dusty
particles, as they produce incessant sneezing. As a medicine its
action is violent, and it is now rarely employed. There are a vast
number of species of _Euphorbia_, varying exceedingly in their
general appearance, but all of them having a milky juice which
contains active properties. Many of them can scarcely be
distinguished from cactuses so far as relates to external
appearances, but the milky exudation following a puncture
determines their true character. _E. grandidens_ is a
tall-growing, branching species, and attains a height of 30 feet.
The natives of India use the juice of _E. antiquorum_, when
diluted, as a purgative. The juice of _E. heptagona_ and other
African species is employed to poison arrows; the juice of _E.
cotinifolia_ is used for the same purpose in Brazil. The roots of
_E. gerardiana_ and _E. pithyusa_ are emetic, while _E.
thymifolia_ and _E. hypericifolia_ possess astringent and aromatic
properties. The poisonous principle which pervades these plants is
more or less dissipated by heat. The juice of _E. cattimandoo_
furnishes caoutchouc of a very good quality, which, however,
becomes brittle, although soaking in hot water renders it again
pliable. _E. phosphorea_ derives the name from the fact of its sap
emitting a phosphorescent light, on warm nights, in the Brazilian
forests.

198. EUTERPE EDULIS.--The assai palm of Para. It grows in swampy lands,
and produces a small fruit thinly coated with clotted flesh of
which the inhabitants of Para manufacture a beverage called assai.
The ripe fruits are soaked in warm water and kneaded until the
fleshy pulp is detached. This, when strained, is of a thick,
creamy consistence, and, when thickened with cassava farina and
sweetened with sugar, forms a nutritious diet, and is the daily
food of a large number of the people.

199. EUTERPE MONTANA.--The center portion of the upper part of the stem
of this West Indian palm, including the leaf bud, is eaten either
when cooked as a vegetable or pickled, but the tree must be
destroyed in order to obtain it.

200. EXC[OE]CARIA SEBIFERA.--This Euphorbiaceous plant is the tallow
tree of China. The fruits, are about half an inch in diameter, and
each contains three seeds, thickly coated with a fatty substa