CATHARTOCARPUS (from Kadin.), to purge, and mirror, fruit), a genus of plants belonging to the natural ordet Leguminosm. It has very blunt sepals, hardly joined at the base, more or less unequal ; 5 unequal petals ; 10 unequal free stamens, the three lower ones longest, the four middle ones short and straight, the three upper ones bearing abortive difformed anthers ; the anthers ovate, opening by two chinks at the apex ; the ovary atipitate ; the legumes terete or a little compressed, indehiscent, woody with elevated sutures, trans versely many-celled inside, the cells 1-seeded and filled with pulp ; the seeds elliptic, rather compressed, horizontal. The species are trees with abruptly-pinnate leaves and racemes of large yellow flowers. In appearance they are not unlike the Common Laburnum when in flower. This genus of plants was formerly comprehended under Cassia [Cassia), but was separated by Persoon, who has been followed by Lindley, Nees von Esenbeck, and others. The habit of these trees and the character of their fruit differ from the species of Cassia. It is also undoubtedly desirable that a genus like Cassia, with nearly 200 species, should be subdivided.
C. Fistula, the Purging Cassia, or Pudding Pipe-Tree, has leaves with 4-6 pairs of ovate rather acuminated glabrous leaflets ; the petioles glandless ; the racemes loose, bractless • the legumes cylin drical, rather obtuse, smooth. It is supposed to have been originally a native of tropical Africa, but is now extensively diffused over the globe, and is found abundantly in Hindustan, China, the East Indian Islands, the West Indies, and South America. It is a tree from 30 to 40 feet high, with yellow flowers and long cylindrical black pods, from 9 inches to 2 feet in length. The valves of this pod are thin,
hard, and brittle ; and its cavity is divided by numerous thin brittle transverse dissepiments; the partitions thus formed have each a single hard flattened ovate seed, surrounded by a soft pulp. The pulp has a sweetish flat not unpleasant taste, and is separated by boiling the pod in water, straining the fluid, and then evaporating it to the con sistence of a thick extract. This extract acts as a mild purgative on the system, and was long in great repute in Europe on that account. It is now however seldom used ; and although admitted into the lists of Materia Medics of the British Pharmacopceias, is only placed there as entering into the composition of the Electuarium Cassim and the Confectio Sena. The pulp, to Henry, consists of 61 per ' cent. of sugar, of gum, and 13.25 of tannin. It probably also contains Cathartine or an analogous principle.
C. Javanicus, Horse-Cassia, has leaves with 12-15 pairs of ovate obtuse glabrous leaflets ; glandless petioles ; axillary racemes ; nearly cylindrical, very long, and transversely torose legumes. It is a native of Java and the Moluccas. Its legumes are above two feet in length, and contain a black cathartic pulp, which is used as a horse-medicine in the East Indies. G. Don has described a species of Cathartocarpus (C. conspicuus), which is a native of Sierra-Leone, where the pods are called Monkey Drum-Sticks.
(Christison, Dispensatory ; Don Gardener's Dictionary.)