BASSIA, a genus of plants of the nat. ord. of Sapoteæ. The species are found in India and Africa. B. Butyacea is a tree of 50 feet in height, found in the Almora hills in India. The seeds afford a concrete oil of considerable economic importance. B. longifolia is also a considerable tree, the seeds of which yield a valuable oil for lamps, soap, and in the kitchens of the poor a seasoning for rice. B. latifolia yields a greenish oil coarser than the last; and its flowers on distillation yield an ardent spirit. The wood of all the species is hard and durable.