DIVI-DIVI, Dibi-dibi, or Libi-libi, are the seed pods of Ctesalpinia coriaria, a plant of South American origin, belonging to tho natural order Cmsalpinite, naturalized in India, and now grown at several places in the Madras and 13eugal Presidencies. The seed-pods have been extensively used for tanning leather, and for this purpose are considered superior to all the Indian astringents. Leather tanned in this way is considered equal to that of the best of European manufacture. The average produce of. pods from a full-grown tree has been estimated at 100 lbs. weight, one-fourth of which consists of seeds or refase, leaving about 75 lbs. of marketable matter. Divi-divi pods are of a dark - brown colour externally when ripe, transversely wrinkled and curled, from 1 to 3 inches long, a.nd of an inch wide, and contain 2 to 4 seeds. Tho outer skin of the pods is very thin, and peels off easily if the pods aro ripe. Underneath it, and separated from the seeds by a layer of woody fibre, is a considerable thickness of astringent matter of a light yellow colour, almost pure tannin, as met with in commerce.
At an interval of G feet apart, an acre of ground will contain 1210 trees, yielding an avemge of 810 cwts. and 30 lbs. of divi-divi, or above 20f tons of marketable tnatter, worth, at only 15 per ton, £200. Its tannin differs materially front that of nutgalls. The quantity of mucilage it contains precludes it from the uso of dyers, but it is largely used by curriem One part of divi-divi is suffi cient for tanning as much leather as four parts of bark, and the process occupies only one-third of the time. Tho selling price ranges from 18 to £13 per ton. Tho imports into the United Kingdom from 1844 to Mi0 ranged from 10 tons to 3900 tons.—Jur. Rep. Mad. Ex. 1855 ; Indian Annals, vii. p. 120; Simmonds' Comm. Prod.