1248
ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA.
ofw hicbt n
blocks, which are split with wedges into small pieces, from the interstices g rl | e<wcamphor, if there be any, is extracted (Marsden, Hist, of Sumatra , p-After being separated from impurities, it is packed in catties. Being of^ e
by the Chinese , it fetches a very high price. According to Mr. Crawford ( , c<) TJi e9
Ind. Archip. vol.iii. p. 418) its value is 78 times that of Japan camphor! It ra seUin l 8 ® 1to this country as a commercial article. For some of the samples in my m r or j), Wy®indebted to Mr. Gibson (of the firm of Howard, Jewell, and Gibson, of Stra ^says, “ they are part of two very small boxes imported about twenty years l( a»
were bought by me at the common price of camphor at the time, but w ^ n p t®
afterwards discovered, were invoiced at an enormous price. Our firm g ave j J]e ver, I" 1the importers, reserving samples, and they were re-shipped for India . jany other occasion, except one, saw a small specimen of what I have nacamphor.” . ,isbed ^
Sumatra camphor occurs in small crystals, which are readily disting 1 <rivethose of ordinary camphor (see p. 790). Thus they are heavier than wa nt feu se l0ringing sound when shaken in a bottle, and do not so readily sublime and ccrystals in the upper part of the bottle. .
As a medicinal agent it is highly esteemed in the East. It is probable, ^that it is not superior in this respect to ordinary camphor, notwithstandinggreater price paid for it by the Chinese .
Order 70. Byttneria'ce.e, Decandolle. —The Cacao Tr ibE ‘
Fig. 232.
Jt‘
The Theobroma Cacao is a native of the West Indies and of Continental An ? e . r ‘^> s
seeds ( nuclei cacao) when torrefied, and wut t><
additions (sugar, and usually either ct " n \ 0 cold f
vanilla), made into a paste, constitutes ^
(chocolata ), which furnishes a very nourish' 11 ^ ^ 0 tb
rage, devoid of the ill properties possessed . c „n-
tea and coffee, but which, on account of (JV
tained oil, is apt to disagree with dyspep t,< jf^, ( ,latf.
particulars respecting the manufacture of cn petit
see Ure, Diet, of Arts, 292; and Soubeir* 11 ^.^, of
Cocoa is another P re Pr r al ,nie l
these seeds. It is said to be made from the lr " |C )s-.-<• *lte her ^
de Charm, i. 447). Cocoa is another prepaid to ./„ ..
of the seed.coats mixed with portions of t'' eIt is somewhat astringent, and is adapted f |,r rwith relaxed bowels.
ers ® 1
Order 71. Malva'ce-e, R. Brown. —The Mallow Trie®'
’ e or |e f
Essential Character.— Calyx of five (rarely three or four) sepals, m ° Te ] jep*'coherent at the base, valvate in aestivation, often with bracts or exte jj D 3lter ,,at fforming an involucre or outer calyx. Petals as many as the sepals, and a<b ,a .with them ; hypogynous, equal; spirally contorted in aestivation, general yto (but sometimes distinct from) the lower part of the tube of the stamens-equal in number, or more commonly a multiple of the petals; generally jeiigy!(rarely definite), hypogynous. Filaments united into a tube, and unequal a , ) s' re ^the outer ones being shorter. Anthers one-celled, uniform, dehiscing by a e(| |,ere ! 'chink. Ovary of many carpels, generally verticillated round the axis, an(sometimes free). Styles as many as the carpels, either distinct or united.
as many as the carpels, more or less distinct. Carpels either one- or two-*-- cg)dehiscing inward by a chink, or polyspermous, with a loculicidal dehrhaving a septum in the middle which bears the seeds on the inner side ,cases nearly free, in others united into a many-celled capsule or an anornalAlbumen none. Embryo straight. Radicle terete. Cotyledons twiste j ,*itchrysalis.— Herbs, shrubs, or trees. Leaves alternate, generally petiolate.
stipules (D. C.) ,
Properties. —“ The uniform character is to abound in mucilage, and todestitute of all unwholesome qualities” (Lindley).
tot ® 1
all/