regions where they are obtained.

134. COLOCASIA ESCULENTA.--This plant has been recommended for
profitable culture in this country for its edible root-stock. It
is cultivated in the Sandwich Islands under the name of Tara. The
young leaves are cooked and eaten in the same manner as spinach or
greens in Egypt. They are acrid, but lose their acridity when
boiled, the water being changed. The roots are filled with starch,
and have long been used as food in various semitropical countries.

135. CONDAMINEA MACROPHYLLA.--This plant belongs to the cinchona
family, and contains tonic properties. The Peruvian bark gatherers
adulterate the true cinchona bark with this, but it may be
detected by its white inner surface, its less powerful bitter
taste, and a viscidity not possessed by the cinchonas.

136. CONVOLVULUS SCAMMONIA.--This plant furnishes the scammony of the
druggists.

137. COOKIA PUNCTATA.--A small-growing tree from China, which produces
a fruit known as the Wampee. This fruit is a globular berry, with
five or fewer compartments filled with juice. It is much esteemed
in China.

138. COPAIFERA OFFICINALIS.--This tree yields balsam of copaiba, used
in medicine. The balsam is collected by making incisions in the
stem, when the liquor is said to pour out copiously; as it exudes
it is thin and colorless, but immediately thickens and changes to
a clear yellow. Like many other balsams, it is nearly allied to
the turpentines; it has a moderately agreeable smell, and a
bitter, biting taste of considerable duration. Distilled with
water it yields a limpid essential oil.

139. COPERNICA CERIFERA.--The Carnuba, or wax palm of Brazil. It grows
about 40 feet high, and has a trunk 6 or 8 inches thick, composed
of very hard wood, which is commonly employed in Brazil for
building and other purposes. The upper part of the young stem is
soft, and yields a kind of sago, and the bitter fruits are eaten
by the Indians. The young leaves are coated with wax, called
Carnaub wax, which is detached by shaking them, and then melted
and run into cakes; it is harder than beeswax, and has been used
for making candles. The leaves are used for thatch, and, when
young, are eaten by cattle.

140. COPROSMA ROBUSTA.--A cinchonaceous shrub. The leaves of th