Family Herbal - Electric Scotland

FAMILY HERBAL, 261
at all in its fruit. The stalk is round, thick, jointed,
and of a deep green colour : it is not able to
support itseitj but climbs upon
bushes. The
leu\es are long and narrow : they stand one at each
joint, upon lovg feet stalks. The flowers grow
are small and.
upon the outside rf the fruit : they
inconsiderable. The fruit, which is what we call
long pepper, is an inc.! and a half long,
and as thick
as a large quill, marked with spiral lines, and di-
vided info cells; within, in each of which is a sin-
gle seed.
This lias the tame virtues with the common black
pepper, but in a les? degree ; it is not so hot and
acrid, and therefore will be borne upon the stomach
when that cannot. It is excellent to assist
digestion, and prevent colics,
The Jamaica Pepper Tree. Piper Jam (license.
\N American tree, in all respects different from
the plants which produce the other kinds of pepper,
as is also the fruit altogether different. It
should not be called pepper : the round shape of
it was (he only thing that led people to giveit such
a name. The Jamaica pepper tree is large and
beautiful. The trunk is covered with a smooth
brown bark. The branches are numerous ; and
they are well covered with leaves. The tree is
as big and high as our pear trees. The leaves
are oblong and broad, of a shining green colour:
they grow in pairs, and they stand on long pedicles.
The flowers grow only at the extremities of the
branches: they stand a great many together, and
are small. The fruit which succeeds is a berry,
green at first, and afterwards becoming of a red"
dish brown, and in the end, black. They are,
wiien ripe,
full of a pulpy matter, surrounding