antidesma

[In Fr. an tides me; Gr. αντί (anti) instead of, and δεσμός (desmos) = a bond, a fetter. So named because its bark is used in making ropes.] A genus of plants belonging to the order Stilaginacere, or An tides mads. It consists of trees or shrubs with the inflorescence in spikes, and the leaves, which are alternate, simple and entire. About thirty species have been described; they are found in India, Africa, Australia, and the parts adjacent. The currant-like drupes of A. pubescens, as mentioned by Roxburgh, are eaten by the natives of India. The leaves of A. alexiteria have been named as one of the multifarious Eastern remedies for snake-bite, but there is no reason to believe them effective. It is a middle-sized evergreen tree, with leaves like those of the lemon, and the fruit, which is red and acid like the barberry, in racemes.