U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
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 moresignificant amendments have been listed at the end of the text.
U. S. Department of Agriculture,
Washington, D. C., June 5, 1891.
Sir: I have duly prepared by your direction a descriptive list ofthe more important economic plants at present contained in the collectionof the Department, in such a form as will, in my opinion,most satisfactorily meet the wants of the numerous visitors andothers interested in the work performed by the Department in thisdirection, and I beg to submit the same herewith for publication.
William Saunders,
Superintendent of Gardens and Grounds.
Hon. J. M. Rusk,
Secretary of Agriculture.
1. Abelmoschus moschatus.—This plant is a native of Bengal. Its seeds wereformerly mixed with hair powder, and are still used to perfume pomatum.The Arabs mix them with their coffee berries. In the West Indies thebruised seeds, steeped in rum, are used, both externally and internally, as acure for snake bites.
2. Abrus precatorius.—Wild liquorice. This twining, leguminous plant is anative of the East, but is now found in the West Indies and other tropicalregions. It is chiefly remarkable for its small oval seeds, which are of abrilliant scarlet color, with a black scar at the place where they are attachedto the pods. These seeds are much used for necklaces and other ornamentalpurposes, and are employed in India as a standard of weight, under the nameof Rati. The weight of the famous Kohinoor diamond is known to havebeen ascertained in this way. The roots afford liquorice, which is extractedin the same manner as that from the true Spanish liquorice plant, the Glycyrrhizaglabra. Recently the claim was made that the weather could beforetold by certain movements of the leaves of this plant, but experimentaltests 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 areothers of the genus. They are mostly fiber-producing species. The flowersof A. esculentum are used as a vegetable in Brazil.
5. Acacia brasiliensis.—This plant furnishes the Brazil wood, which yields a redor crimson dye, and is used for dyeing silks. The best quality is that receivedfrom Pernambuco.
6. Acacia catechu.—The drug known as catechu is principally prepared fromthis tree, the wood of which is boiled down, and the decoction subsequentlyevapora