Flora Medica

EUPHORBIACE^:.Nat. syst.ed. 2. p. 112.BUXUS.Flowers monoecious, clustered or racemose. Sepals 4, braeteate.$ . Stamens 4. ? . Styles and stigmas 3. Capsule3-horned, tricoccous, 6-seeded. A. de J.350. B. sempervirens Linn. sp. pi 1394. E. Bot. t. 1341.Dry chalky hills in Europe and the west of Asia.A small dense-leaved, hard-wooded, evergreen tree. Leaves ovate,deep shining green, becoming red in the autumn, quite smooth andentire, with the cuticle of the under side readily stripping off; petiolesand young branches slightly downy. Flowers aggregate, axillary, paleyellow. Capsule globular, bursting elastically. Seeds parallel, oblong,slightly compressed, externally rounded. Leaves bitter and nauseous ;sudorific and purgative. Chips of the wood have the same properties,and have been prescribedin syphilitic diseases and chronic rheumatism.A foetid empyreumatic oil, Oleum Buxi, was formerly sold in the shops ;but for all the purposes of box-oil, preparations of Guaiacum arenow employed in preference. The oil has been occasionally employedwith success in tooth ache. Camels are poisoned by browsing on theleaves in some parts of Persia.CICCA.Flowers monoecious or dioecious. Calyx 4-parted. $ . Stamens4. ^ Styles 4-5, bifid. Capsule somewhat fleshy, with4-5 cocci, and 8-10 seeds.351. C. disticha Willd. iv. 332. Phyllanthus longifoliusJacq. h. schonb. ii. t. 194. Roxb. fl. ind. iii. 673. (Rheedeiii. t. 47. 48. Rumph. vii. t. 33. f. 2.) Averrhoa acida Linn.sp. pi.613. Islands of India. (Cheramella of Europeans.)A small tree. Leaves pinnated 1-2 feet long, often flower-bearing jleaflets numerous, alternate, stalked, nearly orbicular, 1-3 inches long,1-H broad; petioles round, smooth, tapering, sometimes ending in ashort raceme of male flowers. Racemes numerous, terminal, axillaryand from the old buds on the naked branches. Flowers numerous,small, reddish, in globular beads. Drupe 3-4-lobed, 4-6-8-grooved, thesize of a gooseberry. Nut (according to Roxb.) 3-4-parted, each part1-celled and 1-seeded, which is at variance with the character assignedto the genus by A. de J. Leaves sudorific, seeds cathartic. Fruitsubacid. cooling and wholesome.175