perfume. The peculiar odor of patchouli is disagreeable to some,
but is very popular with many persons. The odoriferous part of the
plant is the leaves and young tops, which yield a volatile oil by
distillation, from which an essence is prepared; satchels of
patchouli are made of coarsely powdered leaves. Genuine Indian
shawls and Indian ink were formerly distinguished by their odor of
this perfume, but the test does not now hold good. Ill effects,
such as loss of sleep, nervous attacks, etc., have been ascribed
to its extensive use.
356. PONGAMIA GLABRA.--Some years ago this tree was recommended as
suitable for avenue-planting in the south of France. In India an
oil called poonga is expressed from the seeds, which is much used
for mixing with lamp oil. It is of a deep yellow color, and is
fluid at temperatures above 60° F., but below that it becomes
solid.
357. PORTLANDIA GRANDIFLORA.--This plant belongs to the cinchonaceous
family, and is said to possess properties similar to those of the
true cinchona. The bark is exceedingly bitter.
358. PSIDIUM CATTLEYANUM.--This is the purple guava from China. The
fruits are filled with juicy, pale flesh, of a very agreeable
acid-sweet flavor.
359. PSIDIUM PYRIFERUM.--The West Indian guava, a well-known fruit in
the tropics, but only known here in the shape of guava jelly. The
wood of the tree has a fine, close grain, and has been
experimented with as a substitute for boxwood for engraving
purposes, but it is too soft to stand the pressure of printing.
360. PSYCHOTRIA LEUCANTHA.--A plant belonging to the cinchona family.
Emetic properties are assigned to the roots, which are also used
in dyeing. Native of Peru.
361. PTEROCARPUS MARSUPIUM.--This tree affords gum-kino, which is
obtained by making incisions in the bark, from which the juice
exudes and hardens into a brittle mass, easily broken into small
angular, shining fragments of a bright ruby color. It is highly
astringent. The wood is hard and valuable for manufacturing
purposes.
362. PUNICA GRANATUM.--The pomegranate, a native of northern Africa and
western Asia. The fruit is valued in warm countries on account of
its delicious cooling and refreshing pulp. Numerous varieties are
grown, some being sweet and vinous, and others acid or of a
bitter, stringent taste; the color also varies from light to dark
red. The bark of the root abounds in a peculiar principle called
_punicin_. This bark appears to have been known to the ancients,
and used by them as a vermifuge, and is still used in Hindostan as
a specific against tapeworm. The rind of the fruit of the bitter
varieties contains a large amount of tannin, and is used for
tanning morocco leather. The flowers yield a red dye.
363. QUASSIA AMARA.--The wood of this plant furnishes Surinam quassia.
It is destitute of smell, but has an intensely bitter taste, and
is used as a tonic. The root has also reputed medicinal value, as
also have the flowers.
364. QUILLAJA SAPONARIA.--The Quillai or Cully of the Chilians. Its
bark is called soap-bark, and is rough and dark-colored
externally, but internally consists of numerous regular whitish or
yellowish layers, and contains a large quantity of carbonate of
lime and other mineral matters. It is also rich in _saponine_, and
is used for washing clothes; 2 ounces of the bark is sufficient to
wash a dress. It also removes all spots or stains, and imparts a
fine luster to wool; when powdered and rubbed between the hands in
water, it makes a foam like soap. It is to be found in commerce.
365. RANDIA ACULEATA.--A small tree native of the West Indies, also
found in southern Florida. In the West Indies the fruit is used
for producing a blue dye, and medicinal properties are assigned to
the bark.
366. RAPHIA TÆDIGERA.--The Jupati palm. The leaf-stalks of this plant
are used by the natives of the Amazon for a variety of purposes,
such as constructing inside walls, making boxes and baskets, etc.
_R. vinifera_, the Bamboo palm, is similarly used by the Africans,
who also make a very pliable cloth of the undeveloped leaves. Palm
wine is one of the products of the genus.
367. RAVENALA MADAGASCARIENSIS.--This plant is called the Traveler's
tree, probably on account of the water which is stored up in the
large cup-like sheaths of the leaf-stalks, and which is sought for
by travelers to allay their thirst. The broad leaves are used in
Madagascar as thatch to cover their houses. The seeds are edible,
and the blue, pulpy aril surrounding them yields an essential oil.
368. RHAPIS FLABELLIFORMIS.--The ground rattan palm. This is supposed
to yield the walking-canes known as rattan, which is doubted. It
is a native of southern China, and is also found in Japan, where
it is known by the name of Kwanwortsik.
369. RHIZOPHORA MANGLE.--This plant is known as the mangrove, possibly
because no man can live in the swampy groves that are covered with
it in tropical countries. The seeds germinate, or form roots
before they quit the parent tree, and drop into the mud as young
trees. The old plants send out aerial roots into the water, upon
which the mollusca adhere, and as the tide recedes they are seen
clinging to the shoots, verifying the statements of old travelers
that they had seen oysters growing on trees. All parts of this
tree contain tannin. The bark yields dyes, and in the West Indies
the leaves are used for poulticing wounds. The fruit is edible; a
coarse, brittle salt is extracted from the roots, and in the
Philippines the bark is used as a febrifuge.
370. ROTTLERA TINCTORIA.--This plant belongs to the order
_Euphorbiaceæ_, and reaches the size of a small tree in the Indian
Archipelago and southern Australia. From the surface of the
trilobed capsules of this plant, which are about the size of peas,
a red, mealy powder is obtained, well known in India as kamala,
and which is used by Hindoo silk-dyers, who obtain from it a deep,
bright, durable orange or flame color of great beauty. This is
obtained by boiling the powder in a solution of carbonate of soda.
When the capsules are ripe the red powder is brushed off and
collected for sale, no other preparation being necessary to
preserve it. It is also used medicinally as an anthelmintic and
has been successfully used in cases of tapeworm. A solution
removes freckles and pustules and eruptions on the skin.
371. RUELLIA INDIGOTICA.--This small bush is extensively cultivated in
China for the preparation of a blue coloring-matter of the nature
of indigo. The pigment is prepared from the entire plant by a
process similar to that employed in procuring the common indigo.
It is sold in China in a pasty state. The water in which the plant
is steeped is mixed with lime and rapidly agitated, when the
coloring deposits at the bottom of the vessel.
372. SABAL ADANSONII.--This dwarf palm is a native of the Southern
States. The leaves are made into fans, and the soft interior of
the stem is edible.
373. SABAL UMBRACULIFERA.--This is a West Indian palm; the leaves are
used for various purposes, such as making mats, huts, etc.
374. SACCHARUM OFFICINARUM.--The sugar cane. Where the sugar cane was
first cultivated is unknown, but it is supposed to have been in
the East Indies, for the Venetians imported it from thence by the
Red Sea prior to the year 1148. It is supposed to have been
introduced into the islands of Sicily, Crete, Rhodes, and Cyprus
by the Saracens, as abundance of sugar was made in these islands
previous to the discovery of the West Indies in 1492 by the
Spaniards, and the East Indies and Brazil by the Portuguese in
1497 and 1560. It was cultivated afterwards in Spain, in Valentia,
Granada, and Murcia by the Moors. In the fifteenth century it was
introduced into the Canary Islands by the Spaniards and to Madeira
by the Portuguese, and thence to the West India Islands and to
Brazil. The Dutch began to make sugar in the island of St. Thomas
in the year 1610 and in Jamaica in 1644. Its culture has since
become general in warm climates and its use universal.
375. SAGUERUS SACCHARIFER.--The arenga palm, which is of great value to
the Malays. The black horsehair like fiber surrounding its
leaf-stalks is made into cordage; a large amount of toddy or palm
wine is obtained by cutting off the flower spikes, which, when
inspissated, affords sugar, and when fermented a capital vinegar.
Considerable quantities of inferior sago and several other
products of minor importance are derived from this palm.
376. SAGUS RUMPHII.--This palm produces the sago of commerce, which is
prepared from the soft inner portion of the trunk. It is obtained
by cutting the trunk into small pieces, which are split and the
soft substance scooped out and pounded in water till the starchy
substance separates and settles. This is sago meal; but before
being exported it is made into what is termed pearl sago. This is
a Chinese process, principally carried on at Singapore. The meal
is washed, strained, and spread out to dry; it is then broken up,
pounded, and sifted until it is of a regular size. Small
quantities being then placed in bags, these are shaken about until
it becomes granulated or pearled.
377. SALVADORA PERSICA.--This is supposed to be the plant that produced
the mustard seed spoken of in the Scriptures.
378. SANDORICUM INDICUM.--A tropical tree, sometimes called the Indian
sandal tree, which produces a fruit like an apple, of agreeable
acid flavor. The root of the tree has some medicinal value.
379. SANSEVIERA GUINEENSIS.--Called the African bowstring hemp, from
the fibers of the leaves being used for bowstrings.
380. SANTALUM ALBUM.--This tree yields the true sandalwood of India.
This fragrant wood is in two colors, procured from the same tree;
the yellow-colored wood is from the heart and the white-colored
from the exterior, the latter not so fragrant. The Chinese
manufacture it into musical instruments, small cabinets, boxes,
and similar articles, which are insect proof. From shavings of the
wood an essential oil is distilled, which is used in perfumery.
381. SAPINDUS SAPONARIA.--The soapberry tree. The fruit of this plant
is about the size of a large gooseberry, the outer covering or
shell of which contains a saponaceous principle in sufficient
abundance to produce a lather with water and is used as a
substitute for soap. The seeds are hard, black, and round, and are
used for making rosaries and necklaces, and at one time were
covered for buttons. Oil is also extracted from the seeds and is
known as soap oil.
382. SAPIUM INDICUM.--A widely distributed Asiatic tree which yields an
acrid, milky juice, which, as also the leaves of the plant,
furnishes a kind of dye. The fruit in its green state is acid, and
is eaten as a condiment in Borneo.
383. SAPOTA ACHRAS.--The fruit of this plant is known in the West
Indies as the sapodilla plum. It is highly esteemed by the
inhabitants; the bark of the tree is astringent and febrifugal;
the seeds are aperient and diuretic.
384. SAPOTA MULLERI.--The bully or balata tree of British Guiana, which
furnishes a gum somewhat intermediate between India rubber and
gutta-percha, being nearly as elastic as the first without the
brittleness and friability of the latter, and requiring a high
temperature to melt or soften it.
385. SCHINUS MOLLE.--The root of this plant is used medicinally and the
resin that exudes from the tree is employed to astringe the gums.
The leaves are so filled with resinous fluid that when they are
immersed in water it is expelled with such violence as to have the
appearance of spontaneous motion in consequence of the recoil. The
fruits are of the size of pepper corns and are warm to the taste.
The pulp surrounding the seeds is made into a kind of beverage by
the Mexican Indians. The plant is sometimes called Mexican
pepper.
386. SCHOTIA SPECIOSA.--A small tree of South Africa called Boerboom at
the Cape of Good Hope. The seeds or beans are cooked and eaten as
food. The bark is used for tanning purposes and as an astringent
in medicine.
387. SEAFORTHIA ELEGANS.--This palm is a native of the northern part of
Australia, where it is utilized by the natives. The seeds have a
granular fibrous rind, and are spotted and marked like a nutmeg.
388. SELAGINELLA LEPIDOPHYLLA.--This species of club moss is found in
southern California, and has remarkable hygrometric qualities. Its
natural growth is in circular roseate form, and fully expanded
when the air is moist, but rolling up like a ball when it becomes
dry. It remains green and acts in this peculiar manner for a long
time after being gathered. Of late years numbers have been
distributed throughout the country under the names of "Rose of
Jericho" and "Resurrection Plant." This is, however, quite
distinct from the true Rose of Jericho, _Anastatica
hierochuntica_, a native of the Mediterranean region, from Syria
to Algeria. This plant, when growing and in flower, has branches
spread rigidly, but when the seed ripens the leaves wither, and
the whole plant becomes dry, each little branch curling inward
until the plant appears like a small ball; it soon becomes
loosened from the soil, and is carried by the winds over the dry
plains, and is often blown into the sea, where it at once expands.
It retains this property of expanding when moistened for at least
ten years.
389. SEMECARPUS ANACARDIUM.--The marking nut tree of India. The thick,
fleshy receptacle bearing the fruit is of a yellow color when
ripe, and is roasted and eaten. The unripe fruit is employed in
making a kind of ink. The hard shell of the fruit is permeated by
a corrosive juice, which is used on external bruises and for
destroying warts. The juice, when mixed with quick-lime, is used
to mark cotton or linen with an indelible mark. When dry it forms
a dark varnish, and among other purposes it is employed, mixed
with pitch and tar, in the calking of ships. The seeds, called
Malacca beans, or marsh nuts, are eaten, and are said to stimulate
the mental powers, and especially the memory; and finally they
furnish an oil used in painting.
390. SERISSA F[OE]TIDA.--A cinchonaceous shrub, having strong
astringent properties. The roots are employed in cases of
diarrhea, also in ophthalmia and certain forms of ulcers. It is a
native of Japan and China.
391. SHOREA ROBUSTA.--This tree produces the Saul wood of India, which
has a very high reputation, and is extensively employed for all
engineering purposes where great strength and toughness are
requisite. It is stronger and much heavier than teak. An oil is
obtained from the seeds, and a resin similar to Dammar resin is
likewise obtained from the tree.
392. SIDA PULCHELLA.--A plant of the mallow family; the bark contains
fibrous tissues available for the manufacture of cordage. The root
of _S. acuta_ is esteemed by the Hindoos as a medicine, and
particularly as a remedy for snake bites. The light wood of these
species is used to make rocket sticks.
393. SIMABA CEDRON.--A native of New Grenada, where it attains the size
of a small tree, and bears a large fruit containing one seed; this
seed, which looks like a blanched almond, is known in commerce as
the cedron. As a remedy for snake bites it has been known from
time immemorial in New Grenada. It is mentioned in the books of
the seventeenth century. Recently it has obtained a reputation as
a febrifuge, but its value as an antidote to the bites of snakes
and scorpions is universally believed, and the inhabitants carry a
seed with them in all their journeyings; if they happen to be
bitten by any venomous reptile they scrape about two grains of the
seed in brandy or water and apply it to the wound, at the same
time taking a like dose internally. This neutralizes the most
dangerous poisons.
394. SIMARUBA OFFICINALIS.--This tree yields the drug known as Simaruba
bark, which is, strictly speaking, the rind of the root. It is a
bitter tonic. It is known in the West Indies as the mountain
damson.
395. SIPHONIA ELASTICA.--The South American rubber plant, from which a
great portion of the caoutchouc of commerce is obtained. There are
several species of siphonia which, equally with the above, furnish
the India rubber exported from Para. The caoutchouc exists in the
tree in the form of a thin, white milk, which exudes from
incisions made in the trunk, and is poured over molds, which were
formerly shaped like jars, bottles, or shoes, hence often called
bottle rubber. As it dries, the coatings of milky juice are
repeated until the required thickness is obtained, and the clay
mold removed. It belongs to the extensive family _Euphorbiaceæ_.
396. SMILAX MEDICA.--This plant yields _Mexican_ sarsaparilla, so
called to distinguish it from the many other kinds of this drug.
The plant is a climber, similar to the smilax of our woods.
397. SPONDIAS MOMBIN.--This yields an eatable fruit called hog plum in
the West Indies. The taste is said to be peculiar, and not very
agreeable to strangers. It is chiefly used to fatten swine. The
fruit is laxative, the leaves astringent, and the seeds possess
poisonous qualities. The flower buds are used as a sweetmeat with
sugar.
398. STRELITZIA REGINÆ.--A plant of the Musa or banana family. The
flowers are very beautiful for the genus. It is a native of the
Cape of Good Hope. The seeds are gathered and eaten by the
Kaffirs.
399. STRYCHNOS NUX-VOMICA.--This is a native of the Coromandel coast
and Cochin-China. It bears an orange-like fruit, containing seeds
that have an intensely bitter taste, owing to the presence of two
most energetic poisons, _strychnine_ and _brucine_. The pulp
surrounding the seeds is said to be harmless, and greedily eaten
by birds. The wood of the plant is hard and bitter, and possesses
similar properties to the seeds, but in a less degree. It is used
in India in intermittent fevers and in cases of snake bites. _S.
tiente_ is a Java shrub, the juice of which is used in poisoning
arrows. _S. toxifera_ yields a frightful poison called Ourari or
Wourari, employed by the natives of Guiana. This is considered to
be the most potent sedative in nature. Several species of
_Strychnos_ are considered infallible remedies for snake bites;
hence are known as snakewood. _S. pseudo-quina_, a native of
Brazil, yields Colpache bark, which is much used in that country
in cases of fever, and is considered equal to quinine in value. It
does not contain strychnine, and its fruits are edible. _S.
potatorum_ furnishes seeds known in India as clearing-nuts, on
account of their use in clearing muddy water. St. Ignatius beans
are supposed to be yielded by a species of Strychnos, from the
quantity of strychnine contained in the seeds.
400. SWIETENIA MAHAGONI.--This South American plant furnishes the
timber known in commerce as mahogany. The bark is considered a
febrifuge, and the seeds prepared with oil were used by the
ancient Aztecs as a cosmetic. The timber is well known, and much
used in the manufacture of furniture.
401. TACCA PINNATIFIDA.--This is sometimes called South Sea arrowroot.
The tubers contain a great amount of starch, which is obtained by
rasping them and macerating four or five days in water, when the
fecula separates in the same manner as sago. It is largely used as
an article of diet throughout the tropics, and is a favorite
ingredient for puddings and cakes.
402. TAMARINDUS INDICA.--The tamarind tree. There are two varieties of
this species. The East Indian variety has long pods, with six to
twelve seeds. The variety cultivated in the West Indies has
shorter pods, containing one to four seeds. Tamarinds owe their
grateful acidity to the presence of citric, tartaric, and other
vegetable acids. The pulp mixed with salt is used for a liniment
by the Creoles of the Mauritius. Every part of the plant has had
medicinal virtues ascribed to it. Fish pickled with tamarinds are
considered a great delicacy. It is said that the acid moisture
exhaled by the leaves injures the cloth of tents that remain under
them for any length of time. It is also considered unsafe to sleep
under the trees.
403. TANGHINIA VENENIFERA.--This plant is a native of Madagascar, and
of the family _Apocynaceæ_. Formerly, when the custom of trial by
ordeal was more prevalent than now, the seeds of this plant were
in great repute, and unlimited confidence was placed in the
poisonous seeds as a detector of guilt. The seeds were pounded,
and a small piece swallowed by each person to be tried; those in
whom it caused vomiting were allowed to escape, but when it was
retained in the stomach, it would quickly prove fatal, and their
guilt was thus held to be proven.
404. TASMANNIA AROMATICA.--The bark of this plant possesses aromatic
qualities, closely resembling Winter's bark. The small black
fruits are used as a substitute for pepper.
405. TECTONA GRANDIS.--The teak tree. Teak wood has been extensively
employed for shipbuilding in the construction of merchant vessels
and ships of war; its great strength and durability, the facility
with which it can be worked, and its freedom from injury by fungi,
rendering it peculiarly suitable for these purposes. It is a
native of the East India Islands, and belongs to the order
_Verbenaceæ_.
406. TERMINALIA CATAPPA.--The astringent fruits of this tropical plant
are employed for tanning and dyeing, and are sometimes met with in
commerce under the name of myrobalans, and used by calico printers
for the production of a permanent black. The seeds are like
almonds in shape and whiteness, but, although palatable, have a
peculiar flavor.
407. TETRANTHERA LAURIFOLIA.--This plant is widely dispersed over
tropical Asia and the islands of the Eastern Archipelago. Its
leaves and young branches abound in a viscid juice, and in
Cochin-China the natives bruise and macerate them until this
becomes glutinous, when it is used for mixing with plaster, to
thicken and render it more adhesive and durable. Its fruits yield
a solid fat, used for making candles, although it has a most
disagreeable odor.
408. THEA VIRIDIS.--This is the China tea plant, whose native country
is undetermined. All kinds and grades of the teas of commerce are
made from this species, although probably it has some varieties.
Black and green teas are the result of different modes of
preparation; very much of the green, however, is artificially
colored to suit the foreign trade. The finest teas do not reach
this country; they will not bear a sea voyage, and are used only
by the wealthy classes in China and Russia. The active principles
of the leaves are theine and a volatile oil, to which latter the
flavor and odor are due. So far as climate is concerned for the
existence of the tea plant in the United States, it will stand in
the open air without injury from Virginia southwards. A zero frost
will not kill it. But with regard to its production as a
profitable crop, the rainfall in no portion of the States is
sufficient to warrant any attempt to cultivate the plant for
commercial purposes. But this does not prevent its culture as a
domestic article, and many hundreds of families thus prepare all
the tea they require, from plants it may be from the pleasure
ground or lawn, where the plant forms one of the best ornaments.
409. THEOBROMA CACAO.--This plant produces the well-known cacao, or
chocolate, and is very extensively cultivated in South America and
the West India Islands. The fruit, which is about 8 to 10 inches
in length by 3 to 5 in breadth, contains between fifty and a
hundred seeds, and from these the cacao is prepared. As an article
of food it contains a large amount of nutritive matter, about 50
per cent being fat. It contains a peculiar principle, which is
called _theobromine_.
410. THEOPHRASTA JUSSIÆI.--A native of St. Domingo, where it is
sometimes called Le petit Coca. The fruit is succulent, and bread
is made from the seeds.
411. THESPESIA POPULNEA.--A tropical tree, belonging to the mallow
family. The inner bark of the young branches yields a tough fiber,
fit for cordage, and used in Demerara for making coffee bags, and
the finer pieces of it for cigar envelopes. The wood is considered
almost indestructible under water, and its hardness and durability
render it valuable for various purposes. The flower buds and
unripe fruits yield a viscid yellow juice, useful as a dye, and a
thick, deep, red-colored oil is expressed from the seeds.
412. THEVETIA NERIIFOLIA.--This shrubby plant is common in the West
Indies and in many parts of Central America. Its bark abounds in a
poisonous milky juice, and is said to possess powerful properties.
A clear, bright, yellow-colored oil, called Exile oil, is
obtained, by expression, from the seeds.