JATROPHA, the CASSADA PLANT: A genus of the monadelphia order, belonging to the monœcia class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 38th order, Tricocca. There is no male calyx; the corolla is monopetalous, and funnel-shaped; there are ten stamens, one alternately longer than the other. There is no female calyx; the corolla is pentapetalous, and patent; there are three bifid styles; the capsule is trilocular, with one seed in each cell. There are nine
Species. Of these the most remarkable are the following: 1. The curcas, or English physic-nut, with leaves cordate and angular, is a knotty shrub growing about 10 or 12 feet high. The extremities of the branches are covered with leaves; and the flowers, which are of a green herbaceous kind, are set on in an umbel fashion round the extremities of the branches, but especially the main stalks. These are succeeded by as many nuts, whose outward tegument is green and husky; which being peeled off, discloses the nut, whose shell is black, and easily cracked: This contains an almond-like kernel, divided into two parts; between which separation lie two milk-white thin membranaceous leaves, easily separable from each other. These have not only a bare resemblance of perfect leaves, but have, in particular, every part, the stalk, the middle rib, and transverse ones, as visible as any leaf whatsoever. 2. The gossypifolia, cotton-leaved jatropa or belly-ach bush, the leaves of which are quinquepartite, with lobes ovate
Jatropha. ovate and entire, and glandular branchy bristles. The stem, which is covered with a light greyish bark, grows to about three or four feet high, soon dividing into several wide extended branches. These are neither decorated with leaves nor flowers till near the top, which is then surrounded by the former: Their footstalks, as well as the young buds on the extremity of the branches, are guarded round with stiff hairy bristles, which are always tipped with glutinous liquid drops. From among these rise several small deep-red pentapetalous flowers, the pistil of each being thick set at the top with yellow farinaceous dust which blows off when ripe: these flowers are succeeded by hexagonal husky blackish berries, which when ripe open by the heat of the sun, emitting a great many small dark-coloured seeds, which serve as food for ground-doves. The leaves are few; but seldom or never drop off, nor are eaten by vermin of any kind. 3. The multifida, or French physic-nut, with leaves many parted and polished, and stipules bristly and multifid, grows to be ten feet high. The main stalk divides into very few branches, and is covered with a greyish white bark. The leaves stand upon six-inch footstalks, surrounding the main stalk, generally near the top, in an irregular order. The flowers grow in bunches, umbel-fashion, upon the extremities of each large stalk, very much resembling, at their first appearance, a bunch of red coral: these afterwards open into small five-leaved purple flowers, and are succeeded by nuts, which resemble those of the first species. 4. The manihot, or bitter cassada, has palmated leaves; the lobes lanceolate, very entire, and polished. 5. The janipha, or sweet cassada, has palmated leaves, with lobes very entire; the intermediate leaves lobed with a sinus on both sides. 6. The elattica, with ternate leaves, elliptic, very entire, hoary underneath, and longly petioled. See figures of the two last on Plates CCXLVIII. and CCXLIX. which renders a more particular description unnecessary.
Properties, &c. The first species, a native of the West Indies, is planted round negro gardens. A decoction of the leaves of it, and of the second species (which grows wild), Dr Wright informs us, is often used with advantage in spasmodic belly-ach, attended with vomiting: it fits easier on the stomach than any thing else, and seldom fails to bring about a discharge by stool. The third species, a native of the same countries, is cultivated there as an ornamental shrub. The seeds of all the three are drastic purgatives and emetics; and they yield, by decoction, an oil of the same uses and virtues as the oleum ricini. See RICINUS.
The 4th and 5th species, the janipha and manihot, are natives of Africa and the West Indies, where they are cultivated as articles of food. It is difficult, Dr Wright says, to distinguish the bitter from the sweet cassada by the roots: but it will be best to avoid those of the cassada that bears flowers, as it is the bitter, which is poisonous when raw.
The root of bitter cassada has no fibrous or woody filaments in the heart, and neither boils nor roasts soft. The sweet cassada has all the opposite qualities. The bitter, however, may be deprived of its noxious qualities (which reside in the juice) by heat. Cassada bread, therefore, is made of both the bitter and sweet, thus:—The roots are washed and scraped clean; then
grated into a tub or trough: after this they are put into a hair bag, and strongly pressed with a view to squeeze out the juice, and the meal or farina is dried in a hot stone-bason over the fire: it is then made into cakes. It also makes excellent puddings, equal to millet.—The scrapings of fresh bitter cassada are successfully applied to ill-disposed ulcers.—Cassada roots yield a great quantity of starch, which the Brazilians export in little lumps under the name of tapioca. According to Father Labat, the small bits of manioc which have escaped the grater, and the clods which have not passed the sieve, are not usefule. They are dried in the stove after the flour is roasted, and then pounded in a mortar to a fine white powder, with which they make soup. It is likewise used for making a kind of thick coarse cassada, which is roasted till almost burnt; of this, fermented with molasses and West-India potatoes, they prepare a much esteemed drink or beverage called ouycon. This liquor, the favourite drink of the natives, is sometimes made extremely strong, especially on any great occasion, as a feast: with this they get intoxicated, and, remembering their old quarrels, massacre and murder each other. Such of the inhabitants and workmen as have not wine, drink ouycon. It is of a red-colour, strong, nourishing, refreshing, and easily inebriates the inhabitants, who soon accustom themselves to it as easily as beer.
The 6th species is the Hevea Guianensis of Aublet†, † Hibiscus or tree which yields the elastic resin called caoutchouc des Plantes or India rubber; for a particular account of which, see the article CAOUTCHouc. Our figure is copied from Aublet's tab. 335, and not from the erroneous plate given in the Alta Parisianna. P. 57.