. Plants and their uses; an introduction to botany . rizedstate. For example, cloves (Fig. 122) are flower buds hard-ened by drying; allspice (Fig. 123), black pepper (Fig. 124),and red pepper (Figs. 125, 126) are dried berry-like fruits;mustard (Figs. 127, 128) is a seed; nutmeg (Fig. 129) isalso a seed, and mace the fleshy network (dried) which sur-rounds it; cinnamon (Fig. 180) is the joung bark of a tree;while ginger (Fig. 131) is a root-like stem which grows underground. The peculiar aroma of a spice is in general due to the pres-ence of a volatile oil. Volatile oils bear a certain resemb
. Plants and their uses; an introduction to botany . rizedstate. For example, cloves (Fig. 122) are flower buds hard-ened by drying; allspice (Fig. 123), black pepper (Fig. 124),and red pepper (Figs. 125, 126) are dried berry-like fruits;mustard (Figs. 127, 128) is a seed; nutmeg (Fig. 129) isalso a seed, and mace the fleshy network (dried) which sur-rounds it; cinnamon (Fig. 180) is the joung bark of a tree;while ginger (Fig. 131) is a root-like stem which grows underground. The peculiar aroma of a spice is in general due to the pres-ence of a volatile oil. Volatile oils bear a certain resemblanceto the fixed oils, l)ut differ from them in that they evaporatewhen exposed to the air, leave no greasy stain on paper, andall dissolve readily in cold alcohol. On account of the volatilenature of their flavoring constituent spices lose aroma whenexposed to the air, especially after they have been ground. Advantage is often taken of the ready evaporation of vola-tile oils to separate them by distillation. This process is essen- 128 vSPICES 129. Fig. 122.—^Clove (Jamboaa Caryophijllug, Aiyrtle Family, AlyrUuiw). A,branch bearing leaves, flower buds, and expanded flowers. B, a flowerbud (such as form when dried the cloves of commerce) cut length-wise to show the inner floral parts and the minute cavities near thesurface containing the volatile oU of cloves. C, petal showang oilcavities. D, stamen, a, front; h, back; c, side. E, pollen grain, a andh, different views, much magnified. F, fruit. G, seed cut across. H,embryo removed, side view. J, same with one seed-leaf removed, toshow the seed-stem within. (Xicdenzu.)—The plant is an exception-ally beautiful evergreen tree of pyramidal form 9-12 m. taU, vvithsmooth grayish bark, thick leaves containing numerous cavitieslike those of the flower, and filled with a similar fragrant oil whichperfumes the air around; flowers and flower-buds rosy red, highlyfragrant, produced through the year; fruit fleshy, brown
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbotany, bookyear1913
