pæderia

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A genus of plants of the gamopetalous order Rubiaceæ, the madder family, type of tribe Pæderieæ, characterized by the two hair-like twisted stigmas and two-celled ovary. There are 9 or 10 species, one in Brazil, the others in tropical Asia. They are twiners with shrubby stems, fetid when bruised, bearing opposite leaves, and small flowers in cymes. P. fœtida is diffused from India to China and the Malayan islands. It is the bedolee sutta of Assam, and is sometimes called Chinese fever-plant. In Hindu medicine it furnishes a specific for rheumatism, administered externally and internally; its root is said to be used as an emetic. Its stems yield a strong, flexible, and durable fiber, of a silk-like appearance, seemingly adapted to the finest textile purposes.