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.