pugnance of the peculiar odor is overcome it
becomes a general favorite. The unripe fruit is cooked and eaten,
and the seeds roasted and used like chestnuts.

179. ELAEIS GUINEENSIS.--The African oil palm is a native of
southwestern Africa, but has been introduced into other regions.
It grows to a height of 20 to 30 feet and bears dense heads of
fruit. The oil is obtained by boiling the fruits in water and
skimming off the oil as it rises to the surface. It is used in the
manufacture of candles. In Africa it is eaten as butter by the
natives.

180. ELAEIS MELANOCOCCA.--A palm from tropical America which produces
large quantities of oil.

181. ELAEOCARPUS HINAU.--A New Zealand tree, of the linden family. The
bark affords an excellent permanent dye, varying from light brown
to deep black. The fruits are surrounded by an edible pulp, and
they are frequently pickled like olives.

182. ELETTARIA CARDAMOMUM.--This plant furnishes the fruits known as
the Small or Malabar cardamoms of commerce. The seeds are used
medicinally for their cordial aromatic properties, which depend
upon the presence of a volatile oil. In India the fruits are
chewed by the natives with their betel.

183. EMBLICA OFFICINALIS.--A plant belonging to _Euphorbiaceae_, a
native of India. In Borneo the bark and young shoots are used to
dye cotton black, for which purpose they are boiled in alum. The
fruits are made into sweetmeats, with sugar, or eaten raw, but
they are exceedingly acid; when ripe and dry, they are used in
medicine, under the name of _Myrobalani emblici_. The natives of
Travancore have a notion that the plant imparts a pleasant flavor
to water, and therefore place branches of the tree in their wells,
especially when the water is charged with an accumulation of
impure vegetable matter.

184. ENCKEA UNGUICULATA.--A plant of the family _Piperaceae_, having an
aromatic fruit like a berry, with a thick rind. The roots are used
medicinally in Brazil.

185. ENTADA SCANDENS.--This leguminous plant has remarkable pods, which
often measure 6 or 8 feet in length. The seeds are about 2 inches
across, and half an inch thick, and have a hard, woody, and
beautifully polished shell, of a dark-brown or purplish color.
These seeds are frequently converted into s