquid state, but soon hardens by exposure to the air. The
largest quantity of the gum comes from Barbary. Gum senegal is
produced by _A. vera_. By some it is thought that the timber of
_A. arabica_ is identical with the Shittim tree, or wood of the
Bible. From the flowers of _A. farnesiana_ a choice and delicious
perfume is obtained, the chief ingredient in many valued "balm of
a thousand flowers." The pods of _A. concinna_ are used in India
as a soap for washing; the leaves are used for culinary purposes,
and have a peculiarly agreeable acid taste. The seeds of some
species are used, when cooked, as articles of food. From the seeds
of _A. niopo_ the Guahibo Indians prepare a snuff, by roasting the
seeds and pounding them in a wooden platter. Its effects are to
produce a kind of intoxication and invigorate the spirits. The
bark of several species is extensively used for tanning, and the
timber, being tough and elastic, is valuable for the manufacture
of machinery and other purposes where great strength and
durability are requisite.
7. ACACIA DEALBATA.--The silver wattle tree of Australia. The bark is
used for tanning purposes. It is hardy South.
8. ACACIA HOMOLOPHYLLA.--This tree furnishes the scented myall wood, a
very hard and heavy wood, of an agreeable odor, resembling that of
violets. Fancy boxes for the toilet are manufactured of it.
9. ACACIA MELANOXYLON.--The wood of this tree is called mayall wood in
New South Wales. It is also called violet wood, on account of the
strong odor it has of that favorite flower; hence it is in great
repute for making small dressing cases, etc.
10. ACACIA MOLLISSIMA.--The black wattle tree of Australia, which
furnishes a good tanning principle. These trees were first called
wattles from being used by the early settlers for forming a
network or wattling of the supple twigs as a substitute for laths
in plastering houses.
11. ACROCOMIA SCLEROCARPA.--This palm grows all over South America. It
is known as the great macaw-tree. A sweetish-tasted oil, called
Mucaja oil, is extracted from the fruit and is used for making
toilet soaps.
12. ADANSONIA DIGITATA.--The baobab tree, a native of Africa. It has
been called the tree of a thousand years, and Humboldt speaks of
it as "the oldest organic monument of our planet." Adanson, who
traveled in Senegal in 1794, made a calculation to show that one
of these trees, 30 feet in diameter, must be 5,150 years old. The
bark of the baobab furnishes a fiber which is made into ropes and
also manufactured into cloth. The fiber is so strong as to give
rise to a common saying in Bengal, "as secure as an elephant bound
with baobab rope." The pulp of the fruit is slightly acid, and the
juice expressed from it is valued as a specific in putrid and
pestilential fevers. The ashes of the fruit and bark, boiled in
rancid palm oil, make a fine soap.
13. ADENANTHERA PAVONINA.--A tree that furnishes red sandal wood. A dye
is obtained simply by rubbing the wood against a wet stone, which
is used by the Brahmins for marking their foreheads after
religious bathing. The seeds are used by Indian jewelers as
weights, each seed weighing uniformly four grains. They are known
as Circassian beans. Pounded and mixed with borax, they form an
adhesive substance. They are sometimes used as food. The plant
belongs to the _Leguminosæ_.
14. ADHATODA VASICA.--This plant is extolled for its charcoal in the
manufacture of powder. The flowers, leaves, roots, and especially
the fruit, are considered antispasmodic, and are administered in
India in asthma and intermittent fevers.
15. ÆGLE MARMELOS.--This plant belongs to the orange family, and its
fruit is known in India as Bhel fruit. It is like an orange; the
thick rind of the unripe fruit possesses astringent properties,
and, when ripe, has an exquisite flavor and perfume. The fruit and
other parts of the plant are used for medicinal purposes, and a
yellow dye is prepared from the skin of the fruits.
16. AGAVE AMERICANA.--This plant is commonly known as American aloe,
but it is not a member of that family, as it claims kindred with
the _Amaryllis_ tribe of plants. It grows naturally in a wide
range of climate, from the plains of South America to elevations
of 10,000 feet. It furnishes a variety of products. The plants
form impenetrable fences; the leaves furnish fibers of various
qualities, from the fine thread known as pita-thread, which is
used for twine, to the coarse fibers used for ropes and cables.
Humboldt describes a bridge of upward of 130 feet span over the
Chimbo in Quito, of which the main ropes (4 inches in diameter)
were made of this fiber. It is also used for making paper. The
juice, when the watery part is evaporated, forms a good soap (as
detergent as castile), and will mix and form a lather with salt
water as well as with fresh. The sap from the heart leaves is
formed into pulque. This sap is sour, but has sufficient sugar and
mucilage for fermentation. This vinous beverage has a filthy odor,
but those who can overcome the aversion to this fetid smell
indulge largely in the liquor. A very intoxicating brandy is made
from it. Razor strops are made from the leaves; they are also used
for cleaning and scouring pewter.
17. AGAVE RIGIDA.--The sisal hemp, introduced into Florida many years
ago, for the sake of its fiber, but its cultivation has not been
prosecuted to a commercial success. Like many other of the best
vegetable fibers found in leaves, it contains a gummy substance,
which prevents the easy separation of the fiber from the pulp.
18. ALEURITES TRILOBA.--The candleberry tree, much cultivated in
tropical countries for the sake of its nuts. The nuts or kernels,
when dried and stuck on a reed, are used by the Polynesians as a
substitute for candles and as an article of food; they are said to
taste like walnuts. When pressed, they yield largely of pure
palatable oil, as a drying oil for paint, and known as artists'
oil. The cake, after the oil has been expressed, is a favorite
food for cattle. The root of the tree affords a brown dye, which
is used to dye cloths.
19. ALGAROBIA GLANDULOSA.--The mezquite tree, of Texas, occasionally
reaching a height of 25 to 30 feet. It yields a very hard, durable
wood, and affords a large quantity of gum resembling gum arabic,
and answering every purpose of that gum.
20. ALLAMANDA CATHARTICA.--This plant belongs to the family of
_Apocynaceæ_, which contains many poisonous species. It is often
cultivated for the beauty of its flowers; the leaves are
considered a valuable cathartic, in moderate doses, especially in
the cure of painter's colic; in large doses they are violently
emetic. It is a native of South America.
21. ALOE SOCOTRINA.--Bitter aloe, a plant of the lily family, which
furnishes the finest aloes. The bitter, resinous juice is stored
up in greenish vessels, lying beneath the skin of the leaf, so
that when the leaves are cut transversely, the juice exudes, and
is gradually evaporated to a firm consistence. The inferior kinds
of aloes are prepared by pressing the leaves, when the resinous
juice becomes mixed with the mucilaginous fluid from the central
part of the leaves, and thus it is proportionately deteriorated.
Sometimes the leaves are cut and boiled, and the decoction
evaporated to a proper consistence. This drug is imported in
chests, in skins of animals, and sometimes in large
calabash-gourds, and although the taste is peculiarly bitter and
disagreeable, the perfume of the finer sorts is aromatic, and by
no means offensive. It is common in tropical countries.
22. ALSOPHILA AUSTRALIS.--This beautiful tree-fern attains a height of
stem of 25 to 30 feet, with fronds spreading out into a crest 26
feet in diameter. These plants are among the most beautiful of all
vegetable productions, and in their gigantic forms indicate, in a
meager degree, the extraordinary beauty of the vegetation on the
globe previous to the formation of the coal measures.
23. ALSTONIA SCHOLARIS.--The Pali-mara, or devil tree, of Bombay. The
plant attains a height of 80 or 90 feet; the bark is powerfully
bitter, and is used in India in medicine. It is of the family of
_Apocynaceæ_.
24. AMOMUM MELEGUETA.--Malaguetta pepper, or grains of paradise;
belonging to the ginger family, _Zingiberaceæ_. The seeds of this
and other species are imported from Guinea; they have a very warm
and camphor-like taste, and are used to give a fictitious strength
to adulterated liquors, but are not considered particularly
injurious to health. The seeds are aromatic and stimulating, and
form, with other seeds of similar plants, what are known as
cardamoms.
25. AMYRIS BALSAMIFERA.--This plant yields the wood called Lignum
Rhodium. It also furnishes a gum resin analogous to Elemi, and
supposed to yield Indian Bdellium.
26. ANACARDIUM OCCIDENTALE.--The cashew nut tree, cultivated in the
West Indies and other tropical countries. The stem furnishes a
milky juice, which becomes hard and black when dry, and is used as
a varnish. It also secretes a gum, like gum arabic. The nut or
fruit contains a black, acrid, caustic oil, injurious to the lips
and tongue of those who attempt to crack the nut with their teeth;
it becomes innocuous and wholesome when roasted, but this process
must be carefully conducted, the acridity of the fumes producing
severe inflammation of the face if approached too near.
27. ANANASSA SATIVA.--The well-known pineapple, the fruit of which was
described three hundred years ago, by Jean de Léry, a Huguenot
priest, as being of such excellence that the gods might luxuriate
upon it, and that it should only be gathered by the hand of a
Venus. It is supposed to be a native of Brazil, and to have been
carried from thence to the West, and afterwards to the East
Indies. It first became known to Europeans in Peru. It is
universally acknowledged to be one of the most delicious fruits in
the world. Like all other fruits that have been a long time under
cultivation, there are numerous varieties that vary greatly, both
in quality and appearance. The leaves yield a fine fiber, which is
used in the manufacture of pina cloth; this cloth is very
delicate, soft, and transparent, and is made into shawls, scarfs,
handkerchiefs, and dresses.
28. ANDIRA INERMIS.--This is a native of Senegambia. Its bark is
anthelmintic, but requires care in its administration, being
powerfully narcotic. It has a sweetish taste, but a disagreeable
smell, and is generally given in the form of a decoction, which is
made by boiling an ounce of the dried bark in a quart of water
until it assumes the color of Madeira wine. Three or four grains
of the powdered bark acts as a powerful purgative. The bark is
known as bastard cabbage bark, or worm bark. It is almost obsolete
in medicine.
29. ANDROPOGON MURICATUS.--The Khus-Khus, or Vetiver grass of India.
The fibrous roots yield a most peculiar but pleasing perfume. In
India the leaves are manufactured into awnings, blinds, and
sunshades; but principally for screens, used in hot weather for
doors and windows, which, when wetted, diffuse a peculiar and
refreshing perfume, while cooling the air.
30. ANDROPOGON SCH[OE]NANTHUS.--The sweet-scented lemon grass, a native
of Malabar. An essential oil is distilled from the leaves, which
is used in perfumery. It is a favorite herb with the Asiatics,
both for medicinal and culinary purposes. Tea from the dried
leaves is a favorite beverage of some persons.
31. ANONA CHERIMOLIA.--The Cherimoyer of Peru, where it is extensively
cultivated for its fruits, which are highly esteemed by the
inhabitants, but not so highly valued by those accustomed to the
fruits of temperate climates. The fruit, when ripe, is of a pale
greenish-yellow color, tinged with purple, weighing from 3 to 4
pounds; the skin thin; the flesh sweet, and about the consistence
of a custard; hence often called custard apple.
32. ANONA MURICATA.--The sour-sop, a native of the West Indies, which
produces a fruit of considerable size, often weighing over 2
pounds. The pulp is white and has an acrid flavor, which is not
disagreeable.
33. ANONA RETICULATA.--The common custard apple of the West Indies. It
has a yellowish pulp and is not so highly esteemed as an article
of food as some others of the species. It bears the name of
Condissa in Brazil. The Anonas are grown to some extent throughout
southern Florida.
34. ANONA SQUAMOSA.--The sweet-sop, a native of the Malay Islands,
where it is grown for its fruits. These are ovate in shape, with a
thick rind, which incloses a luscious pulp. The seeds contain an
acrid principle, and, being reduced to powder, form an ingredient
for the destruction of insects.
35. ANTIARIS INNOXIA.--The upas tree. Most exaggerated statements
respecting this plant have passed into history. Its poisonous
influence was said to be so great as not only to destroy all
animal life but even plants could not live within 10 miles of it.
The plant has no such virulent properties as the above, but, as it
inhabits low valleys in Java where carbonic acid gas escapes from
the crevices in volcanic rocks which frequently proves fatal to
animals, the tree was blamed wrongly. It is, however, possessed of
poisonous juice, which, when dry and mixed with other ingredients,
forms a venomous poison for arrows, and severe effects have been
felt by those who have climbed upon the branches for the purpose
of gathering the flowers.
36. ANTIARIS SACCIDORA.--The sack tree; so called from the fibrous bark
being used as sacks. For this purpose young trees of about a foot
in diameter are selected and cut into junks of the same length as
the sack required. The outer bark is then removed and the inner
bark loosened by pounding, so that it can be separated by turning
it inside out. Sometimes a small piece of the wood is left to form
the bottom of the sack. The fruit exudes a milky, viscid juice,
which hardens into the consistency of beeswax, but becomes black
and shining.
37. ANTIDESMA BUNIAS.--An East India plant which produces small,
intensely black fruit about the size of a currant, used in making
preserves. The bark furnishes a good fiber, which is utilized in
the manufacture of ropes. A decoction of the leaves is a reputed
cure for snake bites. The whole plant is very bitter.
38. ARALIA PAPYRIFERA.--The Chinese rice paper plant. The stems are
filled with pith of very fine texture and white as snow, from
which is derived the article known as rice paper, much used in
preparing artificial flowers.
39. ARAUCARIA BIDWILLII.--The Bunya-Bunya of Australia, which forms a
large tree, reaching from 150 to 200 feet in height. The cones are
very large, and contain one hundred to one hundred and fifty
seeds, which are highly prized by the aborigines as food. They are
best when roasted in the shell, cracked between two stones and
eaten while hot. In flavor they resemble roasted chestnuts. During
the season of the ripening of these seeds the natives grow sleek
and fat. That part of the country where these trees most abound is
called the Bunya-Bunya country.
40. ARAUCARIA BRASILIENSIS.--The Brazilian Araucaria, which grows at
great elevations. The seeds of this tree are commonly sold in the
markets of Rio Janeiro as an article of food. The resinous matter
which exudes from the trunk is employed in the manufacture of
candles.
41. ARAUCARIA CUNNINGHAMII.--The Morton Bay pine. This Australian tree
forms a very straight trunk, and yields a timber of much
commercial importance in Sidney and other ports. It is chiefly
used for house building and some of the heavier articles of
furniture.
42. ARAUCARIA EXCELSA.--This very elegant evergreen is a native of
Norfolk Island. Few plants can compare with it in beauty and
regularity of growth. The wood is of no particular value, although
used for building purposes in Norfolk Island.
43. ARDISIA CRENATA.--A native of China. The bark has tonic and
astringent properties, and is used in fevers and for external
application in the cure of ulcers, etc.
44. ARECA CATECHU.--This palm is cultivated in all the warmer parts of
Asia for its seed. This is known under the name of betel nut, and
is about the size of a nutmeg. The chewing of these nuts is a
common practice of hundreds of thousands of people. The nut is cut
into small pieces, mixed with a small quantity of lime, and rolled
up in leaves of the betel pepper. The pellet is chewed, and is hot
and acrid, but possesses aromatic and astringent properties. It
tinges the saliva red and stains the teeth. The practice is
considered beneficial rather than otherwise, just as chewing
tobacco-leaves, drinking alcohol, and eating chicken-salad are
considered healthful practices in some portions of the globe. A
kind of catechu is obtained by boiling down the seeds to the
consistence of an extract, but the chief supply of this drug is
Acacia catechu.
45. ARGANIA SIDEROXYLON.--This is the argan tree of Morocco. It is
remarkable for its low-spreading mode of growth. Trees have been
measured only 16 feet in height, while the circumference of the
branches was 220 feet. The fruit is much eaten and relished by
cattle. The wood is hard and so heavy as to sink in water. A
valuable oil is extracted from the seeds.
46. ARISTOLOCHIA GRANDIFLORA.--The pelican flower. This plant belongs
to a family famed for the curious construction of their flowers,
as well as for their medical qualities. In tropical America
various species receive the name of "Guaco," which is a term given
to plants that are used in the cure of snake bites. Even some of
our native species, such as _A. serpentaria_, is known as
snake-root, and is said to be esteemed for curing the bite of the
rattlesnake. It is stated that the Egyptian jugglers use some of
these plants to stupefy the snakes before they handle them. _A.
bracteata_ and _A. indica_ are used for similar purposes in India.
It is said that the juice of the root of _A. anguicida_, if
introduced into the mouth of a serpent, so stupefies it that it
may be handled with impunity. The Indians, after having
"guaconized" themselves, that is, having taken Guaco, handle the
most venomous snakes without injury.
47. ARTANTHE ELONGATA.--A plant of the pepper family, which furnishes
one of the articles known by the Peruvians as Matico, and which is
used by them for the same purposes as cubebs; but its chief value
is as a styptic, an effect probably produced by its rough under
surface, acting mechanically like lint. It has been employed
internally to check hemorrhages, but with doubtful effect. Its
aromatic bitter stimulant properties are like those of cubebs, and
depend on a volatile oil, a dark-green resin, and a peculiar
bitter principle called _maticin_.
48. ARTOCARPUS INCISA.--This is the breadfruit tree of the South Sea
Islands, where its introduction gave occasion for the historical
incidents arising from the mutiny of the "Bounty." The round
fruits contain a white pulp, of the consistence of new bread. It
is roasted before being eaten, but has little flavor. The tree
furnishes a viscid juice containing caoutchouc, which is used as
glue for calking canoes. In the South Sea Islands the breadfruit
constitutes the principal article of diet; it is prepared by
baking in an oven heated by hot stones.
49. ARTOCARPUS INTEGRIFOLIA.--The jack of the Indian Archipelago,
cultivated for its fruit, which is a favorite article among the
natives, as also are the roasted seeds. The wood is much used, and
resembles mahogany. Bird-lime is made from the juice.
50. ASTROCARYUM VULGARE.--Every part of this South American palm is
covered with sharp spines. It is cultivated to some extent by the
Indians of Brazil for the sake of its young leaves, which furnish
a strong fiber for making bowstrings, fishing nets, etc. The finer
threads are knitted into hammocks, which are of great strength. It
is known as Tucum thread. The pulp of the fruit furnishes an oil.
In Guiana it is called the Aoura palm.
51. ATTALEA COHUNE.--This palm furnishes Cahoun nuts, from which is
extracted cohune oil, used as a burning oil, for which purpose it
is superior to cocoanut oil. Piassaba fiber is furnished by this
and _A. funifera_, the seeds of which are known as Coquilla nuts;
these nuts are 3 or 4 inches long, oval, of a rich brown color,
and very hard; they are much used by turners for making the
handles of doors, umbrellas, etc. The fiber derived from the
decaying of the cellular matter at the base of the leaf-stalks is
much used in Brazil for making ropes. It is largely used in
England and other places for making coarse brooms, chiefly used in
cleaning streets.
52. AVERRHOA BILIMBI.--This is called the blimbing, and is cultivated
to some extent in the East Indies. The fruit is oblong,
obtuse-angled, somewhat resembling a short, thick cucumber, with a
thin, smooth, green rind, filled with a pleasant, acid juice.
53. AVERRHOA CARAMBOLA.--The caramba of Ceylon and Bengal. The fruit of
this tree is about the size of a large orange, and, when ripe, is
of a rich yellow color, with a very decided and agreeable
fragrance. The pulp contains a large portion of acid, and is
generally used as a pickle or preserve. In Java it is used both in
the ripe and unripe state in pies; a sirup is also made of the
juice, and a conserve of the flowers. These preparations are
highly valued as remedies in fevers and bilious disorders.
54. BACTRIS MAJOR.--The Marajah palm, of Brazil, which grows upon the
banks of the Amazon River. It has a succulent, rather acid fruit,
from which a vinous beverage is prepared. _B. minor_ has a stem
about 14 feet high and about an inch in diameter. These stems are
used for walking canes, and are sometimes called Tobago canes.
55. BALSAMOCARPON BREVIFOLIUM.--This shrub is the algarrobo of the
Chilians. It belongs to the pea family. Its pods are short and
thick, and when unripe contain about 80 per cent of tannic acid;
the ripe pods become transformed into a cracked resinous
substance, when their tanning value is much impaired; this
resinous matter is astringent, and is used for dyeing black and
for making ink.
56. BALSAMODENDRON MYRRHA.--A native of Arabia Felix, producing a gum
resin, sometimes called Opobalsamum, which was considered by the
ancients as a panacea for almost all the ills that flesh is heir
to. _B. mukul_ yields a resin of this name, and is considered
identical with the Bdellium of Dioscorides and of the Scriptures.
The resin has cordial and stimulating properties, and is burnt as
an incense. In ancient times it was used as an embalming
ingredient.
57. BAMBUSA ARUNDINACEA.--The bamboo cane, a gigantic grass, cultivated
in many tropical and semitropical countries. The Chinese use it in
one way or other for nearly everything they require. Almost every
article of furniture in their houses, including mats, screens,
chairs, tables, bedsteads, and bedding, is made of bamboo. The
masts, sails, and rigging of their ships consist chiefly of
bamboo. A fiber has been obtained from the stem suitable for
mixing with wool, cotton, and silk; it is said to be very soft
and to take dyes easily. They have treatises and volumes on its
culture, showing the best soil and the seasons for planting and
transplanting this useful production.
58. BAUHINIA VAHLII.--The Maloo-climber of India, where the gigantic
shrubby stems often attain a height of 300 feet, running over the
tops of the tallest trees, and twisting so tightly around their
stems as to kill them. The exceedingly tough fibrous bark of this
plant is used in India for making ropes and in the construction of
suspension bridges. The seeds form an article of food; they are
eaten raw, and resemble cashew nuts in flavor.
59. BEAUCARNEA RECURVIFOLIA.--This Mexican plant is remarkable for the
large bulbiform swelling at the base of the stem. It is a plant of
much elegance and beauty, resembling a drooping fountain.
60. BERGERA KOENIGII.--The curry-leaf tree of India. The fragrant,
aromatic leaves are used to flavor curries. The leaves, root, and
bark are used medicinally. The wood is hard and durable, and from
the seeds a clear, transparent oil, called Simbolee oil, is
extracted.
61. BERRYA AMMONILLA.--This furnishes the Trincomalee wood of the
Philippine Islands and Ceylon, and is largely used for making oil
casks and for building boats, for which it is well adapted, being
light and strong.
62. BERTHOLLETIA EXCELSA.--This furnishes the well known Brazil nuts,
or cream nuts of commerce. The tree is a native of South America
and attains a height of 100 to 150 feet. The fruit is nearly round
and contains from eighteen to twenty-four seeds, which are so
beautifully packed in the shell that when once removed it is found
impossible to replace them. A bland oil is pressed from the seeds,
which is used by artists, and at Para the fibrous bark of the tree
is used for calking ships, as a substitute for oakum.
63. BIGNONIA ECHINATA.--A native of Mexico, where it is sometimes
called Mariposa butterfly. The branches are said to be used in the
adulteration of sarsaparilla. _B. chica_, a native of Venezuela,
furnishes a red pigment, obtained by macerating the leaves in
water, which is used by the natives for painting their bodies. The
long flexible stems of _B. kerere_ furnish the natives of French
Guiana with a substitute for ropes. _B. alliacea_ is termed the
Garlic shrub, because of the powerful odor of garlic emitted from
its leaves and branches when bruised. These plants all have showy
flowers, and the genus is represented with us by such beautiful
flowers as are produced by _B. radicans_ and _B. capreolata_.
64. BIXA ORELLANA.--Arnotta plant. This plant is a native of South
America, but has been introduced and cultivated both in the West
and East Indies. It bears bunches of pink-colored flowers, which
are followed by oblong bristled pods. The seeds are thinly coated
with red, waxy pulp, which is separated by stirring them in water
until it is detached, when it is strained off and evaporated to
the consistence of putty, when it is made up into rolls; in this
condition it is known as flag or roll arnotta, but when thoroughly
dried it is made into cakes and sold as cake arnotta. It is much
used by the South American Caribs and other tribes of Indians for
painting their bodies, paint being almost their only article of
clothing. As a commercial article it is mainly used as a coloring
for cheese, butter, and inferior chocolates, to all of which it
gives the required tinge without imparting any unpleasant flavor
or unwholesome quality. It is also used in imparting rich orange
and gold-colored tints to various kinds of varnishes.
65. BLIGHIA SAPIDA.--The akee fruit of Guinea. The fruit is about 3
inches long by 2 inches wide; the seeds are surrounded by a spongy
substance, which is eaten. It has a subacid, agreeable taste. A
small quantity of semisolid fatty oil is obtained from the seeds
by pressure.
66. B[OE]HMERIA NIVEA.--A plant of the nettle family, which yields the
fiber known as Chinese grass. The beautiful fabric called
grasscloth, which rivals the best French cambric in softness and
fineness of texture, is manufactured from the fiber of this plant.
The fiber is also variously known in commerce as rheea, ramie, and
in China as Tchow-ma. It is a plant of the easiest culture, and
has been introduced into the Southern States, where it grows
freely. When once machinery is perfected so as to enable its being
cheaply prepared for the manufacturer, a great demand will arise
for this fiber.
67. BOLDOA FRAGRANS.--A Chilian plant which yields small edible fruits;
these, as well as all parts of the plant, are very aromatic. The
bark is used for tanning, and the wood is highly esteemed for
making charcoal. An alkaloid called _boldine_, extracted from the
plant, has reputed medicinal value, and a drug called Boldu is
similarly produced.
68. BORASSUS FLABELLIFORMIS.--The Palmyra palm. The parts of this tree
are applied to such a multitude of purposes that a poem in the
Tamil language, although enumerating eight hundred uses, does not
exhaust the catalogue. In old trees the wood becomes hard and is
very durable. The leaves are from 8 to 10 feet long, and are used
for thatching houses, making various mattings, bags, etc. They
also supply the Hindoo with paper, upon which he writes with a
stylus. A most important product called toddy or palm wine is
obtained from the flower spikes, which yield a great quantity of
juice for four or five months. Palm-toddy is intoxicating, and
when distilled yields strong arrack. Very good vinegar is also
obtained from it, and large quantities of jaggery or palm sugar
are manufactured from the toddy. The fruits are large and have a
thick coating of fibrous pulp, which is cooked and eaten or made
into jelly. The young palm plants are cultivated for the market,
as cabbages are with us, and eaten, either when fresh or after
being dried in the sun.
69. BOSWELLIA THURIFERA.--This Coromandel tree furnishes the resin
known as olibanum, which is supposed to have been the frankincense
of the ancients. It is sometimes used in medicine as an astringent
and stimulant, and is employed, because of its grateful perfume,
as an incense in churches.
70. BROMELIA KARATAS.--The Corawa fiber, or silk-grass of Guiana, is
obtained from this plant, which is very strong, and much used for
bowstrings, fishing lines, nets, and ropes.
71. BROMELIA PINGUIN.--This is very common as a hedge or fence plant in
the West Indies. The leaves, when beaten with a blunt mallet and
macerated in water, produce fibers from which beautiful fabrics
are manufactured. The fruit yields a cooling juice much used in
fevers.
72. BROSIMUM ALICASTRUM.--The bread-nut tree of Jamaica. The nuts or
seeds produced by this tree are said to form an agreeable and
nutritious article of food. When cooked they taste like hazelnuts.
The young branches and shoots are greedily eaten by horses and
cattle, and the wood resembles mahogany, and is used for making
furniture.
73. BROSIMUM GALACTODENDRON.--The cow tree of South America, which
yields a milk of as good quality as that from the cow. It forms
large forests on the mountains near the town of Cariaco and
elsewhere along the seacoast of Venezuela, reaching to a
considerable height. In South America the cow tree is called Palo
de Vaca, or Arbol de Leche. Its milk, which is obtained by making
incisions in the trunk, so closely resembles the milk of the cow,
both in appearance and quality, that it is commonly used as an
article of food by the inhabitants of the places where the tree is
abundant. Unlike many other vegetable milks, it is perfectly
wholesome, and very nourishing, possessing an agreeable taste, and
a pleasant balsamic odor, its only unpleasant quality being a
slight amount of stickiness. The chemical analysis of this milk
has shown it to possess a composition closely resembling some
animal substances; and, like animal milk, it quickly forms a
cheesy scum, and after a few days' exposure to the atmosphere,
turns sour and putrefies. It contains upwards of 30 per cent of a
resinous substance called _galactine_.
74. BRYA EBENUS.--Jamaica or West India ebony tree. This is not the
plant that yields the true ebony-wood of commerce. Jamaica ebony
is of a greenish-brown color, very hard, and so heavy that it
sinks in water. It takes a good polish, and is used by turners for
the manufacture of numerous kinds of small wares.
75. BYRSONIMA SPICATA.--A Brazilian plant, furnishing an astringent
bark used for tanning, and also containing a red coloring matter
employed in dyeing. The berries are used in medicine, and a
decoction of the roots is used for ulcers.
76. CÆSALPINIA BONDUC.--A tropical plant, bearing the seeds known as
nicker nuts, or bonduc nuts. These are often strung together for
necklaces. The kernels have a very bitter taste, and the oil
obtained from them is used medicinally.
77. CÆSALPINIA PULCHERRIMA.--This beautiful flowering leguminous plant
is a native of the East Indies, but is cultivated in all the
tropics. In Jamaica it is called the "Barbados flower." The wood
is sought after for charcoal, and a decoction of the leaves and
flowers is used in fevers.
78. CÆSALPINIA SAPPAN.--The brownish-red wood of this Indian tree
furnishes the Sappan wood of commerce, from which dyers obtain a
red color, principally used for dyeing cotton goods. Its root also
affords an orange-yellow dye.
79. CALAMUS ROTANG.--This is one of the palms that furnish the canes or
rattans used for chair bottoms, sides of pony-carriages, and
similar purposes. It is a climbing palm and grows to an immense
length; specimens 300 feet long have been exhibited, climbing over
and amongst the branches of trees, supporting themselves by means
of the hooked spines attached to the leaf stalks. _C. rudentum_
and _C. viminalis_ furnish flexible canes. In their native
countries they are used for a variety of manufacturing purposes,
also for ropes and cables used by junks and other coasting
vessels. In the Himalayas they are used in the formation of
suspension bridges across rivers and deep ravines. _C. scipionum_
furnishes the well-known Malacca canes used for walking sticks.
They are naturally of a rich brown color. The clouded and mottled
appearance which some of these present is said to be imparted to
them by smoking and steaming.
80. CALLISTEMON SALIGNUS.--A medium-sized tree from Australia; one of
the many so-called tea trees of that country. The wood, which is
very hard, is known as stone wood and has been used for wood
engraving. Layers of the bark readily peel off; hence it also
receives the name of paper-bark plant.
81. CALLITRIS QUADRIVALVIS.--This coniferous plant is a native of
Barbary. It yields a hard, durable, and fragrant timber, and is
much employed in the erection of mosques, etc., by the Africans of
the North. The resin that exudes from the tree is used in varnish
under the name of gum-sandarach. In powder it forms a principal
ingredient of the article known as pounce.
82. CALOPHYLLUM CALABA.--This is called calaba tree in the West Indies,
and an oil, fit for burning, is expressed from the seeds. In the
West Indies these seeds are called Santa Maria nuts.
83. CALOTROPIS GIGANTEA.--The inner bark of this plant yields a
valuable fiber, capable of bearing a greater strain than hemp. All
parts of it abound in a very acrid milky juice, which hardens into
a substance resembling gutta-percha; but in its fresh state it is
a valuable remedy in cutaneous diseases. The bark of the root also
possesses similar medical qualities; and its tincture yields
_mudarine_, a substance that has the property of gelatinizing when
heated, and returning to the fluid state when cool. Paper has been
made from the silky down of the seeds.
84. CAMELLIA JAPONICA.--A well-known green-house plant, cultivated for
its large double flowers. The seeds furnish an oil of an agreeable
odor, which is used for many domestic purposes.
85. CAMPHORA OFFICINARUM.--This tree belongs to the _Lauraceæ_. Camphor
is prepared from the wood by boiling chopped branches in water,
when, after some time, the camphor becomes deposited and is
purified by sublimation. It is mainly produced in the island of
Formosa. The wood of the tree is highly prized for manufacturing
entomological cabinets. As the plant grows well over a large area
in the more Southern States, it is expected that the preparation
of its products will become a profitable industry.
86. CANELLA ALBA.--This is a native of the West Indies, and furnishes a
pale olive-colored bark with an aromatic odor, and is used as a
tonic. It is used by the natives as a spice. It furnishes the true
canella bark of commerce, also known as white-wood bark.
87. CAPPARIS SPINOSA.--The caper plant, a native of the South of Europe
and of the Mediterranean regions. The commercial product consists
of the flower-buds, and sometimes the unripe fruits, pickled in
vinegar. The wood and bark possess acrid qualities which will act
as a blister when applied to the skin.
88. CARAPA GUIANENSIS.--A meliaceous plant, native of tropical America,
where it grows to a height of 60 to 80 feet. The bark of this tree
possesses febrifugal properties and is also used for tanning. By
pressure, the seeds yield a liquid oil called carap-oil or
crab-oil, suitable for burning in lamps.
89. CARICA PAPAYA.--This is the South American papaw tree, but is
cultivated in most tropical countries. It is also known as the
melon-apple. The fruit is of a dingy orange-color, of an oblong
form, about 8 to 10 inches long, by 3 or 4 inches broad. It is
said that the juice of the tree, or an infusion of the leaves and
fruit, has the property of rendering tough fiber quite tender.
Animals fed upon the fruit and leaves will have very tender and
juicy flesh.
90. CARLUDOVICA PALMATA.--A pandanaceous plant from Panama and
southward. Panama hats are made from the leaves of this plant. The
leaves are cut when young, and the stiff parallel veins removed,
after which they are slit into shreds, but not separated at the
stalk end, and immersed in boiling water for a short time, then
bleached in the sun.
91. CARYOCAR NUCIFERUM.--On the river banks of Guiana this grows to a
large-sized tree. It yields the butter-nuts, or souari-nuts of
commerce. These are of a flattened kidney shape, with a hard woody
shell of a reddish-brown color, and covered with wart-like
protuberances. The nuts are pleasant to eat, and yield, by
expression, an oil called Piquia oil, which possesses the flavor
of the fruit.
92. CARYOPHYLLUS AROMATICUS.--This myrtaceous plant produces the
well-known spice called cloves. It forms a beautiful evergreen,
rising from 20 to 30 feet in height. The cloves of commerce are
the unexpanded flower-buds; they are collected by beating the tree
with rods, when the buds, from the jointed character of their
stalks, readily fall, and are received on sheets spread on
purpose; they are then dried in the sun. All parts of the plant
are aromatic, from the presence of a volatile oil. The oil is
sometimes used in toothache and as a carminative in medicine.
93. CARYOTA URENS.--This fine palm is a native of Ceylon, and is also
found in other parts of India, where it supplies the native
population with various important articles. Large quantities of
toddy, or palm-wine, are prepared from the juice, which, when
boiled, yields very good palm sugar or jaggery, and also excellent
sugar candy. Sago is also prepared from the central or pithy part
of the trunk, and forms a large portion of the food of the
natives. The fiber from the leaf stalk is of great strength; it is
known as Kittool fiber, and is used for making ropes, brushes,
brooms, etc. A woolly kind of scurf, scraped off the leaf stalks,
is used for calking boats, and the stem furnishes a small quantity
of wood.
94. CASIMIROA EDULIS.--A Mexican plant, belonging to the orange family,
with a fruit about the size of an ordinary orange, which has an
agreeable taste, but is not considered to be wholesome. The seeds
are poisonous; the bark is bitter, and is sometimes used
medicinally.
95. CASSIA ACUTIFOLIA.--The cassias belong to the leguminous family.
The leaflets of this and some other species produce the well-known
drug called senna. That known as Alexandria senna is produced by
the above. East Indian senna is produced by _C. elongata_. Aleppo
senna is obtained from _C. obovata_. The native species, _C.
marylandica_, possesses similar properties. The seeds of _C.
absus_, a native of Egypt, are bitter, aromatic, and mucilaginous,
and are used as a remedy for ophthalmia. _C. fistula_ is called
the Pudding-Pipe tree, and furnishes the cassia pods of commerce.
The seeds of _C. occidentalis_, when roasted, are used as a
substitute for coffee in the Mauritius and in the interior of
Africa.
96. CASTILLOA ELASTICA.--This is a Mexican tree, which yields a milky
juice, forming caoutchouc, but is not collected for commerce
except in a limited way.
97. CASUARINA QUADRIVALVIS.--This Tasmanian tree produces a very hard
wood of a reddish color, often called Beef wood. It is marked with
dark stripes, and is much used in some places for picture frames
and cabinetwork. This belongs to a curious family of trees having
no leaves, but looking like a gigantic specimen of Horse-tail
grass, a weed to be seen in wet places.
98. CATHA EDULIS.--This plant is a native of Arabia, where it attains
the height of 7 to 10 feet. Its leaves are used by the Arabs in
preparing a beverage like tea or coffee. The twigs, with leaves
attached, in bundles of fifty, and in pieces from 12 to 15 inches
in length, form a very considerable article of commerce, its use
in Arabia corresponding to that of the Paraguay tea in South
America and the Chinese tea in Europe. The effects produced by a
decoction of the leaves of Cafta, as they are termed, are
described as similar to those produced by strong green tea, only
more pleasing and agreeable. The Arab soldiers chew the leaves
when on sentry duty to keep them from feeling drowsy. Its use is
of great antiquity, preceding that of coffee. Its stimulating
effects induced some Arabs to class it with intoxicating
substances, the use of which is forbidden by the Koran, but a
synod of learned Mussulmans decreed that, as it did not impair the
health or impede the observance of religious duties, but only
increased hilarity and good humor, it was lawful to use it.
99. CECROPIA PELTATA.--The South American trumpet tree, so called
because its hollow branches are used for musical instruments. The
Waupe Indians form a kind of drum by removing the pith or center
of the branches. The inner bark of the young branches yields a
very tough fiber, which is made into ropes. The milky juice of the
stem hardens into caoutchouc.
100. CEDRELA ODORATA.--This forms a large tree in the West India
Islands, and is hollowed out for canoes; the wood is of a brown
color and has a fragrant odor, and is sometimes imported under the
name of Jamaica cedar.
101. CEPHÆLIS IPECACUANHA.--This Brazilian plant produces the true
ipecacuanha, and belongs to the _Cinchonaceæ_. The root is the
part used in medicine, it is knotty, contorted, and annulated, and
of a grayish-brown color, and its emetic properties are due to a
chemical principle called _emetin_.
102. CERATONIA SILIQUA.--The carob bean. This leguminous plant is a
native of the countries bordering on the Mediterranean. The seed
pods contain a quantity of mucilaginous and saccharine matter, and
are used as food for cattle. Besides the name of carob beans,
these pods are known as locust pods, or St. John's bread, from a
supposition that they formed the food of St. John in the
wilderness. It is now generally admitted that the locusts of St.
John were the insects so called, and which are still used as an
article of food in some of the Eastern countries. There is more
reason for the belief that the husks mentioned in the parable of
the prodigal son were these pods. The seeds were at one time used
by singers, who imagined that they softened and cleared the voice.
103. CERBERA THEVETIA.--The name is intended to imply that the plant is
as dangerous as Cerberus. The plant has a milky, poisonous juice.
The bark is purgative; the unripe fruit is used by the natives of
Travancore to destroy dogs, as its action causes their teeth to
loosen and fall out.
104. CEREUS GIGANTEA.--The suwarrow of the Mexicans, a native of the
hot, arid, and almost desert regions of New Mexico, found growing
in rocky places, in valleys, and on mountain sides, often
springing out of mere crevices in hard rocks, and imparting a
singular aspect to the scenery of the country, its tall stems
often reaching 40 feet in height, with upright branches looking
like telegraph posts for signaling from point to point of the
rocky mountains. The fruits are about 2 or 3 inches long, of a
green color and oval form; when ripe they burst into three or four
pieces, which curve back so as to resemble a flower. Inside they
contain numerous little black seeds, imbedded in a crimson-colored
pulp, which the Indians make into a preserve. They also eat the
ripe fruit as an article of food.
105. CEREUS MACDONALDIÆ.--A night-blooming cereus, and one of the most
beautiful. The flowers when fully expanded are over a foot in
diameter, having numerous radiating red and bright orange sepals
and delicately white petals. It is a native of the Honduras.