Del a be che a

(del-ah-bech'e-ah.) [Named after Sir Henry De la Beche.] A gen. of the O. Sterculiaceæ, consisting of one species only, the Bottle-tree of N.E. Australia, D. rupestris (Fig. 253), which is of middling stature, and is chiefly remarkable for the curious form of the trunk, which is bulged out in the middle in the form of a barrel. The stem abounds in a mucilaginous or resinous substance resembling gum tragacanth, which is wholesome and nutritious, and is said to be used as Pid. 253.- BoTTLE-TREE, an article of food by the aborigines in cases of extreme need. [s. 272] IMG:p0301_0.jpg:Gravür