\r. ^ F.^^J'uimer Z,ttA S^Arm Sf ^fi ^>;»^^%^^ ^ MEMOIR OF LINNiEUS. As an introduction to the tliird volume of the " American Flora," we have thought it advisable to give a short and brief ac- count of the life and history of the illustrious naturalist who first practically pointed out the real utility of some system by which the great kingdoms of nature could be properly studied and un- derstood, and their advantages to man most easily procured and adapted. The name of Linnaeus is known to the whole civilized world ; and, if we consider the rank of his parents, the scanty means possessed by them to defray the expenses of his education; and what was necessary in the early part of his career, to pursue his own favorite studies ; with the limited state of the botanical gardens at that period, we shall think that the merit which his cotemjwraries awarded him, was very justly earned. The principal facts introduced in the following sketch, are taken from the biography by Dr. Pulteney, and the diary of Lin- n«us, written in Swedish, by himself, or under his superintendence, and published as an appendix to the work above mentioned. From this diary we learn that Nils Linnaeus, the father of the naturalist, born in 1674, was the son of a peasant named Ingemar Bengtsson, in Smaland, and married Ingrid Ingemarsd otter, sister of Ivan Tiliander, pastor of Pietteryd. The lattef took Nils Linnajus into his house, educated him along with his own children, and, having a good garden, he gave him also a taste for horticul- ture. After quitting school, he was sent to the University of Lund, where he had to contend with poverty, but, nevertheless, applied himself diligently to his studies. Retiring to his native place, he was admitted into holy orders by Bishop Cavallius, and first became curate, and afterwards minister of Stenbrohult. He soon after married the parson's eldest daughter, CliristinaBroder- sonia, and succeeded to the charge of his father-in-law, which he V»l. iii.— 3 4 * MEMOIR OF LINNiEUS. enjoyed nearly forty years, dischaiging his duties with piety and moderation, and employing the greater part of his leisure in the cultivation of his garden. Carl Linnaeus, eldest son, was born 24th of May, 1707, at Rashult, in the province of Smaland, while his father was still a clergyman. With an inheritance of his father's love for plants and their cultivation, he is thus recorded by one of his pupils : — " From the very time that he first left his cradle, he almost lived in his father's garden, which was planted with some of the rarer shrubs and flowers ;' and thus were kindled, before he was well out of his mother's arms, those sparks which shone so vividly all his life time, and lastly burst into such a flame." The elder Linnaeus wished and intended that his first-born should succeed him in the office of pastor, and he endeavored to regulate the clerical education of his son, as far as his means would permit. At the age of seven, Linnaeus was placed under the private charge of John Tiliander, and two years afterwards was entered to the school of Wexio ; but in both these places, the discipline is said to have been severe, and not well fitted for the advancement of a young man of his mild temper, and he was soon after placed under another private tutor, who possessed a more conciliating disposition. His distaste for ordinary studies could not be so easily overcome, and it was not till three years after that he received promotion to a higher form in the school, called the circle. In this rank he was allowed more leisure, which was invariably devoted to his favorite pursuits, and chiefly his earliest, that of plants, and at this time began to show a more de- cided taste for botany, by forming a small library of such books as he could procure upon this science ; and from his studious pe- rusal of them, acquired the college name of the " Little Botanist." Nearly two years after, the father came to Wexio, to ascertain the progress of his son's studies ; and the disappointment of the sanguine hopes of a parent may be conceived, when the recom- MEMOIR OF LINN^US. mentlations of his pi'eceptors extended only to his ability for some manual cmiiloyment ; and that further expense in forcing a learned education would be comparatively thrown away. At this time it was thought necessary that Linnaeus should complete his education at some university ; and, upon applying at the Gymnasium, he received the following metaphorical testimonial, which will show the little esteem in which his qualifications as a scholar were held, and is a curious example of the manner in which the professors worded their certificates : " Youth at school, might be compared to shrubs in a garden, which will sometimes, though rarely, elude all the care of the gardener; but, if trans- planted into a different soil, may become fruitful trees. With this view, therefore, and no other, the bearer was sent to the univer- sity, where it was possible that he might meet with a climate pro- pitious to his progress." , With this certificate he proceeded to the university of Lund, and only procured admittance by the interest of his old jireceptor, Hok, who withheld the testimonial, and introduced him as his pri- vate pupil. The next summer's vacation was spent with his parents at Smaland. Here he again met with Dr. Rothman, who advised him to remove to Upsala, where he would derive greater advan- tages from the celebrated Professors Rudbeck and Roberg, than in the more limited university of Lund ; and would also have access to a rich public library, and extensive botanic garden. Linnaeus followed the advice of his former patron ; but his parents were only able to allow him about eight pounds sterling to defray all his expenses ; and after a short time he found himself almost without the means of gaining a livelihood, uncertain where to ob- tain a meal, and obliged to patch his shoes with folded paper, instead of sending them to a shoemaker. He regretted his de- parture from a kind and hospitable roof, but did not possess the 1 6 MEMOIR OF LINNAEUS. means of returning ; and Dr. Stobseus had taken it amiss, that he should have changed his residence without consuhing him. He was, however, soon relieved from this uncomfortable state by the kindness of new friends. The assiduity with which he studied the plants in the botanical garden, attracted the atten- tion of Professor Rudbeck, and Dr. Celsius ; and the latter, re- quiring an assistant, thought that Linnaeus was qualified for that situation, and he opened his house and table to our naturalist, who amply compensated this indulgence by his strict attention. It was here that he composed his Spolia Botanica, a work never pub- lished ; and contracted a friendship with Artedi, afterwards cele- brated for his Ichthyology. These two young men now devoted their whole leisure to natural history ; Linnaeus reserving for his share, birds, insects and plants; while his companion took fishes, reptiles, &c. About this time he made two or three journeys, in order to gather plants from various parts of the country, which well repaid him for his labor. On his return, he was introduced to Dr. Mo- reus, an eminent physician ; and, being often at his house, became deeply enamoured with his eldest daughter. Her father thought well of Linnaeus, but not of his prospects in life : he wavered in giving his consent to the union — " voluit et noluit," expressively writes Linnaeus to a friend, — and ultimately decided, that a proba- tion of three years should be undergone, when his decision would be given. All the efforts of the naturalist were now turned to that of bettering his condition in life. Medicine was chosen as a profession ; but for this a degree must be acquired ; and he re- solved to proceed to the University of Harderwick. He travelled by Hamburgh, through Holland, to the place of his destination ; and, at the former place, had nearly got into disagreeable embar- rassments, by pronouncing the famous Seven-headed Hydra to be a deception, composed of weasles' jaw-bones, covered with ser- MEMOIR OF LINNiGUS. penta' skins. He found it necessary to leave the place ; for in so great value was this serpent esteemed, that it had been pledged iu security for a loan of ten thousand marks, a value which this dis- covery by no means enhanced. Upon his arrival at Harderwick, he was introduced to the professors, wrote and defended his the- sis, and finally received his degree of M. D., with a diploma, con- taining testimonials of his abilities, as flattering as those given upon his leaving school had been discouraging. At the commencement of his journey homewards, the first place where Linnasus remained for any time, was Amsterdam. Here he gained the friendship of the celebrated Boerhaave, and that of Dr. Gronovius ; the latter a person of still greater import- ance to his after fame. Gronovius was so much pleased with the sketch of the Systema NaturcE, by our young naturalist, that he re- quested to be allowed to defray the expense of its publication ; and the request being granted, the work was immediately put to press, in the commodious form of tables, embraced in about twelve folio pages ; and in this way was the foundation laid of that sys- tem upon which almost all those of the present day are in many ways most intimately connected, and by which the arrangements of the older systematists were almost at once superseded. By Dr. Boerhaave, Linnaeus was introduced to Mr. Clifford, at this time the most enterprising botanist and horticulturist in Europe. With him Linnaeus spent, perhaps, some of his happiest days. Devoted with all the ardor of a young man to a favorite and fascinating pursuit, he was at once placed in one of the most favorable situations in the world for following it out. " He en- joyed," says Dr. Pulteney, " pleasures and privileges scarcely at this time to be met with elsewhere in the world — access to a gar- den excellently stored with the finest exotics, and t6 a library fur- nished with almost every botanic author of note ; permission to purchase whatever plants and books he thought worthy of being 8 MEMOIR OF LINN^US. added to the collection ; and leisure to prepare his own works for the press." In addition to these advantages, it is stated by his bi- ographer, Stoevers, that Clifford allowed him a salary of one thou- sand florins yearly, but which appears too munificent even for his liberal patron. So lavish, indeed, was Mr. Clifford upon his favor- ite pursuit, that he proposed to send Linnaeus to England, to pro- cure the botanical novelties, and to communicate with the most celebrated botanists and horticulturists. Linngeus could not resist the offer, and we find our enthusiastic naturalist sailing for Great Britain, instead of making his way to Sweden. On his arrival at London, he waited upon Sir Hans Sloane, to whom he had a letter from Boerhaave, which recommended him in the strongest lan- guage. But neither he nor Dillenius, whom he met at Oxford, showed such attention as might have been expected from these high testimonials. They looked upon him as a young innovator, who wished to overturn the old systems, only to exalt his own name upon a fleeting eminence. Dillenius spoke of him as the " young man who confounds all botany," — treating him with re- serve and haughtiness, until his discoveries were truly madeknowa to him. He visited also Martyn, Ward, MiUer, Dr. Shaw the cel- ebrated traveller, Peter Collinson, &c. ; and on his return to the continent, long continued a correspondence with these naturalists, in the terms of the most sincere friendship ; exchanged plants and other objects of natural history, and freely canvassed the different opinions set forth by each ; and although these were not always unanimously decided, they appeared to have no influence in dis- turbing the alliance previously formed. The Royal Academy of Sciences paid him a very high com- pliment. Having received permission to attend one of its sittings as a visitor, he was desired to wait a little while in the ante-room ; and it was at length announced that the Academy had elected him a corresponding member. He was importuned to remain in MEMOIR OF LINNiEUS. France, and, indeed, his merit everywhere produced the same consequences ; but he expressed his firm determination to return to his own country. From Paris, Linnasus went to Rouen, where he embarked for Sweden, after an absence of nearly three years. During this period he had vastly increased his information, particularly upon botany, and had taken advantage of the Dutch presses, to publish many of his works, which he had either previously written, or brought with him in an imperfect state, while the liberality of his patrons, and some learned societies, defrayed the expense, and even assisted to illustrate some of them with plates. Upon his arrival in Sweden, Linnaeus immediately visited his aged father, and thence proceeded to Stockholm, where he com- menced practising as a physician, but met with much opposition, on account of his botanical studies. His perseverance, however, succeeded, and he obtained extensive practice. Writing to a friend, he says, " I am undeservedly got into so much practice, that from seven o'clock in the morning till eight in the evening, I have not even time to take a short dinner." He became acquainted with Captain Triewald, who was endeavoring to establish an Academy of Sciences; and, in conjunction with this gentleman, and the Baron Hopken, a society of some note was instituted, the presidency of which devolved upon himself This was the origin of the present Academy of Stockholm. By the interest of one of its members, he was soon afterwards appointed physician to the navy ; and, with a fixed salary, was chosen to give public lectures upon botany and mineralogy. By these lucrative appointments, and the money he had saved during his residence in Holland, he was now in a situation of com- parative independence, and was enabled formally to apply to Dr. Moreus for the hand of his daughter ; and no plea for rejection now existing, Linnaeus was united to Sarah Elizabeth Morea, on the 26th of June, 1739. 10 MEMOIR OF LINNiEUS. Our illustrious naturalist might now be said to have reached the height of his earthly happiness — independent in his circum- Btances ; at peace, and beloved by his family ; and looked up to and honored by the heads of sciences in Europe. "He was not, however," says one of his biographers, " destined to continue in the career of reputation and prosperity, without exciting envy, jealousy and opposition, from various quarters ; and the attacks of his adversaries did not fail to wound his ambition. Yet, remem- bering the advice of his venerable friend, Boerhaave, and being of too high a cast of mind to entertain asperity, or indulge in splenetic invectives, he wisely resolved to abstain from controversy. We have now seen Linnseus independent in his circumstances, and happy in his family ; but there was still another step at which his ambition grasped, — an ambition in this case laudable. It was the botanic chair of UjDsala. He was eager to teach his favorite science in the halls where he had been himself taught, and had often entered with a boyish awe. It was still occupied by Rud- beck, now in the decline of life, and nearly unfit for the exertion of instructing a class. This celebrated man died in the ensuing year, and Linnaeus offered himself as a candidate. Notwithstand- ing his fame, he was disappointed in this object. The University statutes opposed his success ; and, according to the regulations, it was given to Dr. Rosen, who had studied longer, and had greater claims upon Upsala. The summit of his wishes, was, however, gained in the following year. He was appointed to the chair of medicine, vacant in the same University ; and, by a private ar- rangement with Dr. Rosen, effected an exchange, receiving the superintendence of the botanic garden, and charge of the whole department of Natural History. Befare his final removal to the professorship of Upsala, the Diet of the kingdom had resolved that expeditions should be un- dertaken into the least known Swedish provinces, to inquire into their resources, and discover what substances could be usefully MEMOIR OF LINNiEUS. 11 employed in their domestic manufactures. Linnaeus was selected to perform the first journey ; and, having accepted the appoint- ment, he set out for the Islands of Oeland and Gothland, to en- deavor to discover an earth fitted to make porcelain ; — this was the foundation of his Iter Oelandicum. He was accompanied by six naturalists, but was unsuccessful in the object of the excursion. The tour was nevertheless of great utility : he atter led to me- chanics, the arts, antiquities, manners of the people, fisheries, and general natural history. He discovered above one hundred plants which were not previously known to be indigenous, and first pointed out to the natives of those shores the use of Arundo are- naria to arrest the sand, and bind the soil upon the sea-beach. At the age of thirty-four, we find Linnaeus enjoying the fruits of all his labors and perseverance, teaching his favorite science, as its head in Sweden. He enjoyed himself to the utmost : he calls the garden " his Elysium ;" and the enthusiasm with which he set about improving it, knew no bounds. At his appointment, every thing was in a state of confusion : the dreadful fire which had converted the best part of Upsala to a heap of ruins in 1702, had extended its ravages also here ; and at this period the garden did not contain more than fifty plants that were exotic. Linnaeus applied to the Chancellor of the University, Count Charles Gyl- lenborg, who fortunately was a man of considerable scientific ac- quirements, and a lover of botany ; and he also thought that the fame of her University was of the utmost consequence to Upsala. Through the means of this gentleman, permission \vas obtained that the whole should be laid out anew. Plans were obtained from the King's architect; and stoves, a greenhouse, and a man- sion for the professor, were soon finished. A gai'dener, whom Linnaeus had formerly known with Mr. Clifford, was also engaged, and by the assistance of the friends whom he had ac(juired during his short \asits to London and Paris, the collection of plants was soon increased to above eleven hundred species, independent of 12 MEMOIR OF LINNiEUS. 'those indigenous to Sweden. In a few years the garden at Upsala ranked equal, if not superior, to similar establishments in Europe. In this he was also assisted by the government, who were most liberal in defraying the expense, and even sending out young men free, to distant countries, which immensely increased the na- tional collections. In a few years, his pupils, of the most perse- vering minds, were distributed over the whole world ; and their various histories would form of itself a volume of the most interesting kind. Of this enthusiasm for science Linnaeus thus speaks : " If I look back ujjon the fate of naturalists, must I call madness or reason, that desire which allures us to seek and to examine plants ? The irresistible attractions of nature can alone induce us to face so many dangers and troubles. No science has had so many martyrs as natural history." Many of his pupils were unfortunate, and fell victims to the elements, or diseases of a pestilential cli- mate ; but many returned amply compensating themselves for the hardships they had undergone, while their names are handed down to science, in tributes which were bestowed by their venerable precejjtor. The fame and reputation of Linnaeus had now gained him both riches and honors. He was admitted a member into most ot the scientific societies of Europe. The Imperial Academy distin- guished him by the name of Dioscorides Secundus. The Royal Academy of Sciences of Ujjsala, the Academy of Sciences at Montpelier, the Royal Academies of Berlin and Paris, and Royal Society of London, all ranked him among their members. In 1761, he attained an additional accession of honors, being presented by his sovereign with letters of nobility. His name was changed to Von Linne, and arms were assumed, corresponding with his new rank. But, perhaps, the most flattering testimony of the ex- tent and magnitude of his fame, was that which he received from the king of Spain, who invited him to settle at Madrid, with the offer of an annual pension for life of two thousand pistoles, let- MEMOIR OF UNN^LS. I3 ters of nobility, and the free exercise of his own religion. He returned liis most grateful acknowledgments for the intended honor ; and his answer, that " if he had any merits, they were due to his own country," shows the sense of obligation which he felt to the countrymen who had raised him to such an eminence. The salaries which Linnaeus received from his various public appointments, had placed him in affluent circumstances, and al- lowed him to gratify a wish which he had long indulged, — the possession of a villa, where he could spend a part of his time, away from the hurry and bustle of a public life, and enjoy the quiet delights of a country retirement. He accordingly purchased the villa of Harmanby, about a league from Upsala ; and, during the last fifteen years of his" life, mostly chose it for his summer residence. Here he kept, comparatively speaking, a little univer- sity. His pujiils followed him thither, and those who were for- eigners used to rent lodgings in the villages of Honby and Edeby, which were both contiguous to his villa. At the distance of about a quarter of a league from this rural abode, he erected a little building upon an eminence, which commanded a view of the sur- rounding country. In this he kept his collections of natural his- tory, and delivered summer lectures in a familiar manner to his pupils, and foreigners, who came to reside at the above-mentioned villages. During these, the grave and solemn habit of a professor was laid aside, and that of a friendly companion, clothed in a dressing-gown, slippers, and a red fur ca[), was assumed. To the titles with which King Frederick Adolphus honored our great naturalist, he added his private friendship ; and Linnaeus was often admitted to his company. Natural history was a favorite pursuit of this prince ; and a collection built in the castle of Ul- richsdale, about half a league from Stockholm, rapidly increased under the superintendence and arrangement of Linnaeus, and fur- nished the materials for one of his most splendidly illustrated works, entitled, " Museum Regis Adolphi Frederici." The queen 14 MEMOIR OF LINN^US followed the tastes of her husband, and possessed a private col- lection, also arranged by Linnaeus. The leisure time in the sum- mer vacations was often spent in these occupations ; and the pala- ces of Ulrichsdale and Drottingholm, at easy distance from his own villa, were often the scene of his studies, and served as ano- ther recreation from the more severe duties of his professorship. It was at this period of his life, that he was seized with severe attacks of gout, which prevented his repose for many nights at a time, and which he relieved by eating wild strawberries. These were almost the first symptoms of an approaching decay in his vigorous constitution. The excitement of seeing a collection of novelties had a singular effect ; and an anecdote is preserved, of his being cured in this way of a severe fit, by the return of a pu- pil from North America. He was afflicted with a violent fit of the gout, and was obliged to keep his bed, almost totally deprived of the use of his limbs. When he heard of the return of Kalm, with a number of new plants and other curiosities, the desire of seeing these treasures, and the delight which he felt when he saw them, was so great, as actually to make the gout disappear. The family of Linngeus, consisting of only one son and four daughters, were now grown up. The son, his first-born, of whom so much was expected, inherited a portion of his father's abilities, but was not spared to bring them to that maturity which his con- stant study for many years would have enabled him. At the early age of ten, he is said to have been acquainted with most of the plants in the botanic garden, and the highest wishes of his father were to render him fit for, and to see him his successor in, the botanical chair. We have now brought down the principal incidents in the life of this great naturalist, to the time, when, though only fifty-six years of age, he felt the vigor of his constitution impaired, and his versatile mind commencing to wane. He was conscious that he had fulfilled his adopted motto, " Faraam extendere factis,' and MEMOIR OF LINNiEUS. 15 was willing to relinquish his office, before its rluties became too severe for his declining health ; and after academical services for a period of thirty years, Linnaeus respectfully entreated his majesty, Gustavus, who had succeeded to the throne upon the demise of his parent, to accept his resignation. His request was declined with '.he most flattering objections, and the king refused to deprive Upsala of her chief splendor ; but he increased the salary, and allowed the young Linnaeus to be placed as assistant to the pro- fessorship, under the superintendence of his father. Thus did Linnaeus see the fulfilment of his brightest hopes, in the appoint- ment of his son, at the early age of twenty-two, to a chair which would have been looked upon through Europe, as the greatest and most difficult to be represented. Notwithstanding the relief which Linnaeus experienced Ijy the assistance of his son, his activity and 23ublic duties continued unabated at intervals till 177G, two years before his death, when he suffered a second shock, which had an effect upon his speech, though he still retained a part of his wonted cheerfulness. He was carried to his museum, where he viewed with delight the treasures he had collected together from all parts of the world, and showed additional vigor upon seeing any new or rare pro- duction, which the attention of his friends still furnished to him. Towards the end of this year he suffered a third and fatal blow. His right side became completely dead. It was necessary to lead, support, dress, and feed him. His mental faculties wasted with his body, and his earthly frame became to him a burden. In this distressing state he continued nearly twelve months, at times suf- fering great agony from his previous disease ; and, as the powers of his constitution became exhausted, he became insensible to pain, and expired in a gentle slumber, on the afternoon of the 10th of January, 1778, aged seventy years and seven months. Thus terminated the active and ever-searching life of this pious and illustrious man, depriving natural history of her bright- 16 MEMOIR OF LINNiEUS. est ornament, and his country of a fellow-citizen and professor, whose loss could not be repaired throughout all Europe. Every human honor was paid to his remains, and the sorrow of his countrymen was without bounds. A general mourning was or- dered at Upsala. To quote the words of their sovereign, they had " lost, alas ! a man, whose celeh-ity was as great all over the world, as the honor was bright which his country derived from him as a citi- zen. Long will Upsala remember the celebrity which it acquired by the name of LinncBus !" In foreign lands equal regard was paid to his memory. He was eulogised in the Royal Academy by Condorcet and Vicq d' Azyr, and his bust was erected under the highest cedar in the Royal Gardens. Dr. Hope, the Professor of Botany in the Uni- versity of Edinburgh, had a monument to his name erected in the botanic garden. Many societies have been formed under the auspices of his name, of which the most important was instituted in 1788, by the exei-tion of the late Sir James (then Dr.) Edward Smith. This possesses the whole library, herbaria, and manu- scripts of the illustrious person whom it records. They were purchased by the members, at the demise of their respected founder and president, and they rightly judged that the Linngean Society o" London was the only place where these monuments of his labors and abilities could be with propriety deposited. 24^^Z^ NAT. ORDE R. Composite^. CHRYSANTHEMUM INDICUM. INDIAN CHRYSANTHEMUM Class XIX. Syngenesia. Order I. Polygamia, Superflua. Gen. Char. Calyx, hemispherical, imbricated. Scales, marginal, membianaceous. Pappus, margined. Receptacle, naked. Spe. Char. Leaves, stem-clasping, oblong ; the upper serrate, the lower toothed. The root is long, crooked, knotty, tough, externally of a dark brown, and internally of a light cream color ; the stem rises from two to three feet in height, somewhat woody, much branched, be- set with numerous leaves, bearing some resemblance to those of Mugwort, of a grayish color ; xhejloicers are sweet smelling, and, on being pressed, give forth a very agreeable fragrance ; they are produced on the summits of the branches, in a loose sort of clus- ter, (those which terminate the main stem, grow to the size of a large carnation pink,) of a dark purple color ; they are double, or rather between semi-double and double ; the Jlorets of the ra- dius at first are perfectly tubular, or quilled, but, as they advance, split gradually downward on the inside, their outside being of a grayish tint, invisible in most of the florets, especially the younger ones, as it gives them a particolored appearance ; these florets do not in full occupy the receptacle, leaving room for others in the centre, of a different form, and yellow color, which on examina- tion appear to have their parts perfect, and also those of the ra- dius ; the receptacle is beset with membranous paleae, or chaffy scales, a circumstance which would lead us to consider this plant rather as an Anthemis, than a Chrysanthemum, of which it has the calyx, with the foliage of Mugwort. Vol. iii.— 1' 18 NAT. ORDER. COMPOSITE. New as this plant is to us, it appears to have been cultivated in China for ages. Linnaeus, who describes it in his Species Plan- ter, refers to a figure in the Hortus Malaharicus. His figure and the description accompanying it, agree generally with our plant ; but the flowers are more double, much smaller, less clustered, and do not corresjaond in color, yet there can be no doubt but that our plant is a variety of the same. It is there described as growing in sandy situations, and having green petals. Rumpliius, an ancient author, observes, that these plants were originally brought from China, where they flower in May and June ; that there are two sorts principally cultivated in India, — the white and the yellow flowered ; and a third sort, differing only in the color of its flowers, which are red. The variety here de- scribed began to be known among them at Amboyna ; but the flowers did not expand well, owing to their being produced at the rainy season, and they decay without producing any seed. He tells us further, that it is cultivated chiefly for pleasure ; that the natives and the Dutch plant it mostly in the borders of their gardens, where it does not thrive as well as when planted in pots ; and that, if it remains more than two years in the same spot, it degenerates, becomes less woody, and often wholly per- ishes ; that the Chinese, by whom it is held in high estimation, pay great attention to its culture. They set it in pots and jars, and place it before the windows of their apartments, and at their entertainments decorate their tables with it. On these occasions, he that produces the largest flower, is considered as conferring tlije greatest honor on his guests. Besides these three varieties already mentioned, they have a fourth, whicli is still more rare, and whose flowers are of a greenish ash color. All these varieties growing in separate pots, they place in certain quarters, which they par- ticularly wish to decorate; and the effect they produce is highly pleasing. In the cultivation of this plant they spare no pains : — the shorter it is, and the larger its flowers, the more it is esteemed. (^^.^sr^^^i^/ cyCt^. NAT. ORDER. PapaveraccB. PAPAVER ORIENTALE. EASTERN POPPY. Class XIII. PoLYANDRiA. Order I. Monogynia. Gen. Char. Corolla, four-petalled. Calyx, two-parted. Capsule, one-celled, opening by pores under the persistent stigma. Spe. Cliar. Calyces and Capsules, smooth. Leaves, incised, and embracing the stem. The root is perennial, creeping, branched, and somewhat jointed or knotty ; the stalk is generally erect, and rises from three to four feet in height, branched, of a glaucous green color, round, and cylindrical ; the leaves, which are always very large, are al- ternately placed upon the stalks, lobed, deeply cut into various segments, and very closely embracing the stem ; the Jlowers are large, solitary, and terminal ; the calyx consists of two very smooth ovate, concave segments, which fall when the flower expands ; the petals are large, roundish, entire, somewhat undulated, and of a beautiful orange red color ; the filaments are numerous, slender, shorter than the corolla, and support erect, compressed anthers ; the germen is roundish, with a many-rayed stigma ; the capsule is smooth, large, and filled with a large number of small seeds. This sjiecies of the Poppy is a native of the warm regions of Asia. In Persia and Arabia it is extensively cultivated for the manufacturing of opium, for which purpose it is considered but little, if at all, inferior to the Papaver somniferum. Every part of the plant possesses the peculiar odor and taste of opium ; but the milky juice, which is the active ingredient, principally resides in the capsules, and is gathered in a similar mannor as that of the Vol. iii.— 19 20 NAT. ORDER. PAPAVERACEiE. somniferum. The seeds, when perfectly ripe, are said to contain but very little of the narcotic principle ; and, being mostly com- posed of a mucilage, are often used as an article of food. They have rather a sweetish, bland taste, somewhat like almonds. The opium from this plant is mostly procured from Arabia, and is often found to be of a poor quality. It is said that the in- habitants frequently bruise the capsules together with the seeds ; boil them in water, and evaporate the decoction to the consistence of a sirup, which is mixed with the genuine drug, for the sake of gain : the j uice of other plants have been mixed with it, which is a fraud that is sometimes attended with serious consequences, though with difficulty detected. Water extracts some of its virtues by infusion, assuming a brown color ; and, when a solution of iron is added to it, becomes black, indicating the presence of astringent matter. It is in part soluble in alcohol, wine, vinegar, &c. One of the chief constitu- ents of opium is a volatile matter, which is so active as to occasion giddiness, trembling, &c., in the persons employed in collecting the juice. This principle is extracted by water and spirit in distilla- tion ; hence the decoction of opium impairs its virtues. Roasting, also, by depriving it of this active volatile matter, injures the drug. By age these volatile particles become dissipated ; and, to prevent this as much as possible, the gum should be always kept in wet, moist situations. When opium is taken in large doses by the Turks, it occasions a remarkable exhilaration of spirits: they have various agreeable ima<^es before their eyes ; lose all fear of death; and occasionally become very violent and ferocious : in fact, it acts upon them in a similar manner that intoxicating liquors do upon us ; and they in- dulc^e in it in consequence of their religion forbidding any excess in intoxicating drinks. Some of them will take as much as four or five drachms, or even an ounce, daily, without apparently any injury, not having any of the above symptoms, but only a degree NAT. ORDER. PAPAVERACE^. 21 of languor and sleepiness, which continue only for a short time, unless the dose be renewed. Such practises, however, render them very stupid, sorrowful, and inattentive to the common con- cerns of life. Medical Properties and Uses. Opium is one of the most pow- erful remedies we possess, in allaying irritability and pain ; and, in very small doses, acts as a stimulus, occasioning temporary ex- citement. The diseases in which it has been administered are too numerous for us to enter minutely into the subject at this time ; and we shall therefore refer the reader to a more general descrip- tion, under the head of Palaver somniferuin. Vol. II., page 133 of this work. We will, however, enumerate some of the principal diseases in which this drug has been so highly extolled, without attending to the various opinions of its modus operandi. In inter mitten ts, a full dose of opium, given a short time be- fore the paroxysm is expected, is said to be one of the most efiec- tual remedies for setting it aside ; but it should never be continued between the paroxysms, as it will have a tendency to create very U7ipleasant symptoms. In continued fevers, it will not be generally admissible, unless there should be some symptom present, indicating its use, as diar- rhoea, watchfulness, or the low delirium of typhus, connected with a state of irritability from want of sleep ; for it will probably oc- casion congestion about the head, and constipation, symptoms which are to be dreaded in fevers. In all spasmodic diseases, opium is by a certain class of physi- cians considered the great sovereign remedy, particularly when the spasm is occasioned by calculi irritating the gall ducts, or ure- ters : also in colic, spasms of the chest and stomach, and tetanus. In most cases where spasm exists, it is advisable, unless any idio- sjTicrasy in the patient should forbid its exhibition. NAT. ORDER AmaryllidacecE. AMARYLLIS FORMOSISSIMA. JACOBEAN AMARYLLIS. Class VI. Hexandria. Order I. Monogynia. Gen. Char. Perianth, declined. Tube, scarcely any, upper seg- ments reflex, lower sloped downwards, convolute at the base ^^W«^., inserted equally, with a connecting membrane at the base of the perianth, fksciculate, declined and recurved at the style. The upper Sej>haline, and the lower Peialine shorter than the others. Anthers, pendulous, affixed one-third from the top. Spe. Char. Perianth, six-parted, somewhat campanulate. Seg- ments, acuminate ; the three upper-ones forming a kind of crown. Leaves, ensiform. This beautiful plant is a native of South America, and, ac- cording to Linnaeus, was known in Europe as long ago as the year 159c3. It IS also described by Parkinson in 1629, and placed by him among the Daffodils. At that time stoves and green-houses were unknown : consequently it is not to be wondered why it was not more generally cultivated. Propagation and Culture. This is certainly one of the most beautiful plants of the flower garden, and is considerably cultiva- ted in some of the extensive gardens in England ; but in tU United States it is at present but little known. The roots send forth a large number of offsets, especially when they are kept in a moderate warmth in winter. The roots of this plant will live in a good green-house, or may be preserved through the winter un- der a common hot-bed frame ; but in this case it will not flower so A ^'^^^/B^/& . ^^iaC^ £, r. '>^l ^uzizf/^.^/ rya-c'ty-^^'/iP/. NAT. ORDER. AMARYLLIDACEiB. 23 often, nor send out as many offsets, as when they are placed in a moderate stove in winter. This sort will produce its flowers two or three times in a year, and is not regular to any season, but may be found in blossom from the beginning of March till the begin- ning of September. The flowers are always produced when the roots are in full vigor. The bulbs, when they are to be left in the ground all the winter, should be planted at least four inches deep in the ground. In general, however, it is safer to take up the bulbs, and to keep them dry all the winter, like tulips. These bulbs will flower beautifully, like hyacinths, in glasses : they will also flower if hung up in a room, and kept moist by wrapping moss around them. AVlien planted either in pots or in the open ground, it should be in rich soil; and the bulbs should be kept dry during winter, and well watered just before they are going into flower in spring. This plant is also propagated by offsets, which may be taken off every year. The best time to part these roots is in Auo-ust, that they may have time to take good root before winter ; and, in doing this, great care should be taken not to break off the fibres from their roots. They should be planted in pots of a middlincr size, filled with light kitchen-garden earth ; and, if they are kept in a moderate degree of warmth, they will produce a laro-er quan- tity of flowers. Medical Properties and Uses. This plant has never been suf- ficiently tested in regard to its medical qualities, to allow us to enter minutely into the details of its effect upon the human sys- tem. The petals were formerly employed as a conserve, and highly recommended for coughs, colds, and catarrhal affections. It is prepared after the following manner : Take of the dried petals, four ounces ; Ulmusfulva, slippery elm bark, eight ounces ; white sugar, two pounds ; Capsicum bacatum, cayenne pepper, half an ounce; all finely pulverized. Mix, by addinw sufficient v/arm water to make it into bread. Roll into small cakes, and djy. NAT. ORDER Amaryllidacece. AMARYLLIS BREVIFLORA. AMARYLLIS LILY. Class VI. Hexandria. Order I. Monogynia. Gen. Char. Leaves, hiemal, arcuate. Scape, autumnal, before the leaves. Umbel, many-flowered, pedunculated, divaricate. Germen, triangularly obovate. Tube, narrow, funnel-shaped. Petaline filaments, adhering to the petals. Anthers, incum- bent, attached in the middle. Capsule, obovate, disposed to burst. Spe. Char. Leaves, lorate-linear, channelled. Perianth, funnel- shaped. Segments, acuminate, recurvediy spreading. The roots of this family of plants are nearly all bulbous, from the size of a walnut to that of a large turnip ; the calyx and corolla are confounded, superior, regular, colored, and the former overlapping the latter ; the stamens are six, arising from the sepals and petals, sometimes cohering by their dilated bases into a kind of cup ; sometimes an additional series of barren stamens is pre- sent, often forming a cup which surmounts the tube of the peri- anthium; anthers bursting inwardly; ovarium three-celled, the cells many-seeded, or sometimes one or two-seeded ; style one ; stigma three-lobed ; fruit three-celled and three-valved ; capsule with loculicidal dehiscence, or a three-seeded berry ; seeds with either a thin membranous, or thick and fleshy testa ; albumen fleshy ; embryo nearly straight, with its radicle turned towards the hilum. Propagation and Culture. This species, which is remarkable for its beautiful flowers, is a native of the Cape of Good Hope ; VoLiJi.— 24. NAT. ORDER. AMARYLLlDACEiE. 25 but has now become naturalized in Madeira, and almost so in Portugal and Italy. It is so hardy in the English gardens, that it may not only be grown in the open air, but it does not require ta- king up in winter. Two things, however, we are informed, are necessary to its flowering, viz. : " a strong growth of the leaves, and absolute rest from midsummer till the period of flowering in Sep- tember. If the leaves sprout early, and are so much damaged I)y severe frosts, that a vigorous growth does not ensue in spring ; or if they have not moisture in September to promote the blossom- ing, it will fail, and in the latter case the abortive flower-buds will be thrown out of the ground when the leaves sprout afterwards." On this account it is recommended putting a hand-glass or some other covering over the bulbs, so as to keep off the rain in a wet summer. There are also two other varieties cultivated in gar- dens, the Amaryllis pallida, which is paler than the species here represented, and the Amaryllis latifolia, which has broader leaves. The bulbs of all the varieties are very large, and should be plant ed in July and August, in a very richly manured, loamy soil, in front of a south wall, where they will flower abundantly. Medical Properties a7id Uses. The medical qualities of thid plant, together with all its varieties, are that of a poisonous char- acter, and consequently is but little used in medicine. The best mode of obtaining its virtues is by procuring an extract, after the following manner. Take of the leaves and flowers any quantity, press them into a vessel, and add sufficient alcohol to cover them: let this stand for fourteen days; then press out the liquor, and filter; after which place the tincture so filtered in tin or earthen pans, and expose to the sun for evaporation : after it is reduced to the consistency of an extract, it should be gathered, and placed in earthen pots, tightly covered, when it will keep good for any length of time. Given in moderate doses, its effects are similar to tnose of Belladonna. NAT. ORDER. LomentacecB. MYROXYLON PERUIFERUM. SWEET-SMELLING BALSAIVL Class X. Decandria. Order I. Monogynia. Gen. Char. Calyx, bell-shaped, five-toothed. Petals, five ; the upper one larger than the others. Germen, longer than the corolla. Legume, with one seed only at the extremity. Leaves, coriaceous, persistent, and, as vv^ell as the branches, glabrous. Legumes, with the wing thick on one side, veinless on the other. Style, deciduous. Sj)e. Char. Leaves, abruptly pinnate, alternate. Leasts, nearly opposite. This is a very beautiful tree : the trunk rises to a considerable height, is straight, smooth, and covered with a compact, coarse, heavy bark, externally of a gray color, internally of a pale yellow, and abounding with a very fragrant resin, which also pervades every part of the tree ; the branches extend almost horizontally, and are covered, like the trunk, with coarse bark ; the leaves are alternate, and abruptly pinnate ; the leaflets are nearly opposite, petiolate, ovate, lanceolate, with the apex somewhat obtuse and emarginate, entire, very smooth, shining ; the midrib on the under surface, pubescent ; tine common petiole is round and pubescent; the leaflets vary in number, from two to four or five pairs ; the floivers are produced on axillary, erect racemes, longer than the leaves ; the peduncles are slender, roundish, and pubescent, each accompanied by a very small, erect, ovate, concave bractea ; the pedicels are erect ; the calyx is bell-shaped, dark green, and divided into five small, nearly equal segments ; but one of them so far Vol. iu. —26. /: <• y^'erted into tlie calyx, bearing elongated, sharp-pointed, sulcated anthers ; the germen is oblong, pedicellated ; the style is short, subulate, crooked, and crowned with a simple stigma ; the 2)eri- carp is of a straw color, club-shaped, somewhat curved and pen- dulous, globular near the top, and terminated by the curved style ; the cell, which forms the curved part, contains a single seed, which is crescent-shaped, and projects from the cell. The Peruvian Balsam-tree is a native of South America, in- habiting the warmer regions of that continent, growing on the mountains of Panatalmas, in the forests of Paxaten, Muna, Cuchero, and Puzuzu, and in some of the warm situations near the river Maranon ; flowering from August to September. This tree was first discovered by Mutis, about the year 17S1, who sent a speci- men of it, both in fruit and flower, to the younger Linnaeus. The natives inhabiting the countries where this tree grows, call it Quinquino : they use the bark as perfume. The Peruvian Balsa?n, and the Balsam of Tola, are both the product of this tree : — for- merly, it was supposed that the latter balsam was the product of a different tree from that which yields the former ; but it has been ascertained that both balsams are the product of the Myroxylon Peruiferum. We are also credibly informed that the balsam is pro- cured by incision at the beginning of the spring, when the showers are frequent, short, and gentle : it is collected into bottles, where ft keeps liquid for some years, in which state it is called white liquid balsam. But when the Indians deposite the liquid in mats or calabashes, which is generally done in Carthagena and in the mountains of Tolu, after some time it condenses and hardens into resin, and is then denominated dry white balsam, or balsam of Tolu, by which name it is distinguished in, the druggists' shops. M. Val- 28 NAT. ORDER. LOMENTACEiE. mont de Bomare says, in his Dictionary of Natural History, that if an extract be made from the bark, by boiHng it in water, it re- mains liquid, and of a blackish color, and is known under the appel- lation of hlack Peruvian halsam. Sensible and Che??iical Properties. Genuine Peruvian halsam is of a deep reddish brown color, very viscid, and of the consis- tency of honey, when first taken from the comb : it has a warm, aromatic, and slightly bitter taste, and, when swallowed, leaves a somewhat acrid sensation in the throat : its odor is very fragrant. Distilled with water, it yields a small quantity of reddish limped oil ; and benzoic acid sublimes in the neck of the retort : the re- mainder is resin. When boiled with water, the liquid becomes acidulated, reddens vegetable blues, and deposites on cooling crystals of benzoic acid. It dissolves completely in ether, and also in alcohol ; but the latter requires to be in considerable quan- tities. The alkalies and their carbonates, form with it thick masses, which, on the addition of sulphuric acid, lets fall a resinous matter, and benzoic acid crystallizes. Treated with the nitric and muriatic acids, the presence of prussic acid is detected, ben- zoic acid sublimes, and the residual matter is artificial tannin. Mr. Hatchett found that when this is heated with sulphuric acid, arti- ficial tannin is also formed ; and the charcoal remaining amounts to no less than 0"64 of the original weight of the balsam. At 555° the balsam begins to boil when exposed to some heat in a water-bath, and some gas is discharged. At 594° the oil, mixed with a little water, comes over quite fast. Lichtenberg kept four ounces of balsam at the temperature of 617° for two hours, and obtained two ounces of a yellowish oil, and a crystallized mass' of benzoic acid ; which, together with the water, weighed six drachms and a half The gas obtained amounted to fifty-eight ounce mea- sdres, thirty-eight being carbonic acid : the rest burnt like oleifiant gas. From the analysis of Stoltze, 1000 parts of balsam consist of 24 of brown, nearly insoluble resin, 207 of soluble resin, 690 NAT. ORDER. LOMENTACEiE. 29 of a peculiar kind of volatile oil, 64 of benzoic acid, and G of ex- tractive matter. Tola Bakam. This balsam is, as we noticed, the white balsam of Peru, hardened by exposure to the atmosphere. It comes to the States in gourd-shells or calabashes ; its odor is extremely fra- grant, somewhat resembling that of lemons ; its taste i-s aromatic, and somewhat sweetish ; it is of a reddish brown color, and of a thick, tenacious consistence, becoming brittle by age. In distilla- tion with water, it yields a small portion of volatile oil, and impreg- nates the water with its odor : if the process be continued, a quan- tity of benzoic acid sublimes. It is soluble in alcoliol and ether, and also in the alkalies. From experiment we have ascertained, that when dissolved in a very small quantity of the solution of po- tass, its odor is lost, and it acquires the smell of the clove pink. When digested in the sulphuric and nitric acids, a considerable quantity of pure benzoic acid sublimes, and with the latter some trace of prussic acid is also evolved. Medical Properties and Uses. Peruvian balsam is stimulating and tonic, and has also been regarded as expectorant : hence, it has been recommended as an efficacious remedy in obstinate coughs, chronic asthma, and other pulmonary diseases, when at*- tended with an increased secretion of the mucus ; but, from its heating and stimulating qualities, it is improper in those cases which are attended with inflammation. In chronic rheumatism, gleets, seminal weaknesses, and leucorrhoea, as well as in some cases of debility, its tonic powers appear to have proved efficacious. It has been recommended to be dropped into the ear, combined with ox-gall, in the proportion of one part of the former to three of the latter, in foetid discharges of that organ. Formerly, it was much used as a local application to foul ulcers, especially those of an indolent kind ; and, in the hands of the celebrated Mr. Whately, it appears to have been a very successful application. Peruvian balsam may be taken in doses of from thirty to sixty 30 NAT. ORDER. LOMENTACEiE. drops, in any proper vehicle, and repeated at intervals, according to circumstances. Tolu halsam possesses similar qualities to the former, and is applicable to the same diseases. In paralytic affec- tions, particularly those following the use of lead, the halsam of Peru may be given with the best effects, in doses, as much as the stomach will retain. This medicine seems in this disease to act upon the system generally, improving the health and appearance of the patient ; and, as his strength returns, the disease subsides. It was once employed as an external application in paralytic and rheumatic affections, but there are other applications much more valuable and efficacious. It was considered by former prac- titioners a great medicine to check the morbid effects which com- monly succeed punctures of nerves, tendons, &c. For this pur- pose it was dropped into the wounded part. Myroxylon Healwg Salve. Under this title there was formerly a very celebrated salve vended, which was said to cure all kinds of sores, bruises, swellings, sprains, &c. How much credit can be given to those reports, we leave for others to decide, but we will proceed to give the formula for preparing the salve, according to the manuscript recipe of a very celebrated ancient physician. Take of the fresh green leaves of this tree, as many as can be pressed into a large copper kettle ; add as much common lard as will mix in with the leaves ; place the vessel so filled over a slow fire, and let it stew or steep for several hours ; then strain off, and press the leaves, that they may be thoroughly cleaned. Sometimes a Uttle beeswax was added, in order to harden it. This was used for all kinds of purposes. It was also said to be an infallible remedy for the piles. Placed upon a lint, or soft piece of leather, and applied over sores of a gangrenous nature, it is said to be both healing and cleansing. ..^^.;ii— ^-^ ^.^.^.^^ ^-'/^^ NAT. ORDER, VerticillatcB. TEUCRIUM MARUM. MARUM GERMANDER Class XIV. DiDYNAMiA. Order I. Gymnospermia. Gen. CJiar. Corolla, superior. Capsule, two-parted, divided from the stigma. Spe. Char. Leaves, ovate, acute, petiolate, tomentose. Florets, racemes in twos. The root of this plant is perennial, long, ligneous, and divided into many fibrous branches : the stalks are numerous, slender, shrubby, woolly, somewhat branched, and rise from one to two feet in height : the leaves are oblong, pointed, entire, and near the bottom obscurely lobed ; the upper pagina is of a pale green color ; the under, white and downy ; they are placed in pairs upon slender footstalks, which become gradually elongated towards the lower part of the stems; the Jlmcers are jiroduced in spikes, and all stand on the same side, in pairs, upon short peduncles ; the corolla consists of a short curved, cylindrical tube, which divides at the limb into two lips ; the upper lip is short, erect, and divided to the base, by which it seems lost in the under lip, which is long, of a pale purple color, and separated into six lobes ; of these the outside one is the largest: the caly.T is tubular, whitish, woolly, and cut into five short, pointed segments ; the filaments are two long and two short, slender, white, and furnished with simple an- thers ; the germen is quadrified, and supports a slender style, with a bifid stigma ; the seeds are four, of a brown color, and lodged in the cal3x, which serves the purpose of a capsule. This little shrub flowerS from July until September. It is a Vol. jii.— 31 32 NAT. ORDER. VERTlCILLAt.*:. native of Spain, and is said to grow plentifully, also, in Greece, Egypt, Crete, Syria, and in some of the warmer parts of South America. Whether this plant was known to the ancients or not, does not appear from the descriptions of Theophrastus and Dioscorides. Cortusus discovered that cats are remarkably fond of Marum ; and from this circumstance we are enabled with certainty to trace back its history to his time ; for ever since it has been known by the name of Cat-thyme. There occurs, however, considerable dif- ficulty in ascertaining its synonyma ; and probably some of those to which we have referred are not sufficiently identified. It was first cultivated in England by Parkinson, in 1640, and is now to be found in many of the gardens throughout Europe and the United States. Medical Properties and Uses. The leaves and younger bran- ches of Marum, when recent, on being rubbed between the fin- gers, emit a volatile, aromatic smell, which readily excites sneezing; but to the taste they are bitterish, accompanied by a sensation of heat and acrimony. Lewis says that the Marum, loses but little of its pungency on being dried ; and in this respect it differs re- markably from many other acrid herbs, as those called anti-scor- butics. The ancients, to whom this plant was well known, attri- buted to it a peculiar antiseptic and alexipharmic power, and for many ages it had the character of being remarkably efficacious in all pestilential and putrid diseases. With a view to this, it was afterwards directed in the composition of several officinal medi- cines, supposed to be antidotes to various kinds of poisons and in- fections ; and we are told that it was successfully used in the plague, which raged in Turkey. But, notwithstanding this plant was such a celebrated remedy, and held a place in both the Lon- don and Edinburgh Pharmacopseias, yet it appears to be a very insignificant article of the Materia Medica, and is therefore very justly fallen into disuse. NAT. ORDE R. RotactB. HYPERICUM MONOGYNUM. CHINESE ST. JOHN'S-WORT Class XVIII. PoLYADELPHiA. Order III. Polyandria. Gen. Char. Calyx, five-parted. Petals, five. Filaments, many connected at the base into five bundles. Spe. Char. Stem, ancipital. Leaves, blunt, with pelucid dots. This species of the Hypericum generally grows to the height of about a foot and a half; the root is perennial, ligneous, divided and sub-divided into numerous small branches, and covered with a straw-colored bark ; the stalks are round, smooth, of a light color, and towards the top .send off many opposite floriferous branches ; the leaves are without footstalks, and placed in pairs ; they are entire, oval, and beset with a great number of minute transparent vesicles, which have the appearance of small perfora- tions through the disc ; the Jloicers arc numerous, pentapetalous, terminal, of a deep yellow color, and grow in a corymbus, or in clusters, upon short peduncles ; each j^e^a^ is of an irregular oval shape, and, on the under side, near the apex, is marked with many blackish spots ; the calyx consists of five persistent acute leaves ; the stamens are numerous, and most generally are found united at their base into three portions, or bundles ; the anthers are yellow, and marked with a small black gland ; the styles are three ; and the capsules have three cells, which contain many small oblong, brownish seeds. It grows most common in woods, and uncultiva- ted grounds ; and flowers in July. Of this genus ons hundred and thirty-four are enumerated, Vol. iii. —33. 34 NAT. ORDER. ROTACE^ all possessing similar properties ; fourteen are described with five styles ; forty-six with three ; two with two styles ; and two with one. When the term Monogxjnu7n was first applied to this species, it was a proper one, there being then only one in that predica- ment. Another having since been discovered, it ceases to be so now. Some have, indeed, doubted the propriety of using the word Monogynum at all, alleging, in reality, there are five styles, which manifestly show themselves above, though they coalesce below. Such is the opinion of some, but others think differently. This elegant native of China is now quite common in the green-houses, both in this country and England. Mr. Miller has given us a minute description of this plant, and observes that it is more valuable, as it continues in flower a great part of the year. He observes, further, that i-f planted in a very warm situation, it will live in the open air ; but that those plants which stand abroad will not flower in winter, as well as those which are removed into shelter in Autumn. It may be propagated by slips from the root, or by layers. Medical Properties and Uses. This plant has a bitterish, sub- astringent taste, and a sweetish smell. It was in great repute with the ancients, who prescribed it in hysteria, hypochondriasis, and mania. They also imagined that is had the peculiar power of curing demoniacs ; and thence obtained the name of Fuga dcemo- num. It was also recommended internally for wounds, bruises, ul- cers, haemoptysis, mictus, cruentus, gravel, dysentery, agues, worms, and outwardly a^ an anodyne, and as a discutient and detergent. However, it is, now very rarely used, and its name is omitted in the Materia Medica. In the London Pharmacopseia, the flowers only are directed to be used, as containing the greatest propor- tion of the resinous, oily matter in which the medical efficacy of the plant is supposed to reside. /^J-/Y■/y'/;'^^' Wi^<^//^. NAT. ORDER. Cactece. CACTUS FLAGELLIFORMIS. CREEPING CACTUS Class XII. IcosANDRiA. Order I. Monogynia. Ge7i. Char. Calyx, superior, many-cleft. Segments, imbricate. Petals, numerous, inserted in several series ; the interior ones larger. Stig?na, many-cleft. Berry, one-celled, many- seeded. Sj)e. Char. Leaves, fleshy and spine-like. Stem, angular, two edged-like. The sejjals of this plant are numerous, usually indefinite, and confounded with the petals, either crowning the ovarium, or cover- ing its whole surface ; the petals are numerous and indefinite, arising from the orifice of the calyx, sometimes irregular ; the sta- mens are indefinite, more or less cohering with the sepals and petals ; the^laments are long and filiform ; anthers ovate, versatile ; ovarium fleshy, inferior, one-celled, with numerous ovula arranged upon parietal placentae, equal to the lobes of the stigma; the style is filiform ; the stigmas are numerous, collected in a cluster ; fruit succulent, one-celled, many-seeded, either smooth or covered with scales, scars, or tubercles ; seeds parietal, or, having lost their adhe- sion, nestling in the pulp ; ovate or obovate, without albumen : embryo either straight, curved, or spiral, with a short, thick radicle ; cotyledons flat, thick, foliaceous, sometimes almost obsolete (in the leafless species), succulent shrubs, very variable inform; stems usually angular, or two-edged, or foliaceous ; leaves almost always wanting : when present, fleshy, smooth, and entire, or spine-like ; Vol iii. — 35. 36 NAT. ORDER. CACTE^. fcwers either showy or minute, usually lasting only one day or night, always sessile. America is the station of the order ; no species appearing to be natives of any other part of the world. In this country they are abundant, especially in the tropics, extending a short distance beyond them, both to the north and the south. Decandolle states that 32° or 33° lat. is the northern limit of the order; but it is certain that a species is either wild or naturalized on Long Island, in lat. 42° north ; and that there is another, somewhere about 49° in the Rocky Mountains. Propagation and Culture. Hot, dry, exposed places, are the favorite stations of this genus of plants, for which they are pecu- liarly adapted, in consequence of the small quantity of evapora- ting pores which they possess, as compared with other plants ; a circumstance which, as Decandolle has satisfactorily shown, will account for the excessively succulent state of their tissue. No plant is more easily propagated by cuttings, than the Cactus and its varieties. Those who are familiar with its cultivation recom- mend that the cuttings be laid in a dry place, for the space of two or three weeks ; then to be planted in pots, filled with a mixture of loam and lime rubbish, having some stones laid in the bottom of the pot, to drain off the moisture ; and afterwards plunged into a gentle hot-bed of tanner's bark, to facilitate their rooting ; and giving them once a week a gentle watering : this should be done about the first of July. We are informed that this plant has never been known to perfect its seed in Europe. Medical Properties and Uses. The juice of the Cactus Jlagel- liformis has been considered valuable as an alterative, and, conse- quently, has been administered in various disorders arising from an impure state of the blood. It has also been favorably noticed as a medicine to correct and restore the tone of the stomach. The most improved mode of administration is in jjills made from the extract. Dose, from one to three five-grain pills, twice a day. ^ ■iai:'^e^v./z- ^.J?!^;^ . NAT. ORDER. Solanece. BELLADONNA PURPUREUS. BELLADONNA LILY. Class VI. Hexandria. Order I. Monogynia. Gen. Char. Leaves, hiemal, arcuate. Scape, autumnal, before the leaves. Umbel, many-flowered, pedunculated, divaricate. Germen, triangularly obovate. Tube, narrow, funnel-shaped. Anthers, incumbent. Spe. Char. Leaves, lorate-linear, channelled. Perianth, funnel- shaped. Segments, acuminate, recurvedly spreading. This species of the Belladonna, has a thick, whitish root, which is perennial, and sends forth strong branched, purple-colored stems, from four to six feet in height ; the leaves are of unequal size, entire, oval, pointed, and stand in pairs, upon short footstalks ; the flowers are of a light pink color, but striped with a purple red, large, pendent, bell-shaped, furrowed, and the limb cut into five segments. The whole plant is covered with very fine hairs or down. T!\ie Jloicers appear in June or July ; but the seeds are not ripe till September, when they acquire a shining black color. It grows in shady and stony waste grounds, but is not very com- mon in any country except China. A few plants have been sent to this country, but will not flower unless kept in the hot-houses, and with great care. Whether this plant is the " king of poisons," as mentioned by Dioscorides, or not, botanists have not yet ascertained ; but it has certainly been long known by the Chinese, as a strong poison, of the narcotic kind ; and the berries, though less powerful than the a Vol. iii.— 37 38 NAT. ORDER. SOLANEjE. leaves, furnish us with numerous instances of their deleterious and fatal effects, acting upon children, in all respects similar to those of the Ati'opa belladonna. The number of these berries necessary to produce deleterious effects, may probably depend upon the state of maturity in which they are eaten. If not more than three or four be swallowed, according to Haller's account, no very seri- ous consequences are apprehended ; but, when a greater number of the berries are taken into the stomach, scarcely half an hour elapses before violent symptoms supervene ; snch as vertigo, deli- rium, great thirst, painful deglution, and retching, followed by fu- ror, stridor dentium, and convulsions ; the eyelids are drawn down, the uvea dilated and immovable ; the face becomes red and tumid, and spasms affect the mouth and jaw ; the general sensibility and irritability of the body suffer such great diminution, that the stom- ach often bears large and repeated doses of the most active emet- ics, without being brought into action ; the pulse is small, hard, quick, and subsultas tendinum, risus sardonius and coma, generally precede death. The body being opened, inflammation will be discovered in the intestines, mesentery and liver. We are informed of a case where the stomach of a child was found eroded in three places. It may be necessary to remark, that vinegar, taken freely into the stomach, has been found very efficacious in obviating the effects of this poison : evacuations should, however, in this case, be always first promoted. Many other recent facts of the same kind might be quoted from various publications. Ray found, by applying the leaves of this plant near the eye, a remarkable relaxation of the uvea was produced. Sauvages supposes that this was the plant which pro- duced such strange and dreadful effects upon the Roman soldiers during their retreat (under the command of Anthony) from the Parthians. They are said to have " suflered great distress for want of provisions, and were urged to eat unknown plants. Among others, they met with an herb that was mortal ; he that NAT. ORDER. — SOLANE^. 39 had eaten of it, lost his memory and his senses, and employed him- self wholly in turning about all the stones he could find ; and, af- ter vomiting up bile, fell down dead." The Scotch historian, Buchanan, relates, that the Scots mixed a quantity of the juice of the Belladonna, with the bread and drink which by their truce they were to supply the Danes with, which so intoxicated them, that the Scots killed the greatest part of Sweno's army while asleep. Propagation and Culture. All the various varieties of the Belladonna can be greatly improved by cultivation : they require a strong, rich, loamy soil, and shady situations, where, if carefully attended, they will grow to a great size. This plant is not in- crea.sed by cuttings, like many others, but mostly by seeds, or the berries, which should be gathered when ripe, kept in a dry place for the winter season, and planted early in the spring, about two inches deep, in pots, or in the margin of the garden. If in pots, they require to be watered, in dry weather, every day, especially after they have been grown to some size : a neglect of plenty of water, where they are in pots, will not ensure a luxuriant growth. The roots are sometimes parted, and the plant increased by layers : this should be done early in the spring. For medicinal purposes, the roots (if used) should be gathered late in the fall, after the top has gone to seed. Medical Properties and Uses. The leaves of the Belladonna were first used externally to discuss schirrhous and cancerous tu- mors, and also as an application to ulcers. Their good effects in this way at length induced physicians to employ them internally for the same disorders ; and we have a considerable number of well authenticated facts, which prove them a very serviceable and important remedy. But it must likewise be confessed, that many cases of this sort have occurred, in which the Belladonna has been employed without success : this, however, may be said of every medicine ; and though Dr. Cullen repeatedly experienced 40 NAT. ORDER. SOLANE^. its efficacy, yet the facts he adduces in confirmation of the utility of this plant, are clear and decisive. He says : " I have had a cancer of the lip entirely cured by it ; a scirrhosity in a w^oman's breasts, of such a kind as frequently proceeds to cancer, I have found entirely discussed by the use of it ; a sore a little below the eye, which had put on a cancerous appearance, was much mended by the internal use of the Belladonna ; but the patient having learned somewhat of the poisonous nature of the medicine, refused to continue the use of it, upon which the sore again spread, and was painful ; but, upon a return to the use of the Belladonna, it was again mended to a considerable degree : when the same fears again returning, the use of it was again laid aside, and with the same consequence of the sore becoming worse. Of these alter- nate states, connected with the alternate use of, and abstinence from, the Belladonna, there were several which fell under my own observation." The sensible effects produced by the leaves of this plant, taken in medicinal doses, are usually by the skin, the urinary pas- sages, and sometimes by stool ; in larger doses, troublesome dryness of the mouth and throat, giddiness, and dimness of sight are ex- perienced. That the advantages derived from the internal use of Belladonna are only in proportion to the evacuations effected by it, is a conclusion we cannot admit, as sufficiently warranted by the facts adduced upon this point. As this plant has always been considered rather uncertain in its operations, it is with difficulty that we can direct what would be a proper dose : the most pr.udent manner, however, of admin- istering it, is by beginning with one grain or less, and gradually increasing, according to its effects. Five and six grains are con- sidered a very large dose. 0^^ (^.y^M^V^^^fJ^^^^f^'^ NAT. ORDER, ScrophularineeB. MIMULUS AURANTIACUS. MONKEY FLOWER Class XIV. DiDYNAMiA. Older II. Angiospermia. Gen^. Cliar. Calyx, prismatic, five-toothed. Corolla, ringent, up- per lip reflexed at the sides. Pelate of the lower lip, promi- nent. Stigma, thick, bifid. Spe. Char. Stern, erect, smooth. Leaves, sessile, lanceolate, acu- minate. Peduncles, axillary, shorter than the flowers. The present species of Mimulus is equal in point of beauty to most of the inhabitants of our green-houses, to which situation it is most admirably adapted. The stalk rises about three feet high, much branched, shrubby, round, the young wood green, with a tinge of purple towards the lower part of each joint, slightly viscid, as it becomes older changing to a light brown color, and discovering several fissures ; the branches are alternately op- posite, and bearing flowers quite to the base ; the leaves are oppo- site, sessile, slightly connate, ovate-lanceolate, somewhat blunt at the extremity ; this bluntness is particularly apparent when con- pared with a leaf of the Mimulus ringens : toothed, or slightly sawed on the edge, smooth and veiny ; ihe Jloioers are inodorous, large, nearly twice the size of those oi the ringens, and uniformly of a pale scarlet color, growing in pairs, from the axil of the leaves, standing on footstalks about half the length of the calyx ; the calyx is five-angled and five-tootlicd ; the tube of the flower, within the calyx, is narrow, cylindrical, of a beautiful pink color, bent a little downward, gradually e.xpanding, and dividing into Vol. iii.— II 42 NAT. ORDER. SCROPHULARINEiE. two lips, the upper of which is divided into two, and the lower into three segments, all of them irregular, the two uppermost very much so ; at the base of the middle segment of the lower lip, are two prominent ridges, of a somewhat deeper color ; the stamens are four, two long, and two short ; the anthers are of a deep orange cruciform, within the flower ; the stigma is white, and two-lipped ; lips closed or expanded, according to its age ; the style is filiform ; the germen oblong, at the base of which is a gland of considerable size, which secretes small quantities of honey. This plant is a native of the warmer parts of both North and South America, and is found in blossom during most of the sum- mer months. It is easily increased by cuttings and layers, and would, no doubt, if properly managed, prove a valuable acquisition to the flower-garden. Medical Properties and Uses. This plant partakes of the properties of those generally contained in this order. The leaves and roots act both as purgatives and emetics, in many respects re- sembling Digitalis: in fact, those properties are so prominent, that its use as a medicine is considered highly dangerous. The pow- dered leaves, or an extract of them, will produce vomiting, dejec- tion and vertigo, and, if continued even in small doses, will increase the secretion of the saliva and urine, reduce the pulse, and even cause death. According to the account given of this plant, by Vauquelin, the purgative qualities depend upon the presence of a peculiar substance, analagous to resin, but differing, as it is soluble in hot water. It is recorded that the Indians of Spanish America procure an infusion of the roots and tops, and administer it for the cure of fever and ague, which, however, they recommend to be given in extremely small doses. Cattle, horses, sheep, and other animals, feeding upon the prairies where this plant is abundant, have fallen victims to its narcotic and stupifying influence. There is, however, another species of this plant — the Mimulus guttatus.- the leaves of which are eaten as salad, by the natives en the coast NAT. ORDER. SCROFHULARINEiG. 43 of Malabar ; but this plant, like its congeners, is now suspected of possessing deleterious properties. The dose, and method of administration, we will not attempt to recommend, not being suf- ficiently acquainted with its uses, and, more especially, on account of not knowing for what purpose it can be administered to any advantage. An extract was formerly prepared from this plant, by obtain- ing the expressed juice from the fresh green leaves, and afterwards subjected to the evaporation of the sun, until it was reduced to a consistency suitable for rolling into pills. From one to two five- grain pills were recommended at a dose, and repeated from once to three times a day. These pills became quite celebrated at one time, for the cure of various obstinate diseases ; but were only resorted to where other more harmless medicines proved ineffec- tual. Obstinate fevers, agues, coughs, asthma, rheumatism, gout, and dysenteria, were the principal disorders said to be benefited by it : but it soon lost its popularity, and fell into disrepute ; and is now entirely discarded from the practice of medicine. Propagation and Culture. The Spanish formerly cultivated several species of the Mimulus, not as an ornament, but more par- ticularly for its medical qualities. Their plan was — first, to plant the cuttings ten or twelve inches from each other, in furrows, or rows, laid out about three and a half feet apart : the soil should be of a gravelly or sandy character, and well manured ; the weeds &c. kept down with a hoe, and the earth loosened a few times af- ter they have taken root. NAT. ORDER Iridece. IRIS PUMILA. DWARF IRIS. Class III. Triandria. Order I. Monogynia. Gen. Char. Corolla, six-parted, incomplete. Segments, three, re- flexed, the others erect or connivent. Style, short. Stigmas, three, petaloid, covering the stamens. Capsules, three-celled, many-seeded. 8pe. Char. Flowers, beardless. Ste?n, terete, more or less flexu- ous. Germen, somewhat triangular. Leaves, ensiform. This genus is distinguished by having a six-parted flower, every other division of which is reflected, or rolled backward ; the root is somewhat bulbous, fleshy, of a dark purple or chestnut color, and from which proceed several succulent fibrous branches; the stem rises from two and a half to four feet in height, and ter- minates with a single flower; the leaves are sword-shaped, radicle, inserted in each other, pointed, somewhat shorter than the stem, and of a dark, dull green color ; \heJlowers are large, upright, of a beautiful purple-scarlet color, and lower petals striped with a bluish tinge ; the calyx is a spathe of two valves ; the corolla di- vides into six segments, or petals, three of which stand erect ; the other three., which are of an irregular oval shape, turn back and downward ; \\\e Jilaments are three, and crowned with long yellow anthers ; the style is short and simple ; the stigma separates into three expanded segments, resembling petals, which arch over the stamens ; the germen is rather long, of an obtusely triangular shape, and placed below the corolla ; the capsule has three cavi- ties, and contains a large number of flat brown seeds. VoLiii.— 41. '..^fy^^isiy/z^ 74^J^>. NAT. ORDER. IRIDK^. 46 This name signifies rainbow, and is so called on account of its variety of colors, and is the same which was known and described by Pliny, nearly two thousand years ago. It is known in Eng- land, and in this country, as one of the varieties of the Flower-de- luce. The genus presents, according to the best accounts, about seventy species, some of which are found in almost every part of the globe. They greatly differ, both in size and appearance, some being from three to six feet high, while others are only as many inches. They are mostly perennial herbaceous plants, some of which have bulbous roots. Propagation and Culture. The Iris pumila grows wild in many parts of Hungary : it seeks open and hilly situations, and flowers in the month of April : it is a hardy plant, and will thrive in almost any soil or situation. It is propagated by parting its roots in autumn, or by seeds. Gardeners, in former days, not hav- ing that profusion of plants to cultivate and ornament their gar- dens which we can at present boast, appear to have been more zealous to increase generally the varieties of the several species, which they were then in possession of: accordingly, we find in the Paradisus terrestris of the venerable Parkinson, no less than seven varieties of the Floicer-de-luce, viz. : the lesser purple dwarf Flow- er-de-luce, with white blossoms ; do. one with straw-colored blos- soms ; do. one with pale blue blossoms ; do. one with blush-colored blossoms ; do. one with yellow variable blossoms ; and the j^urple dwarf Sea Flower-de-luce of the same author, is probably no other than a variety. Medical Properties and Uses. This plant, and nearly all its varieties, are more valuable as an ornament to the flower-garden, than a medicine. It was used at one time by the ancients, and recommended for the cure of chronic diarrhoea, dysentery colic, and pains in the bowels : its use, however, at this time, is discarded from practice in medicine. This root, with many other of its spe- cies, enter largely into the composition of various tooth powders. NAT. ORDER. Malvacece. HIBISCUS ROSEA. SYRIAN ROSE. Class XVI. MoNADELPHiA. Order VII. Polyandria. Gen. Char. Calyx, double : outer many leaved. Capsules, five- celled, with many seeds. 8pe. Char. Leaves, sub-peltate, cordate, seven-angled, serrate. Stem, hispid. The root of this beautiful plant is perennial, fleshy, long, whitish, and furnished with a large number of wire-like fibres : the stem is erect, round, hairy, strong, branched, and rises from two to three feet in height ; the leaves are numerous, oval, divided into five or seven lobes, unequally serrated or notched at the edges, and stand upon long, round, hairy footstalks ; xhejlowers are large and of a beautiful changeable scarlet color, consisting of five petals, which are inversely heart-shaped, sinuated at the apex, of a yellowish pink or scarlet color, painted with veins of a deeper hue, and stand upon slender peduncles, which proceed from the bottom of the leaf-stalks ; the calyx is double ; the outer composed of three, and the inner of five oval pointed hairy seg- ments ; the stamens are numerous, united at the base in a cylin- drical form ; above separate, bending downwards, and furnished with kidney-shaped anthers ; the germen is roundish ; the style is cylindrical, short, and furnished with many filiform stigmas ; the seeds are numerous, of a kidney shape, and covered with a coat, or arillus, which opens inwardly. This plant grows wild in hedges and waste grounds, and flowers from June till September. Vol. iii. —46. NAT. ORDER. MALVACEAE. 47 The Hibiscvs rosea is a native of China, but is now quite com- mon in the flower-gardens, both in this and the old countries, where it forms one of the chief ornaments to decorate the hedges in o autumn. We view it, however, with less delight, as its splendid blossoms are a sure indication of approaching winter. There are many varieties of this plant mentioned by authors, such as the purple, the red-Jlowered, the white-Jlotvered, the variegated red and white-Jiowered, and the striped-Jlowered, to which may be added, another variety, lately introduced, with double flowers. It varies also in its foliage, which is sometimes marked with white, and sometimes with yellow. Propagation and Culture. From the lateness of its flowering, and the want of sufficient warmth, this plant rarely ripens its seeds with us : the usual mode of increasing it is by layers, and some- times by cuttings ; but the best plants are raised from seeds. We would remark, that, in order to increase and multiply the scarce varieties, they may bo grafted on each other, which is the common method of propagating those valuable sorts with striped leaves. Medical Properties and Uses. The leaves and flowers of this plant are the parts directed for medicinal purposes, although the roots were at one time considered preferable for some purposes ; as sirups, poultices, &c., for which purpose the roots are washed clean, and boiled in a sufficient quantity of water to extract all of their strength ; after which the liquor is strained off^ and one pound of honey added to every quart of the liquor, and one sixth part of good gin : have this well mixed, when it is ready for use. This sirup was used principally for its diuretic qualities, but never gained much celebrity. The roots were boiled until they became quite soft; then mashed to pulp, and appl"edin this form as poul- tices. In this way it is said to have been the means of performing some astonishing cures. NAT. ORDER. Ranunculacece. HELLEBORUS ORIENTALIS. BEAR'S-FOOT HELLEBORE. Class XIII. PoLYANDRiA. Order III. Polygynia. Gen. Char. Calyx, wanting. Corolla, six-petalled. Stamens, six. Pistils, three. Capsules, three, many-sided. Spe. Char. Raceme, more than decomposed. Corollas, erect. The root is small, but beset with an innumerable number of slender dark-colored fibres : the stem rises to the height of two or three feet ; near the bottom it is round, strong, firm, naked, and marked with alternate cicatrices, the vestiges of the former leaves ; at the top it divides and subdivides into branches, producing many flowers, and is garnished with scaly leaves or bracteae ; the leaves are numerous, and stand upon long footstalks, surrounding the middle of the stem ; they are divided, like the Hellehorus niger, into simple leaves, which are usually eight or nine in number, long, narrow, lanceolated, serrated, and of a dark green color ; the scaly leaves, placed at the ramifications of the flower stem, are smooth, trifid, alternate, and often purplish ; but those near the flowers are oval and pointed ; \he flowers are numerous, terminal, pendent, of a roundish shape, and stand upon peduncles, forming a sort of umbel ; the petals are six, oval, concave, persistent, of a pale green pink color, and their margins sometimes tinged with purple ; the stamens are about the length of the petals ; the anthers are white ; the germens three, hairy, and shaped similarly to those of the Hellehorus niger. This plant is said to be a native of Eng- Vol iii.— 48 NAT. ORDER. — RANUNCULACEiE. 49 land, where it was first discovered, but is found growing wild in the northern parts of the United States and the Canadas. Medical rropertics and Uses. Tlie Ilelkborus niger, thouoh constantly used in medicine since the time of Hippocrates, was the only species of Hellebore known in the Materia Medica of the pharmacop6eias, till the late introduction of this plant by the Lon- don College, probably upon the authority of Dr. Bisset, who re- commends the leaves as possessing extraordinary anthelminthic powers. The smell of the recent plant is extremely foetid, and the taste is bitter and remarkably acrid, insomuch that when chewed it excoriates the mouth and fauces ; it usually operates as a carthartic, but sometimes as an emetic, and, in large doses, proves highly deleterious. The leaves are the only part noticed by the London College, which have been long domestically em- ployed in that country, mostly for their vermifuge effects ; and are thus spoken of by Gerard : " The leaves of the Bear's-foot Helle- bore is by far the most powerful vermifuge for long round worms of any I have yet experienced. The anthelminthic ■s'irtue of this plant is well known to some of the lower classes of England, who generally give it to their children when they suspect them to have worms. The decoction of the green leaves, taken in quantities of about a drachm, or fifteen grains of the dried leaves taken in pow- der, is the usual dose administered to children from four to seven years of age : a full or sufficient dose generally proves more or less emetic, and operates as a cathartic. It is usually repeated on two, and sometimes three successive mornings. The second dose proves more serviceable than the first, and never fails to expel round worms by stool, should tliey be Icdged in the alimentary tube." I have had an opportunity of witnessing the effects of this medicine in two cases, where it was repeated three times, proving successful in both, by expelling worms. An eminent physician, late from Germany, informs me, that this is their great remedy for 50 NAT. ORDER. RANUNCULACE^. worms. He says : " The juice of the green leaves of the Bear's- foot, made into a sirup with coarse sugar, is the most valuable vermifuge I have used against worms in the course of my practice. Before pressing out the juice, I moisten the bruised leaves, which are a little succulent, with some vinegar, which is a corrector of this medicine, and prevents it from inducing great sickness, or much vomiting. Of this sirup I give one leaspoonful at bed-time, and one or two in the morning, on two or three successive days, to children from two to six years of age, increasing or diminishing the dose a little, according to the strength of the patient." If this dose does not sufficiently open the bowels, some vegetable cathar- tic medicine may be used, in order to facilitate its operation. This plant is also highly spoken of, as being useful in the treatment of asthmatic and hypochondriacal disorders : for these complaints it should be administered in the form of pills, prepared from the extract, of about five grains each : from one to two pills may be given at a dose. The infusion is prepared by adding one ounce of the dried leaves to one pint of diluted alcohol. After it has stood ten or twelve days, express and filter, when it is ready for use. Neither of the above preparations are generally kept by the druggists at the j^resent time, as other remedies of equal value have been discovered, possessing no deleterious qualities, which, of course, would render them far more preferable for general use. •i.^' \ "r^J ,':£e.^M NAT. ORDER Papaveraceos, ATHE^ ROSEA. GARDEN HOLLYHOKR Class XVI. MoNADELPHiA. Older VIII. Polyandria. Gen. Char. Calyx, double ; the exterior six or nine-cleft. Cap- Sides, numerous and one-seeded. Spe. Cliar. Leaves, simple and downy. The root is perennial, long, woody, fibrous, of a white color, tough, and very deeply set in the ground ; the stem is upright, round, downy, from three to five feet in height, and somewhat branched towards the top ; the leaves are alternate, petiolate, heart-shaped, pointed, serrated, downy, and these towards the top of the stalk somewhat cornered ; ihejloiccrs proceed from the axilla; of the leaves in thick pannicles, along the stem and branches in spikes, small leaves, flowers, and buds for flowers together ; the petals are five in number, broad, round, and assume a variety of colors ; the calyx is double, the exterior being divided into about nine segments, and the interior into five; the filaments are numerous, united at their bases, and supporting kidney-shaped anthers ; the gcrmcn orbicular, bear- iag a cylindrical style, which supports many stigmas ; the seeds are numerous and uniform. The present figure is a representation o^i\\e Atheo/jt7ics ttren,? is widely different from the officinal Cowhage here figured, which is a native of both Indies, and appears to have been cultivated in England in the time of Ray, by Mr. Charles Hat- ton ; and it is even at this time found growing in many of the gar- dens throughout England ; but we cannot learn that it has ever been known to produce perfect flowers in our gardens, or even the green- houses. The sharp hairs of the pod i-eadily penetrate the skin, and cause a very troublesome itching — a mischieAous purpose, to which in this country they have been long chiefly converted. But the violent irri- tation which these produce upon the external skin, has not deterred practitioners from administering them internally, especially in the West Indies, where they have been generally employed for many years as a safe and efficacious anthelmintic; and, with a view to this NAT. ORDEH. — PAPILIONACE,E. 65 effect, they are now admitted into general practice, both in Europe and the United States. Sir Mans Sloane, wlio lias noticed the diuretic qualities of the roots and pods of this plant, observes, that an infusion of the latter " is a certain remedy for the ch-opsy ;" but he takes no notice of tlie vermifuge efl'ects of Cowhage : Brown has, however, informed us, that ' in tiie windward islands some of the inhabitants make a sirup of the pods, whicii is said to be very effectual against worms." But as little attention would be paid to an observation so vague and un- satisfactory as this, we are to consider Mr. Bancroft as the first per- son whose writings fended to establish the anthelmintic character of Cowhage in Europe, from whence its use was introduced into this countrv. He tells us " the part used is the setaceous hairy substance growing on the outside of the pod, which is scraped off, and mixed with common sirup or molasses, of which a teaspoonful to a child of two or three years old, and double the quantity to an adult, is given in the morning before breakfast, and repeated the two succeed- ing mornings; after which a dose of rluibarb is usually subjoined. This is the empyrical practice of the planters, who usually once in three or four months exhibit the Cow-itch in this manner to their slaves in general, but especially to all their children, without distinc- tion ; and in this manner I have seen it given to hundreds, from one year old and upwards, with the most happy success. The patients, after the second dose, usually discharged an incredible luunber of worms, even to the an>ount of more than twenty at a time." He concludes by saying, " It is to be observed, that this remedy is par- ticularly designed to expel the long round worm ; whether it is eqiNiliv deleterious to the ascarides, or whether it has ever been used against'them, I am uncertain." Other accounts, sliowing the etlicacy of this medicine, have since appeared in various medical publications, both in this country and Europe, all .speaking higldy in its favor ; and more particularly a treatise professedly written on the subject, by Mr. Chamberlain, to which a number of cases are GS NAT. ORDEn. — PAPILIONACE.E. subjoined, and to which great additions have h\tely been made, on various and indubitable authorities, proving the Cowhage to be not Jess successful here than in the warmer climates of which it is a native ; and that all the different kinds of worms known to infest llie pi'imffi vice, have been expelled by this anthelmintic. The manner in which these hairy spiculse act as a vermifuge, seems to be purely mechanical ; for neither the tincture nor the de- coction possess the least anthelmintic power. The following experiment, made by Mr. Chamberlaine, fully illustrates this o-pinion : " A calabash full of very large worms of the teres kind, in full vigor, voided by a poor emaciated patient, was brought to me. Among these I sprinkled some of the setae. For a minute or two no visible effect was produced ; but in a little time they began to writhe and twist themselves in an unusual manner, and exhibited evident signs of extreme torture. I took one of the worms, and, viewing it through a magnifying glass, perceived that several of the sette had pierced very deep, and others were sticking loosely in various parts of its body, but that none of the spiulse which had once entered into the skin, dropped off." Propagation and Culture. There are fifty-seven different vari- eties of this plant now known and described by botanists ; but none of the species are worth cultivating for ornaments, except the Doll- chos lignosus, Dolichos Jacqaini. and Dolichos Curtisii. A light rich soil answers for all the species, and they are easily increased, either by seed or cuttings : cuttings planted in a pot of sand, root freely ; but those of the stove kind require heat. As this plant has nevev attracted the attention of the gardener as an ornament, neither much sought for as a medicine, consequently its culture is very limited both here and in Europe. /: t^yM-^cdc'/^y^ i'i^m^ ^ ^, /'>a/^^^^'^^ /4^&- NAT. ORDER. Orchidece. CYPRIPEDIUM HUIMILE. LADIES' SLIPPEll. Class XX. Gynandria. Order IT. Diandria. Gen. Char. Lip, vcrtricose, inflated, saccate. Petals, four, the un- der one bifid. Column, terminating in a petaloid lobe. Spe. Cliar. Stem, leafy. £A)be of the style, triangular-oblong, ob- tuse. Exterior Petals, ovate-oblong, acuminate ; interior very long, linear, contorted. Lij), shorter than the petals, compressed. The roots are perennial, with many long, thick, fleshy, cylindri- cal and flexuose fibres, of a pale yellowish cast, diverging horizon- tally from the candex ; the stetns are from one to five, springing from the same candex, simple, erect, often pubescent and angular, rising from twelve to eighteen inches high ; style and statnens concrete in the centre, above tlie germen, forming a central pillar, flattened above into an oblong deltoid lobe, supposed to be the stigma by some botanists, and bearing before two antiiers, lodged in separate cells ; the fruit is an oblong capsule, witli one cell, three valves, and a mul- titude of minute seeds, as in all the Orchideous tribe. Dr. Bigelow describes the present species as being different from the rest, in respect to its having no stem leaves. " The leaves are two, springing from the root, large, oval, lanceolate, plaited, dovmy ; the Jloiccrs are generally single, terminal and nodding : the petals are four, spreading, the two lateral ones narrower, and somewhat twisted ; the nectary is a large flesh-colored, inflated bag, veined, villous, and longer than the petals ; the style, over the base of the Vol. iii.— 67. 68 NAT. ORDER. ORCHIDE.'E. nectary, supports two lateral anthers on the inside, aid ends in a broad, roundish, deflected, acute lobe, carinated on the inside." Genus Cijprij)edium, Ladies' Slipper, takes its name from kapris, Venus, and jiodion, a slipper, in allusion to the slipper-like form of the labellum, or principal segment of the flower, which is commonly called the nectary. The common species, Ci/jyripedmin calceolus, is a well-known garden plant. There are also several wild species growing in our woods ; and of these the Cypr'qiedium hnmilc is among the most beautiful and valuable. It grows in the distant woods, seldom being found near the habitations of man, from New England to Louisiana, but very rare in some places, while it is com- mon in the hills and swamps of New- York, the Highlands, Green and Catskill Mountains, and also in the glades and prairies of the Western States. This plant blossoms in May and June, and is much valued in gardens for its beauty and singularity ; but it is diflicult to cultivate. For medical use it must be collected in the fall, or early in the spring, carefully dried, and reduced to powder. Rafinesque, in speaking of this plant, says that he has ascertained that there is but one species affording many varieties, some of which are the Cypripedium pubes- cens, entirely pubescent — even the flowers ; Cypripedium glabrum, nearly smooth ; Cypripedium grand ijfonmi, slightly pubescent, label- lum very large ; Cypripedium parviflormn, slightly pubescent, label- lum small ; Cypripedium maculatum,, labellum more or less spotted with red dots, lobule often red ; Cypripedium bijlorwn, with two flowers and bracteas ; Cypripedium concohr, the whole flower yellow or yellowish, unspotted ; djpripedium augustifolimn, leaves and bracteas lanceolate. A multitude of intermediate varieties or devi- ations may be seen, with undulate or spiral sepals, obtuse or acute lobules, broader or narrower leaves, &c. Propagation and Culture. This curious plant seldom grows from seeds ; when transplanted, the roots must be taken up with the earth around them, and placed in a congenial rich light soil. NAT. ORDER. ORCHIDEiE. 69 They should be freely watered for the first one or two weeks, after whicii (in a suitable season) they will require no more atten- tion. Medical Properties and Uses. The most authentic and reliable description of the properties of this plant, is that given by Hafin- esque. He says : " It is with some satisfaction that I am enabled to introduce, for the first time, this beautiful genus into our Materia Medica : all the species are equally medical ; they liave long been known to the Indians, and used as a nervine. They are also seda- tive, anti-spasmodic, &c. ; and the best American substitute for Val- erian in almost all cases. They produce beneficial efllects in all nervous diseases, and hysterical affections, by allaying pain, quieting the nerves and promoting sleep. They are also used in hemicrania, epilepsy, tremors, nervous fevers, &c. They are preferable to opium in many cases, having no baneful nor narcotic effects. The dose is a teaspoonful of the powder, diluted in sugar, water, or any other con- venient form. As in valerian, the nervine power is increased by combination with mild tonics. The powder alone has been used ; but an extract is preferable." The best method of preparing the extract, is from a spirituous evaporation of a strong tincture of the roots, which is done by submitting them to the influence of the sun. The active principle is very volatile. It is well known that the roots of all the tubercular Orchideous afford the officinal Salep, which is so highly esteemed in Asia, as aphrodi.siac, nutritive and pectoral. The roots of many species of Orchis could afford it in America. NAT. ORDER; ZAliaceoe. CALOCHORTUS LUTEUS. MEXICAN LILY. Class V. Pentandria. Order I. Monogynia. Gzn. Char. Calyx, five-parted. Petals, five. Stamens, joined into a tube, vphich is ten-toothed at the apex ; the alternate teeth bearing anthers. Antliers, one-celled. Cells, transverse. Spe. CJiar. Stigma, of three joined ones, therefore triagonal, three- furrowed. Ovarium, villous. Capsule, three-celled, destitute of any central column. Seeds, mucronate at both ends. This is a small herbaceous plant, with radical, cordate, stiff, crenated leaves ; the scapes are naked, bearing a loose, spicate raceme of small white flowers at the apex ; the stem is upright, straight, of a hard woody texture, and near the top sends off several branches ; the jiowers, which are of a deep beautiful yellow, are placed upon short footstalks, at the extremity of the branches ; the root is a large bulb, from one to two inches in diameter, and very much resembles the common turnip. It is a native of Mexico, but is found growing in the temperate parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. It flowers from July till September. Propagation and Culture. This plant is but little known in this country ; consequently a lengthy description of the mode of its cultivation, or its history, would not be interesting at this time. Those who have propagated this plant, inform us tha4; it thrives best in a peat soil, and, if planted out in a moist situation, will grow and flower freely. It is readily increased by dividing the roots. Vol. iii— 70. / . ^/i^^^ ^^: ^^^^--^ ^^^-'^^^^^^j^^^f^''- NAT. ORDER. EricecE. ARBUTUS UVA URSI. BEAR-BERRY. Class X. Decandria. Order I. Monogynia. Gen. Char. Calyx, five-parted. Corolla, ovate, the mouth pelucid at the base. Bcrrtj, five-celled. Spc. Char. Stalks, procumbent. Leaves, quite entire. The root is perennial, long, branched and fibrous ; the stems are numerous, procumbent, spreading, woody, scarcely a foot in length, and seldom divided into branches ; the leaves are oblong, obtuse, nar- rowed towards the base, entire, thick or fleshy, smooth, without foot- stalks, of a dull green color, and closely surround the upper part o( the stalk ; the Jlowers are whitish or flesh-colored, and terminate the stems in small clusters, upon short pedicles ; the calyx is very small and divided into five obtuse teeth ; the corolla consists of a single petal, which is tubular, oval, contracted, and divided at the margin into five minute reflexed segments ; the filaments are ten, short, downy, tapering, and crowned with erect reddish anthers ; the ger- men is oval, and placed above the insertion of the corolla ; the style is tapering, longer than the filaments, and terminated with a simple Btigma ; ihe/ruit is a pulpy, round, red berry. It flowers in June and July. The Uva ursi is an evergreen creeping plant, with small oblong, oval leaves, resembling very closely those of the common garden box. It is indigenous both to Europe and the United States. The leaves contain tannin, mucilage, gallic acid, extractive, resin and Jiino. Wherever this plant is found, it is in great abundance, botii in this country and in Europe, and seeks a barren, sandy soil, and Vol. Ui.— 71. 72 NAT. ORDER. ERICEiE. that which is found in dry, lofty and exposed situations, is preferred for medical use to that which is collected in valleys and shady grounds. The leaves of this plant, in a dried state, have no remark- able smell, but a bitterish, astringent taste, and by some have been used for the purpose of dying an ash color, and for tanning leather. The .sapid matter of these leaves has been attributed rather to the presence of gummy than of resinous particles, as water will more completely extract their virtues than spirit. Medical Properties and Uses. The Uva ursi, though employed by the ancients in several diseases requiring astringent medicines, had almost fallen into disuse, till about the middle of the present century, when it first drew the attention of physicians as a useful remedy in calculous and nephritic affections ; and, in tlie years 1763 and 1764, by the concurrent testimonies of different authors, it ac- quired remarkable celebrity, not only for its efficacy in gravelly com- plaints, but in almost every other disease to which the urinary organs are liable : such as ulcers of the kidneys and bladder, cystirrhoea, diabetes, &c., and its utility was then thouglit to be so fully estab- lished, that a celebrated Spanish writer made it his boast, that the man to whom these important discoveries of the effects of this plant ouglit first to be referred, was his countryman. He was, however, superseded in this claim by the physicians at Montpelier, who had been in the habit of prescribing Uva ursi in these diseases for many years before. But the cases published successively by De Haen tended more to raise the medical character of Uva ursi over Europe and this country, than all the other books professedly written on the virtues of this plant : and, encouraged by his success, many practi- tioners, especially in Europe, have been induced to try its effects ; and though the use of this plant has been frequently observed to mitigate the pains in calculous cases, yet in no instance do we find that it has produced that essential or permanent relief which is said to have been experienced by the German physicians. The virtues of this plant are variously represented by writers N'AT. ORDEn. ERICE^. 'O on the Materia IMeilica. Alibert says : " All that can be said of this remedy, is, that its action is, under certain circumstances, manifestly diuretic ;" and he declares that its supposed specific power in nephritic and other diseases of the urinary organs, has not the least foundation. From the experiments, also, of Dr. Alexander, tlie leaves of Uva ursi seem to possess very little diuretic power, and those made by Murray show that they have no material effect upon the urinary calculi ; the efficacy they may therefore have in relieving the calculous diseases, we are disposed to ascribe to their astringency ; and, in confirmation of this opinion, we may cite the observation of Dr. CuUcii, who, in his chapter on astringents, notices the disserta- tion of De Heucher, under the title of Calculus per adstiingcntia pcllcndus : and though he does not think with this author that as- tringents are lithontriptics ; yet from his own experience, and that of others, he believes they often have a powerful effect in relieving calculous symptoms; and in proof of this he refers to the exhibition of the Uva ursi. The weight of testimony is, however, greatly in favor of its remediate powers in disorders of this kind. The account given by De Haen of its efficacy in diseases of the urinary organs, is, indeed, exceedingly flattering ; and although few other practitioners may have been equally successful with it, there is, notwithstanding, suf- ficient evidence extant to warrant us in regarding it as a very impor- tant remedy in such diseases. De Haen relates some very remark- able instances of the successful use of the leaves of this plant in calculous and nephritic affections. He says he employed it witii success in cases of ulceration of the perineum from calculus in the bladder, and in purulent discharges from the urinary passages. Ho insists, however, that this remedy is wholly ineffectual in cases where there is much derangement of the internal urinary organs, whether from calculi, puss, or too frequent and long retention of urine. He also states, that in several of urinary calculus, this remedy afforded complete relief, " although the catheter showed that 74 NAT. OPtDER. — ERICE^. the calculus still remained." It does not appear from late experience, however, that any dependence is to be placed on this remedy in cal- culi of the bladder. In nephritic affections, from gravel, and other causes, we have abundant proof of its utility. Dr. Ferrias, whose testimony deserves the highest respect, says, " I have given this medicine in a considerable number of nephritic cases, in very moderate doses, and always with manifest advantage." He further observes, that he never found it necessary to give it in larger doses than five grains, and that in doses of a scruple or half a drachm he found it to produce nausea, even when given with opium. The same circumstance is mentioned by Lewis. " In all cases," says he, " that have come to my knowledge, it produced great sick- ness and uneasiness." In that variety of urinary disease which is accompanied with copious white sediment, especially in the last portions discharged, occasioning pain and irritation in the urethra, Dr. Prout states that " he has often seen the greatest advantage from the combined use of hyoscyamus and Uva ursi, together with the use of alterative pur- gatives." I have a patient under my care at this time, who has been for upwards of two years exceedingly afflicted with a pain in the region of the right kidney, attended with all the usual symptoms of renal calculus He has been gradually getting better under the continued use of Uva ursi, taken in doses of about twelve grains, three times a day, and is at present almost entirely free from any symptom of his disease. Professor Barton thought it particularly serviceable in nephritis depending on gout. " In my own nephritic paroxysm," he observes, " alternating with attacks of gout in the feet, I have certainly found the medicine of much service ; and I confidently and with much pleasure recommend it to the notice and trial of other sufferers from the same affection." Of the modus operandi of Uva ursi in nephritic and calculous disorders, we are entirely uninformed ; nor will we consume the reader's time by speculations upon a topic which has been so fruit- NAT. ORDER. — ERICEiE. 75 kssly attempted by many of tUe ablest physicians. The remediate employment of Uva ursi has, however, not been confined to the uri- nary organs ; it has been equally extolled in the cure of other mala- dies, particularly in diabetes, consumption, leucorrhoea, luumaturia, and gonorrlicea. In the treatment of diabetes, Dr. Ferrias was in the habit of giving it in conjunction with cinchona and lime-water. Dr. Bourne, professor of the practice of physic in the University of Oxford, speaks very highly of the efficacy of the Uva ursi in the cure of pul- monary consumption. He states that, out of sixteen cases treated with this remedy, nine were cured, four relieved, and three died. He gave medicine in ten grain doses, with half a grain of opium, three times a day. It is useful in irritations of the bladder, ulcerations of the kid- neys, &c. ; but it is difficult to account for its modus operandi in these diseases. In dysentery and diarrhoea, the decoction may be admin- istered as an adjuvant to other medicines: its chief employment, however, is confined to affections of the urinary organs ; but future experience must determine its precise virtues in these diseases. The leaves may be employed either in powder or decoction ; the former is mostly preferred, and given in doses from a scruple to a drachm, two or three times a day. NAT. ORDER. Campanulaceoe. CAMPANULA GRANDIFLORA. GREAT BELL-FLOWER. Class V. Pentandria. Order I. Monogynia. Gen. Char. Calyx, mostly five-cleft. Corolla, campanulate, five- cleft. Filaments, dilated at the base. Stigma, three to five- cleft. Capsule, three-celled, open by lateral pores. Spe. Char. — Glabrous. Leaves, radical, reniform, cordate, crenate ; cauline ones linear, entire. Panicle, lax, few-flowered. This is a perennial plant ; the stalks are upright, branched, and usually rise from two to four feet in height ; the calyx is five-cleft, having the sinuses usually covered with appendages ; the corolla is five-lobed, or five-cleft at the apex, and bell-shaped ; the stamens are five, free ; the Jilamenfs are broad at the base, and membranous ; the style is covered by fascicles of hairs, except at the base ; stigmas three to five, filiform ; ovarium wholly inferior, three to five-cellhd ; capsule three to five-valved, dehiscing laterally ; seeds usually ovate flattened, sometimes ovoid and small ; the radical leaves are different in form from the cauline ones, especially in size ; i\\ejlowei's, for the most part, are pedunculate, usually racemose, rarely spicate or glom- erate, blue or white. All the species of this plant are inhabitants of the northerji hemisphere. The names Trachelium and Cervicaria, are the oldest names used for this genus, which were given to it on account of its supposed efficacy in the cure of disorders of the neck and trachea : hence it has the name of Halskraut, or Halsivort, in German ; Hal- sart in Danish ; and Tliroaticort in English ; and some species have Vol. iii.— 76. Nat. order. — campanulaceje. 77 received the name of Rajniundtis, from the resemblance of tlie root to that of a turnip : hence they have the names Ifapuin, Rapatttam, Jfapuncuhis, from whence spring the French name Hciiprmcc, the German Rapunzd, the Spanish one o^ Rapiunchiga, and the English one of Rampion. Prof. Jacquin is the first author who ever figured this species of Campanula ; afterwards Linnams, the son, described it, and as- signed it the characters specified above ; but expressing his doubts whether it was not a variety of the Camjjanida carpatica. Prof. Jacquin clearly demonstrates that it cannot be so, as it diflfers most essentially from that plant in a variety of particulars. His specific description gi\cn agrees much better with the plants we have seen flower here, than that of Linna>us ; there being generally more than one flower on a stalk, and the leaves rarely growing three together. The blossoms of this plant, when it grows in perfection, are very large, nearly double the size of those of the Campanula carpatica, whence its name grandiJlo}-a . Pi'evious to their opening fully, they somewhat resemble an air balloon, from which circumstance it has been called by some the Balloon-plant. This is as yet a rare plant in this country, and likely to continue so, as it is with difficulty that it is increased, multiplying but little by its roots, scarcely to be struck from cuttings, and rarely producing perfect seeds. Propagation and Cidlurc. All the species are elegant and handsome when in blossom, and are well adapted for decorating flower borders. They in general thrive well- in common garden earth. The seeds of the biennial and annual kinds should be sown in the open border in the spring. The perennial species may either be propagated by division or by seed. By sowing the seeds in the autumn, the plants will blossom early in summer, and by successive sowings in spring, at intervals of two or three weeks, a succession of blossoming plants may be kept up. Some of the perennial and biennial species, natives of the warm latitudes, require a little protection in winter, when the weather is severe. NAT. ORDER Geraniacece. GERANIUM SANGUINEUM. VICTORIA PERFECTION. Class XVI. MoNADELPiA* Order V. Decandria. Gen. Char. Calyx, five-leaved, equal. Stamens, ten ; five alternate ones longer, with nectariferous glands at the base. Pericarps, five, with long awns, united to elongated receptacles, at length separating elastically from the summit to the base. Aimis, smooth internally. Spe. Char. Stem, angular, erect, retrorsely pubescent, dichomous. Leaves, three to five-parted, incised ; radicle ones on long peti- oles ; upper ones opposite, sessile. Petals, entire. Filaments, scarcely ciliate at the base. The root of this plant is fleshy, bulbous, knotty, of a dark brown color, and sends off a number of small succulent fibres ; the stems of this genus of plants are upright, branched, and rise from one to six feet in height ; the calyx is composed of five equal sepals ; the petals are five, and equal ; the stamens are ten, five of which are fer- tile and larger than t^e sterile ones, which are alternating with each other, witli a nectariferous gland at the base of each of the larger stamens ; the awns of the carpel are smooth on the inside, at length separating elastically from the base to the apex of the axis, where it adheres, circinnately revolute ; the leaves are palmate-lobed ; the jk- duncles are twelve-flowered, bearing beautiful flowers of various hues. This variety of the Geranium approaches, both in appearance and properties, the Geranium maculatum, or Spotted Crane's-bill, which grows in almost all parts of the United States. The root is Vol, iii.— 78. :^ei. c. i?^// . y' NAT. ORDER. GERANIACEJE. *9 tlie only part used in medicine ; but the plant, as an ornament, is considered as one of tlic first in tlic flower garden. Propagntiov and Culture. Vvw genera of plants exhibit more fully the industry of the cultivator, or demonstrate more cle:uly the control he exercises in producing varieties, than in the case of the Geranium or Pelargonium. Hundreds of varieties, which are to be met with in the collections of florists, are the fruits of his ingenuity ; for, iiowever strange it may appear, it is a positive fact that not above a dozen true species are to be recognized amongst them. It is, therefore, now only in the strictly botanical collections that true spe- cies are to be seen, they having given place to sub-species, originated by hybridizing. With the exception of three or four species, the whole of this splendid tribe, amounting to nearly three hundred re- corded species, and above five hundred sub-varieties, have been either introduced or originated in this country and Europe within the last fifty or sixty years. The tuberous rooted kinds, or those belonging to sections Hoa- rea, Dhnacrina, and Scymouria, thrive best in an equal mixture of liglit turfy soil, peat and sand ; and, when in a dormant state, require to be kept quite dry, which commences as soon as they have done flowering, and have ripened their seeds ; after which time they re- quire to be kept in a good situation, out of the reach of frost, but as soon as they begin to push afresh, all the old mould should be taken out of the pots, and from their roots ; they should then be potted afresh, in new mould. In potting them, care must be taken not to bury the heart of tlie plants. After this tliey require a little water, and, as they grow, watered whenever they are dry ; and if the pots get filled with roots, they must be shifted into larger ones. The best method of increasing them, is by the little tubers which is- sue from the old bulbs, planted singly, in small pots, with their tops above tlic surface, and kept dry until they begin to grow, when tlicy sliould be watered. 60 NAT. ORDER. — GERANIACE^. The more common, free growing, shrubby kinds, will thrive well in a rich loamy soil, or a mixture of loam and decayed leaves. The dwarfer woody kinds, such as the G. tricolor, elegans and ovale, thrive best in a mixture of loam, peat and sand : the pots should be well drained with pot-sherds. The fleshy stemed sorts succeed best in rather more than one-third of fine sand, the same quantity of turfy loam, and the remainder of peat ; the pots also require to be well drained with pot-sherds. Very little water is required when they are not in a vigorous state. Young cuttings of all the shrubby kinds strike root freely under hand-glasses, in the same kind of soil recom- mended for the plants, or in pots, without being covered by glasses, placed in a shady situation. Many of the kinds may be increased by slips from the roots. No genus is more liable to sport into hybrids than this, by promiscuous impregnation. All the fine hybrid varieties in the gar- den have been obtained by impregnating one sort with the poll«n of another, by cutting out the anthers of the plant intended for the fe- male parent, before they burst, and impregnating the stigmas with the pollen of another. The object of this should be to obtain a su- perior variety : therefore particular attention should be paid to those plants intended for the parents, and more so to that intended for the female parent ; for it has been observed tJiat seedlings approach nearer to the male than the female parent. To grow Geraniums in rooms, tiiey require as much air and light as can possibly be given them, aud watered regularly when dry ; and when the leaves get dusty, to clean them well with a sponge and water. Medical Properties and Uses. This is one of the most powerful and pure vegetable astringents in the Materia Medica. According to the accounts of some late professors, in regard to their experi- ments, it contains a considerable proportion of tannin, and a small quantity of gallic acid. The gallic acid is indicated by the dark pre- cipitate remaining in solution. It differs, however, from the acid of NAT. ORDER. — GERANIACEiE. 81 oak galls, in not reddening vegetable blues, and nttt passing over in distillation. Its active principles are readily extracted, both by al- cohol and proof spirits. Tiie tincture is strongly astringent. Prof. Bigelow, in speaking of the properties of this plant, says : " The root is the most agreeable astringent we possess. Its astrin- gency is not associated with bitterness, or any other unpleasant taste. In the diseases of children, where astringents are indicated, a decoction of it in milk is a very convenient and efficacious remedy. In this form it has been extensively used in cholera infantum, and 1 have myself repeatedly prescribed it, in protracted cases, with great benefit." In the advanced stages of diarrhoea and dysentery, after proper evacuations have been made, it has proved very beneficial. For this purpose it should be administered in powder, combined with Bayberry bark, in proportion of five grains of the former to two of the latter. This often effects a cure when all other remedies fail. The watery infusion has often been recommended as an injec- tion in gonorrhoea, but I have never learnt that its use was ever at- tended with much benefit. In apthous affections of the mouth, this remedy is frequently very useful. In chronic and very obstinate cases of ulceration of the mouth, patients have been perfectly re- lieved by the use of gargles made of this root, after a great variety of other substances had been tried unsuccessfully by myself and others. Dr. Mease recommends it as very efficacious in restraining internal haemorrhages ; and Dr. Thatcher says that he has known the infusion to restrain haemorrhage from the lungs in a very prompt manner. It is currently reported that the western Indians consider the Geranium as the most effectual remedy they have ever used for dysentery. From considerable experience with this medicine, as well as from the testimony of many other physicians^ I am entirely satisfied that it is one of the most useful vegetable astringents we possess. The saturated tincture may be given in doses of from one to two drachms. NAT. ORDER, Ehexiece. RHEXIA GLUTmOSA. YELLOW-FLOWERED RHEXLL Class VIII. OcTANDRiA. Oiikr I. Monogynia. Gen. Char. Calyx, lanceolate, four to five-cleft. Petioles, four in- serted upon the calyx. Spe. Cliar. Stem, with winged angles, somewhat hairy. Leaves, sessile, ovate-lanceolate, serrate-ciliate, sprinkled with appressed hairs on both sides. The stem is erect, quadrangular, branched, and rises from one to three feet in height ; the leaves are sessile, quite entire, linear-lan- ceolate, or ovate, and three nerved ; the Jlowers are by threes, disposed in cyniose corymb, and of a purple or yellow color ; the tube of the calyx is ovate and veatricose at the base, but constricted at the neck, or near the apex ; limb four-cleft and permanent ; the petals are four in number, and obovate ; stameixs eight ; antliers not drawn out at the base ; cadsules free in the bottom of the calyx, four-celled, with lunate, pedicellate placentas ; seeds cochleale. This plant is a native of the warmer parts of Africa, and is found growing in some parts of South America, but is very little known in tliis country. Few specimens, however, have been inrro- duced, and raised in our hot-houses, but will not thrive unless kept about the same warmth that Orange trees require. It flowers from July till September. Propagation and Culture. All the species of this genus are very elegant and beautiful to the eye when in flower ; and if planted in a bed of peat soil (which is the only soil in which they will thrive), they will grow and increase abundantly ; and, if grown in Vol. iii.— 82. t "T^/f^ifYr/ y^/^^l^^,/f^ NAT. ORDER. RHEXIE.G. 83 pots, which is sometimes the case, they must be planted in peat soil. They are all increased very rapidly by dividing the roots. Medical Properties and Uses. A slight degree of astringency is the prevailing character of the order, which is, although one of the most extensively known, entirely destitute of any unwholesome species. The succulent fruit of many is eatable, some of which dye the mouth black, whence the name Melastoma. One of the varieties produces a fruit which is eatable, and very pleasant, and found iu great abundance in the woods of Guinea. In some parts of Guinea this plant is held in great esteem as a specific for diseases of the bowels, such as dysenteria, diarrhoea, colic, cholera-morbus, and in all cases where astringents are required. It is sometimes given in connection with other astringents, and stim- ulants combined in suitable proportion. We are informed by a cor- respondent, a gentleman of undoubted veracity, who says, " I have used the decoction of the bark of the root, for bowel and summer complaints, and seldom ever find it fail to effect the purposes for which it is given. In cases of dysenteria or looseness of the bowels, I consider it as one of the best remedies known." The decoction is prepared by adding two ounces of the dried bark taken from the root, to one quart of water: steep this down to one pint and-a-half: then add sufficient good brandy to preserve it from souring. The dose of this is from half to a full wine-glassful, according to the ur- gency of the case : repeat several times a day. An extract is some- times prepared, but in its preparation it is very much injured by too long being exposed to heat ; it being somewhat volatile. NAT. ORDER. AroidecB. SYMPLOCARPUS AUGUSTISPATHA. NAE.ROW-SPATHED SKUNK-CABBAGE. Class III. Triandria. Or(kr I. Monogynia. Gen. Char. — Stemless and Sub-aquatic. Calyx, four-parted. Seg- inejits, cucuUate. Leaves, ovate, cordate. Spadix, oval, shorter than the spatha. Stamens, four. Filaments, subulate. An- thers, oblong, with parallel cells. Spadix, pedunculate. Floio- ers, tesselately imbricate. Petals, none. Style, four-angled, pyramidal. Stigma, minute. Seed, globular, pilumule, near the base. *^e. Char. Root, thick, descending, and abruptly terminating in numerous fibres. Spadix, an inch long, on a short, thick pe- duncle; ovoid, globose. Leaves, with four-leaved perianth. Spathe, cucuUate, shell-form. Seed, with a large fleshy globular embryo, consisting chiefly of radical, with one or sometimes several plumules ; numerous. The above plant, a native of North America, retains so close a resemblance to the S.fcetida, as hardly to allow of any other appel- lation than that of a variety, as distinguished from a distinct spe- cies. It is, however, opposed in several particulars. The generic term Symjjlocaipus is derived from the Greek symploke, connection, and karpos, fruit ; signifying here, united berries. The species has, with some moderns, and those not the least enlightened, shared, and with equal right, the ominous fame of the fJpas, the deadly influence of which has for so many ages been the theme or quickening image of Eastern fable and the world's song. Its places of growth, which Vol. jii.— 84. NAT. ORDER. — AROIDE.E. 85 are uniformly low wet lands, and abundance wherever appearing, might easily have led to the imaginary endowment of those pesti- lential qualities which distinguish permanent marshes. The Jloircrs of the Symplocarpus augustispatha are of a purplish hue. inflorescent, and profusely cover the spailix, which is simple, almost spherical, and supported by a peduncle, of a light amber color ; the leaves, w'hich do not present themselves till several weeks after the flowers, forming large bunches, petiolate, attain from eight to eighteen inches in length, and two-thirds of the same in breadth ; they are strongly veined, the middle rib projecting below, and fur- nished with large oblong sheathes ; the^6/t's of the root are cylind- rical, whitish, with brown rings, near the fourth of an inch in diam- eter, and often two feet in length. A funiculus, which for twelve or eighteen months is exceedingly minute, and apparently inert, con- nects the seminal tubercle, which is roundish and turbinate, solid, and carneous w^ith the embryo ; the seeds are numerous, spotted, and more particularly imbued with the allicaceous odor of the plant, from which the flowers, as noted, are so singularly exempt. Medical Properties and Uses. This plant contains a volatile principle, which has not been insulated beside the acrid matter which is known to many of the Aracca^. Each part of it is endowed with anti-spasmodic qualities, so strong as to make it eminent in that class of medicines. When musk and other kindred applications have failed, it has proved effectual ; as in a case of violent hysteria, wiicn but two tea-spoonsful of the powdered root were given. The rapidity and completeness of its effects are alike remarkable. Its medicinal powers were ascertained at a very early period, when used as an expectorant, and for the relief of phthisical coughs. For these purposes it is still employed, whilst it is moreover an assured palli- ative in the paroxysms of asthma. While the latter continue, thirty or forty grains, at such times as may seem needful, may be adminis- tered and continued thereafter till the patient is entirely cured. It has been known to relieve the spasms which affect the abdominal 86 NAT. ORDER. AROIDE^. muscles in cases of parturition. Certain physicians have supposed it a remeny for chronic and acute rheumatism ; but a due considera- tion of its qualities renders this highly improbable. The seeds are more actively pungent, and, consequently, in asthmatic cases, more eflScacious than the root. The expressed juice may be applied ex- ternally with good effect to ulcers, fresh vpounds, and all cutaneous affections. When the leaves are used, as they frequently are, to dress blasters, with the intention of promoting a discharge, they should beforehand be so pressed as to present a smooth surface. In scurvy, and other diseases in which the Arum maculatum has proved useful, they may be beneficially employed. As a palliative in the attacks of spasmodic asthma, it is very highly recommended by the Rev. Dr. Cutler and others. I have in several instances of this disease derived great advantage from the employment of this remedy. The powdered root, in the dose of from thirty to fifty grains, is to be given during the paroxysms, and repeated according to the urgency and obstinacy of the symptoms. The medicine ought to be continued for some time after the parox- ysm has entirely subsided. Dr. Thatcher, of Boston, states, that two tea-spoonsful of the powdered root of this vegetable gave very prompt and effectual re- lief in a case of hysteria, after the ordinary remedies for such dis- eases had been used without benefit. Also in the case of an old man, who had been for many years afflicted with a very troublesome cough and difficulty of breathing, I found nothing to give so much relief as this substance, administered in forty grain doses, once or twice a day. The plant should be kept in close stopped vessels, as its active properties seem to be of a very volatile nature. Decoction greatly impairs its virtues. NAT. ORDER Jfanunadaceee. PiEONIA EDULIS REEVESIANA. TREE PEONY. Class XIIF. PoLYANDRiA. Older II. Digynia. Gen. Char. Caly.t, of five sepals, leafy, persisting. Corolla, of five or of many petals, without claws. Stamens, below the gernien. Style, none. Stigmas, from three to five. Capsules, three or five. Spp,. Char. Boots, tliick, fleshy. Stems, many. Leaves, lanceolate. The 7-oot is bulbous, fleshy, smooth, of a light yellow color, and near the base sends oflT a numerous quantity of small succulent fibres ; the stem is upright, round, smooth, of a pale reddish-green color, and rises from two to four feet in height ; the^oirtrsare large, of a deep blood-red, sometimes tinged with purple, and stand singly upon long footstalks ; carpels folicular, from two to five, large, many- seeded, and terminated with thick bilamellate stigmas ; seeds rather globose and shining. Xo plant, mentioned by Kcmpfer and Thunberg, in their Floras of China and Japan, excited greater interest among European bot- anists, than did the Tree Peony, or Moutan of the Chinese. The officers to the East India Company, whether residents at, or visitors of Canton, were frequently commissioned to enquire for and obtain tliis plant. Several single plants were received from time to lime, between the years 1785 and 1790, which went to Kcw. The.se, however, being treated as stove plants, uniformly failed : but a fresh supply of plants was purchased at Canton, and taken to England by Mr. Main in 1794, consigned to Sir Josepii Banks and others. Vol. iii.— 87. 88 NAT. ORDER. RANONCULACRE. Three varieties of these survived the voyage, and were rapidly pro- pagated and distributed in British collections. Since 1820 many additional varieties have been introduced into this country, with other rare Chinese plants, and among them our present subject. Propagation and Culture. The Moutan, or Tree Peony, and its numerous varieties, are much esteemed for the beauty of their flowers. They are quite hardy, but as their blossoms are apt to be injured by the cold blasts of spring, glass frames to answer the size of the plants should be placed over them, under which they will blossom in great perfection. A rich loamy soil suits them best. — Cuttings taken off in August or September, with a part of the wood of the preceding year attached, and planted in a sheltered situation, will root freely. They may be also increased by layers : the shoots, before they are laid down, require to have a longitudinal slit made on the under side ; however, in this way they are longer in emitting roots than the cuttings. The hardy herbaceous species are amongst the most showy of border flowers. They thrive best in a rich loamy soil, and are easily increased by dividing the plants at the roots, taking care to leave the bud to each slip, or by seeds : by the last method many new varieties may be raised. Medical Properties and Uses. This plant has never been used extensively as a medicine, but more in former years than at present. Dioscorides celebrates this plant as useful in promoting natural dis- charges, when deficient, and restraining some of them when too abundant. Cullen says, " its sensible qualities, in its recent state, promise some virtues. But these qualities are very inconsiderable, and at the same time very transitory, so that in the powdered root, the form in which it is most frequently employed, I can hardly per- ceive them to exist. In the frequent employment of them, I could never perceive any effect, either in epilepsy or other spasmodic affec- tions." It is now discarded from the Materia Medica. 4<:^/ , c^^/^ - c^^^/^^. NAT. ORDER. Pomaceoe. CRATAEGUS OXYACANTHA. ROSE-COLORED HAWTHORT^. Class XII. IcosANDRiA Older II. Di-Pentagynia. Gen. Char. Tube, pitcher-shaped. Limb, in five divisions. Cor- olla petals, subrotund. Stamens, seated on a glandular ring, within the calyx. Styles, from two to five, smooth. Fruit, a fleshy pome, somewhat globular, closed, five-celled. Seeds, single or two together in each cell. Shell, bony. Spe. Char. Leaves, small. Branches, spreading. The root is long, angular, tough, fibrous, spreadmg, and of a pale yellowish color; the stem is upright, smooth, of a pale red color, and rises from three to seven feet in height; the leaves are rather smaller, and not so deep a green as the common sorts ; the growth is very irregular, the branches spreading obliquely upwards or hori- zontal, with points drooping, thickly set with flower-bearing spurs along their whole length. Their habit, in other respects, is like the common hawthorn. The huicthorn is called lohite thorn and maythorn ; in France, Auhepine ; in Germany, hagedorn ; in Italy, hranco spino. It is a shrub, found in various parts of the United States and Europe, and is introduced into narrow plantations, as an undergrowth. We have long had the common scarlet flowering Hawthorn in our shrubberies ; and many of tlie wild ones, like the double white variety, may be seen to die off a bluish tint. But our subject is much more deeply vivid rose color than any other, and no less con.spicuous in this re- Vol. iii —89. 90 NAT. ORDER. — POMACEiE. spect than adiuired for the profusion and elegant disposition of its corymbs of flowers along the sides of the branches, forming perfect garlands. The common May Hawthorn, as it is usually called, with its snow-white blossoms, ranged along each spray, is admired by every body ; but how much more attractive is this scarce and splendid variety, combining the intense coloring of the rose with the delicate elegance of the kalmia. The early history of this ornamental plant is somewhat imperfect. Its first introduction into the flower-garden was about twenty years ago ; and, though it has been extensively propagated in some parts of England, and, no doubt, elsewhere, it does not appear to have been noticed, nor so extensively planted as it deserves. Propagation and Culture. This species of Hawthorn is best fitted for shrubberies or plantations ; but will not grow under the drip of trees, and, therefore, in a profitable point, is only to be con- sidered valuable as affording impenetrable, close, durable, and easily raised fences, called quick-set hedges, and it bears clipping to any extent. The timber of such plants as grow single, and attain a tol- erable size, is valued by the millwright and turner, and the roots by the cabinet-maker. It is often spoiled. Sang observes, through inat- tention after cutting. If it be allowed in entire logs or trunks, it soon heats and becomes quite brittle and worthless. It therefore ought to be cut up immediately into planks, and laid to dry. The thorn will not tlirive in a wet soil, nor one very hard and poor, much elevated or much shaded : a free, deep loam, in an airy situation, suits it best. The seeds or haws of the thorn do not vegetate until the second year after sowing, unless they have been laid up in a heap mixed with earth, immediately after gathering, and turned several times, and sown in a bed the next spring : under such treat- ment many of them will vegetate the same year. The plants should remain in the seed-bed for two years, and afterwards planted out in nursery rows, where they may remain for two or three years before NAT. ORDER. — POMACE.C. 91 tliey arc [i!aii(eil for hedges. The best quick-set hedges are /oriiiccl by planting theni in two rows, about a foot or afoot-and-a-half apart. The hedges, two or three years after phxnting, ouglit to be clipped once or twice every year, in order to keep them in shape, and thicken them ; and they should be kept perfectly clear from weeds, at least for the first few years. Medical Projicrtics ami Uses. This plant was formerly consid- ered as possessing powerful narcotic properties, and some instances are recorded of its fatal efTects, proving a poison. The seeds are considered especially remarkable in producing this effect, and the leaves possess similar properties. Formerly, the t/iorn was used as a medicine, and was highly spoken of as an alterative, and valued in the treatment of scrofula, and cutaneous eruptions. Baron Storck made the expressed juice of the thorn into an extract, and employed it in cases of mania, epilepsy, and some other convulsive affections, and, as he reports, with some advantage. He has, however, been more reserved in his trial with this, and more temperate in recom- mending it, than with respect to most of the others he has practised with. Some other writers have also employed it, and recommended it, but they are chiefly the experiments of Greding which properly ascertained its powers and virtues. This industrious physician employed it in a great number of maniacal cases ; and, beginning with small doses, he proceeded to very large ones, but could not, in any one of the cases he employed it in, obtain a cure. Dr. Cullen, speaking of this plant, says : " I have employed this extract in a great number of epileptic cases, and in cases of epilepsy joined with mania, but, except in one single in- stance, have made no cure ; and the great number of cases in w hich it failed, lead me to judge it to be a medicine seldom suited to the cure of those diseases." There are, indeed, cases of both diseases, reported by persons of good credit, in which the extract succeeded. But I do not admit this as a proof of any peculiar power in the thorn, as many other plants produce the same effect. NAT. ORDER. Asdcpiadeff, ASCLEPIAS TUBEROSA. WHITE, OR PLEURISY-ROOT. Cktss XIII. Pextandria. Orde,r II. Digynia. Gen. Char. CaUjx, five-cleft. Corolla, monopetalous, five-parted. Stamens, five. Seeds, numerous. Spe. Char. Nectaries, fi^■e, contorted, ovate, concave, putting forth a little horn. The genus to which this superb plant belongs, takes its name from .'Esculapias, the god of medicine. It contains an assemblage of some of the most beautiful productionsof the vegetable kingdom ; and the Asclepias tabcrosa is, perhaps, one of the most elegant plants of our country. The j'oot is large, and somewhat irregularly tuberous, sending up many erect, and sometimes decumbent hairy stems, branching at the top; the stems are round, very hairy, and of a reddish color; the leaves are scattered, and supported on petioles, little more than the eighth of an inch in length, varying in being lanceolate-oval, long-oval, lanceolate, and, in the variety decumbens, linear-lanceo- late, and repand on the margin : they are of a deep rich green above, much paler xmderneath, and very hairy ; the umbels are terminal, and somewhat in the form of a corymb ; in the variety they are lateral ; the bracteal involucre is composed of numerous narrow- linear, nearly subulate membranaceous leaves, of a salmon color ; the floiccrs are situated in terminal corymbose umbels, and are of a brilliant orange red color ; the fruit is a long, narrow, roundish pod, pointed at each end ; and the seeds, like the rest of the genus, are Vol. iii— 92. NAT. ORDER. — ASCLEPIADE,iE. 93 furnished with a long .silky appendage. The phinl continues a long time in bloom, at \Yiiich time its rich green leaves contrasted \vith its gorgeous inflorescence, render it an universal favorite. This plant is a native of North America, and its geographical distrilnition very extensive, being found from the Xorlhern States to the Southern boundary of the Union ; but it is most abundant in the Carolinas and Georgia. In the neighborhood of New-York it is somew hat rare, but in many parts of New-Jer.sey quite plenty. It is generally found in fields, sometimes in meadows ; and flowers in the months of June and July. The root alone is the part used for medical purposes. M diced Properties and Uses. — So many estimable rjualities are usually altril)uted to this very favorite plant and popular medicine, that it is not easy to assign it a proper place in the Materia Medica. If the White-root is de.servingof iudf its reputation, it is richly enti- tled to a distinguished rank in this work ; and so numerous and re- spectable are tiie authorities in support of its celebrity, that it is with considerable dithdence I venture to lessen, in the least degree, its elevated character as a medicine, by the intimation of any doubts of its just claim to its present undisputed reputation. My own expe- rience with it is confined to a few trials in cases in which it is re- puted to be peculiarly beneficial ; and these have resulted in an opinion, that there is some foundation for the encomiastic accoujits of this medicine. It may be safely recommended to physicians, as a mild cathartic, particularly .suitable to the complaints of children, as it leaves the bowels in a tranquil condition : and as a certain diaph- oretic, attended with no inconsiderable expectorant eflect. But a regard for truth obliges me to state that the virtues of this plant are, as far as my experience extends, considerably exaggerated, there being ascribed to it a multitude of powerful, extraordinary, and almost inestimable properties, to which its virtual character af- fords no sub.stantial claim. It must be rcmendiered, however, that these remarks are not intended to stigmatize the White-root as wrrdi- 94 NAT. ORDER. ASCLEPIADELE. less, for I deem it a valuable article : my only object is to endeavor to present to the public its prominent virtues, divested of what in my own opinion is an aggregation of imputed but unreal qualities. A gentleman of Virginia, who, judging from his own w^ritings, is not a regular physician, first brought this plant into very general notice, as a cure for the pleurisy : hence it is often called Pleurisy-root. He has been quoted by the late Prof Barton, and subsequently by the compilers of the American dispensatories ; and thus have his exag- gerated accounts been extensively diffused throughout our country, without any good effect, perhaps, than that of bringing a plant into general notice, which really possesses medicinal virtues, though not of the nature and number specified in those accounts. To the gen- tleman alluded to, however, is not to be imputed the discovery of the remedial effects of White-root. Dr. Shoepf mentions this plant, and specifies the property for which it seems to me most probable it w'ill become useful — its effect in inducing diaphoresis. He says it is a diaphoretic in the dose of one drachm ; that it is slightly astringent ; that the powdered root is useful in cholic ; an aqueous decoction in hysteria and menorriia- gia; and a vinous decoction in dysentery. This account by Dr. Shoepf, of the " Asclepias tabcrosa,'' as he calls it, inadvertently es- caped the attention of the late Prof Barton, otherwise he would, it is presumed, have quoted this author when speaking of the plant in question. Under the names '■ Butterfly-root, Pleurisy-root," Sheepf also speaks of the use of some plant in pleurisy and febrile dis- eases, and then tells us, on the authority of the late Rev. Dr. Muh- lenberg, that the name of Pleurisy-root was first applied to the As- clepias tuberosa, and that a decoction of it was esteemed a certain remedy for pleurisy. Prof Barton informs us that " the rest of this plant is said to possess a remarkable power of affecting the skin, inducing general and plentiful perspiration, without greatly increas- ing the heat of the body ; that it is much employed by the practi- tioners of medicine in some parts of the United States, particularly NAT. ORDER. ASCLEP1ADE.E. 95 in A''irginia, as a remedy in certain forms of fever, in pleurisy, and other atrections. The root is used botii in powder and in decoction. Sometimes it is used in combination with antimonials."' He further says that the decoction often induces perspiration wlien other medi- cines liave failed to produce this effect; and, on the authority of a correspondent, that in the low states of typhus fever, it induced perspiration when other sudorifics failed. In a communication which I received a short time since, it appears that the Asdcpias tubcrosa is in frequent use by the regular physicians, as a gentle ca- thartic in difficult dentition, and as a diaphoretic. It may be said with truth, that the Asckpias tuberosa is a cer- tain, and of course a useful diaphoretic ; whether it acts in this way, as it is said to do, without increasing the force of the circula- tion, or augmenting the heat of the body, I am not prepared by any extensive use of the plant to answer : at the same time it must be confessed that many are the instances where this medicine has pro- duced these effects, that the plant has supported its reputed charac- ter in this respect. And the multitude, respectability and strength of evidences in favor of this very desirable quality, leave no room to suppose that the plant has received, so far, any undue encomiums. Its expectorant effect in pneumonia and catarrha, is substantiated by a nuiUiplicity of corroborative facts, the relation of which is de- rived from physicians of undoubted respectability. The late Prof. Barton esteemed the Asckpias tubcrosa as one of the most important of our indigenous medicines ; and he says the powdered root is es- carotic. When taken internally, the dose is from twenty to thirty grains of the powder. This article may be concluded with the fol- lowing quotation from Thatcher's Dispensatory. The extensive ex- perience of the gentleman there alluded to, with the plant under consideration, is entitled to great attention. "The powdered root frequently acts as a mild cathartic, but it is particularly valuable for its virtues as an expectorant, diaphoretic and febrifuge, and in this respect its efficacy is amply confirmed bv 96 NAT. ORDER. — ASCLEPIADE^. the testimony of Dr. Benjamin Parker, of Massachusetts, from his own observations during an extensive practice for many years in Virginia. From the successful employment of the White-root for tvv^enty-five years, this respectable physician has imbibed such con- fidence, that he extols it as possessing the peculiar and almost spe- cific quality of acting on the organs of respiration, powerfully pro- moting suppressed expectoration, and thereby relieving the breathing of pleuritic patients in the most advanced stage of the disease ; and in pneumonic fevers, recent colds, catarrhs, and diseases of the chest in general, this remedy has in his hands proved equally efficacious. He directs it to be given in the form of strong infusion, a tea-cupful every two or three hours. By many families in this country this root has long been esteemed as a domestic medicine, resorted to for the relief of pains of the stomach, from ilatnlency and indigestion ; hence the vulgar name of Wind-root, by which it is known in some parts of the country ; but from its color it is generally called White- root, It is said that by a perseverance for several weeks in the use of about one drachm of the powdered root every day, the lost tone of the stomach and digestive powers has been restored. yO/?i<^-y'(^'<^^^- NAT. ORDER Convoli-ulaceoe. CONVOLVULUS PANDURATUS. BIND-WEED. Class V. Pentandria. Order I. JMonogynia. Gen. Char. Calyx, perianth, one-leaved, five-angled, tubular, ob- long, obtuse. Corolla, one-petalled, five-angled, tubular, con- verging. Stamens, filaments five. Capsules, ovate, enclosed in the calyx, one, two, or three-valved. Receptacles, convex, largely dotted, and joined to the dissepiment. Seeds, two, of a roundish form. Spc. Char. Stent, twining, herbaceous, angular, naked at the base, where the filaments are dilated. Leaves, cordate or panduri- form. Stamens, one-half shorter than the corolla. Calyx, smooth, slightly mucronate. Outer Sepals, unequal, and mostly obtuse. Of the numerous species comprehended by the Convolvulus, a word derived from convolvere, to roll round, sixteen arc indigenous to this country. The Convolvulus panduratus, though an inhabitant of almost every state, appears only in corn-fields, on the' borders of woods, sandy tracts, and on the edge of waters, from which may be inferred its constant necessity for extreme warmth and light. In the southern part of \ew-York and on Staten Island it is abundant. — The root is perennial, and of such dimensions as frequently to exceed fifteen pounds in weight; the stem most commonly trails on the ground ; when young it is pubescent, but attains smoot!me.ss at the period of completed growtli : the leaves, two, petiolate and entire. Vol. iii.— 97 98 NAT. ORDER. — CONVOLVCLACilB. are on the upper surface of a deep green, and on the under of a lighter shade. As the flowers, which are peduncled, large and white, approach the summit of the stem, they separate further; several are usually in a fascicle ; their buds pass from a purplish hue, tinctured with red to a straw-like color ; the three in7ie7- sepals, which are the largest, are commonly tipped with an abrupt subulate point ; the tube of the corolla is beautified with the purple color. It flowers from June to August. Medical Properties and Uses. In taste this plant is bitter, slightly astringent, and, like many others of the same genus, some- what cathartic. These qualities, which assimilate it in eflfect to rhubarb, and provide for it a ready and needed sphere, are drawing towards it extensive notice from medical practitioners. The very peculiarity of its virtues has tended to retard its acknowledgment. In calculous aflfections it holds claim as a remedy. By its means calculous granulfe has been administered with facility. In addition to this it may be considered as possessed of diuretic qualities, a sup- position which will probably be confirmed by further trial. Its root has not unfrequently been sold for mechoacanna, according to a wri- ter in the Materia Medica, and who observed its collection and sale to this end. Other properties are rendered not improbable by the fact that with empix'ics whose private interest it is to hide their mode of practice, this plant has been in constant requisition. /^T^/'/ey Sa/Ar/^€ y^^.^^^: NAT. ORDER RosacccE. ROSA P.iRVlFLORA. WHITE CABBAGE ROSE. C^ass XII. IcosANDRiA. Order III. Polygynia. Gen. C/iar. Fruit, depressed. Peduncles, hispid. Petioles, pubes- cent, somewhat prickly. Stem, smooth. Leaflets, elliptical- lanceolate. Ploicers, mostly ia pairs. Spc. Char. Calyx, urceolate, fleshy, five-cleft. Petals, five. Seeds, numerous, hispid. This variety of the Rose is a native of the United States, and is found in various parts of the country, from Maine to Carolina, inhabitinc; the deL'livities of hills and rocky places. The calyx vfiiXx the tube is contracted at the mouth, with a five-parted limb ; the segments are somewhat spirally imbricated at the apex in jestivation, and are usually pinnately divided, and numerous ; the carpels are numerou.s, bony, inserted on the inside of the tube of the calyx, which at length becomes bacc^Tte, and enclo.ses them ; they are dry and iiuk hi.sccnt, bearing each a style on the inner side ; styles exser- ted from the constricted part of the calycine tube, sometimes distinct, sometimes collected into a columnar style ; seeds solitary, exalbumi- nous, inverted ; embryo straight, with flattish cotyledons. The Rose is known by almost every person at first sight, and has been a favorite flower from time immemorial among the civilized nations of both continents. The shrub varies in size in diflferent species and varieties, and the colors are red, white, purple, yellow, black, striped, or in almost numberless shades and mixtures, from single to semi-double and double. Roses are cultivated in every Vol. iii.— 99. 100 NAT. ORDER. ROSACE.E. garden, from the most humble cottage to the gorgeous palace. Some species, such as the Rosa centifolia, Rosa damascena, &c., are also cultivated on a large scale by commercial gardeners, for distilling rose-water, and for making ottar, or essential oil of roses. Six pounds of the petals will impregnate by distillation a gallon of water strongly with its odor ; but a hundred pounds afford hardly half an ounce of ottar. The Rose is also used in medicine. Botanists are not agreed as to the number of original species of this genus ; and, notwithstanding the labors of many scientific men, the genus still remains a chaos, from which it can never be extricated. Propagation and Culture. The varieties are raised from seed in warm climates, but will not ripen well in this country. A num- ber of varieties have been raised in this country, especially of the Rosa spinossissima, or Scotch Rose. New varieties are raised in France and Italy, annually. Some are quite black, others shaped like a ranunculus, and many of them highly odoriferous. New vari- eties are chiefly propagated by seed, but mostly by layers, for con- tinuing approved sorts. They are also increased by budding, cuttings, and suckers. Bi/ seed. The hips containing the seeds are obtained from semi- double and single flowers ; and to increase the chance of new vari- eties, these should be taken from plants that have been planted among or near to the Idnds of which a cross is desired. Extracting the stamens from one flower, and dusting the stigmas with the pollen of another kind might answer in most instances. In France, Italy, and some parts of this country, the usual mode is to form a planta- tion of double and semi-double sorts, mixed indiscriminately, and take the result of promiscuous impregnation : this is often done in some of the extensive nurseries of this country. The hips generally ripen in September or October. The seeds do not vegetate till the second season after sowing. The first year, instead of sowing them, they may be preserved among sand, or the hips entire may be so preserved a full year, when the husks will be perfectly rotten, and NAT. ORDEn. — ROSACEjE. 101 the seed being separated and sown in February, will come up in May or June following. The seeds should be sown in light soil and in a sliady situation, or they may be covered with earth from half to an inch in depth, according to the size of the seeds. Early in the second spring they may be planted in rows from one to two feet apart every way, according to the size of the sorts. Here they may remain till they flower, which varies in the diflferent sorts from the third to the fifth year, but most commonly they flower the fourth summer. By layers. The common mode is to lay down the young shoots of the preceding summer late in autumn, or early in the succeeding spring, and then, with the exception of the Moss Rose, and one or tvAO others, they form rooted plants by the next autumn. But it is now found, that if the same shoots are laid down when the plant is beginning to flower in July, they will, with a few exceptions, pro- duce roots, and be fit to remove the same autumn, by which a whole year is gained. Such sorts as do not root in one year must be left on the stools till the second autumn ; but layers made when the shoots arc in a growing state, and furnished with healthy leaves, root much more freely than shoots of ripe wood. After the plants are removed from the stools, they are planted in nursery rows, and ill a year the blossom buds : having been carefully pinched off from the first laying down, they will be fit for removal to their final des- tination. The stools are then to be pruned, and the soil stirred and enriched. By suckers. Many of the commoner sorts admit of being rapidly multiplied in this way, and the plants obtained may be planted in their final destination at once. By enttings. Most sorts might be propagated in this way from cuttings of young wood, cut at a joint where it is beginning to ripen, and planted in sand and vegetable mould, under a hand-glass. But this mode is only adopted with such sorts as strike easily, as the In- dian and Chinese kinds. 102 NAT. ORDER. ROSACEJE. By budding. This mode of propagating roses is adopted only with the rarer kinds, and such as are difficult to propagate by layers ; for it is found that plants so originated, even though on stocks of the hardier sorts, are less durable than such as are raised by any of the other modes. But the chief use of budding in the culture of the Rose, is to produce standard-roses, or to produce several sorts from the same tree or bush. Standard-roses are a modern invention, it is generally supposed, of the Dutch, first carried to Paris, and • about thirty years ago to England. They are highly artificial objects of great beauty, and form magnificent ornaments to borders. The stocks are either Rosa vlllosa, the Tree Rose, or of any sorts of wild roses, which grow to a large size. They are budded at different heights, from three to seven feet, but usually between five and six from the ground. The stocks are procured from woods and copses : and, after being planted in nursery lines, are often budded the same summer ; sometimes in summer by the scallop mode of budding, and never later than the succeeding spring or summer by the common mode. Generally two buds are inserted on opposite sit'es of the stock, but often three, four, or a dozen, in alternate positions on the upper six or twelve inches of the stem. Every stock is supported by a rod, which should reach a foot or eighteen inches higher tlian the situation of the bud : to this rod the stock is tied, and afterwards the slioots from the buds, which are otherwise liable to be blown out by high winds. The nurserymen of France, being supplied with stronger stocks than can be procured in this country, and having a better climate, and more experience in the culture of roses, excel us in this department of rose propagation, and their standards afford an article of commerce with other countries. Their common plants, raised by layers, are also in extensive demand, but in these we equal if not surpass them. Final situation. No species of Rose, wii J or cultivate 1, thrives well in or near large towns, on account of the smoke or confined air. The Yellow and Austrian Roses, Rosa lutea and Rosa bicolor, are NAT. ORDER. — ROSACEA. 103 difficult to flower in any situation. Roses are generally planted in the front of siirubberies, and in borders : they are also planted by themselves, in rose-gardens or in rosaries, in groups on lawn or gra- vel, either with common box, or other eddnss, or with edirinas of wire, in imitation of basket-work : these last are called baskets of roses : the ground enclosed in the ba.sket margin is made convex, so as to present a greater surface to the eye, and increase the illusion : the shoots of the stronger sorts are layered, or kept down by pegs till they strike root, so that the buds of the shoots furnished with buds appear only above the soil, which is sometimes covered with moss or small shells. Under this treatment the whole surface of the basket becomes in two or three years covered with rose-buds and leaves, of one or of various sorts. Where one of the larger free growing sorts is employed, as the Moss Rose, or any of the Province varieties, one plant may be trained so as to cover a surface of many square yards. Where different sorts are introduced in the same basket, they should be as much as possible assimilated in the size of leaves and flowers, and habits of growth, and as different as possible in the colors of their flowers. By mixing small-flowered with large- flowered sorts, the beauty of the former is lost, Avithout adding to the effect of the latter. In rosaries usually but one plant of a sort is introduced, and the varieties which most resemble each other are placed together, by which their distinctive differences are better seen. Particular compartments are often devoted to one species, as the Scotch, Chinese, Yclloic, Barnet-lcavcd, &c., which has an excel- lent effect. Sometimes a piece of rock-work in the centre is covered with creeping roses, and on other occasions they are trained to trel- lis-work, which forms a fence or hedge of roses round the whole. In this hedge standard-roses are sometimes introduced at regular distances : a grove of standards is also frequently formed in the cen- tre of the rosary, and sometimes they are introduced here and there in the beds. Standard-roses, however, have certainly the best effect in flower borders, or when completely detached on a bed : their 104 NAT. ORDER. ROSACEjE. sameness of form, and that form very compact and bushy, prevents them from grouping as Rose plants, and in their flowers : and there- fore to display these beauties to the best advantage, they require to be seen singly, or in succession. This is the case where they occur as single objects on a lawn, or in the centre, or here and there among groups of flowers, or in lines or avenues along flower-walks Suitable Soil. Most species of the Rose, in their wild state, gro\^ in sandy or rather poor soil, excepting such as are natives of woods, where the soil is richer, and comparatively moist. But all the culti- vated Roses, and especially the double-flowering kinds, require a rich loamy soil, inclining to clay rather than sand, and they require also, like most double flowers, plenty of moisture when in a growing state. General Culture. To produce strong flowering Roses, requires some attention in pruning : old wood should be yearly cut out, and the young shoots tliinned and shortened, according to their strength, and whether number or magnitude of flowers be wanted. Those sorts which throw out numerous suckers, should be taken up every three or four years, reduced and replanted, and most sorts, excepting the standards, will be improved by this practice, provided attention is sufficiently paid in removing the old soil and replacing it by new. The points of the shoots of the more delicate sorts of Roses, are very apt to die when pruning is performed in winter or spring : to avoid the consequences of this evil, many give a second pruning in June, or do not prune the tender sorts at all, till the beginning of that month. A very good time for performing that operation is immedi- ately after the bloom is over, cutting out old exhausted wood, short- ening shoots which have flowered to a good bud, accompanied with a healthy leaf, but leaving such shoots as are still in a growing state till October. Where very large roses are wanted, all the buds, ex- cept that on the extreme point of each shoot, should be pinched oif as soon as they make their appearance, and the plant liberally sup- plied with water. To lessen evaporation, and keep up a constant NAT. ORDER. ROSACEA. 105 moisture at the roots of the roses, the gardeners generally mu.ch tliem witli half rotten stable dung, or partially rotten leaves. Porwarding and /fctarding /^uscs. The earliest flowering Rose is the Monthly, which, in mild seasons, and planted against a wall, will sometimes flower in the begiimin^ of April. Tlie Roses next in succession are the Cinnanum, which flowers in May ; the Damask, in the end of May or beginning of June ; the Blush, Yoi-k and Lan- caster, Province and Dutch I/undred-lcavcd, in June, July and Aug- ust. The Virginia and Musk Ifoscs are the latest sorts : they flower in September, and, in shady situations, will sometimes continue in bloom (ill (lie middle of October ; but the earliest Rose (the Monthly) is also the latest, and generally continues flowering till interrupted by frost. The. earliest sorts may be materially forwarded by being I)lanted against a south wall, and, if portable sashes be placed before them, and (he wall is cither flued or heated by fires, tiie plants may be brouglit to flower in February or March. The Monthly Pose, being protected by glass in autumn, or aided by artificial heat, may be continued in bloom till Christmas. A very common mode of ob- taining late Roses, and one of the greatest antiquity, is by cutting all (he flower shoots ofl" when the buds begin to appear, or by rub- bing ofi" all the rudiments of shoots of every kind, early in the .spring-: a second crop is in consequence produced, which will not be in a state to bloom before the autumn. Forcing the Rose. The best sorts for this purpose are the Common and Moss Province. The Indian sorts force well, or rather in stoves condnue in bloom all the year; but the more common varieties, not being fragrant, they are in less repute than the European Roses. Rose plants should be a year in pots, previous to the autumn when it is intended to force them : they should be planted in pots six or eight inches in diameter, in rich loam, and placed in an open, airy situation, (heir flower-buds pinched ofi" as they appear, and the plants put into a state of rest, by excluding sun and rain, but not a free circulation of air. Abercrombie says, " There is no certainty of 106 NAT. ORDER. ROSACELE. obtaining a fine blow of roses in the deptli of winter by the most expensive artifices ; and yet fine flowers may be produced early in the spring by any ordinary store, put in operation in December. When the plants are first introduced, keep the air of the house about 55°, never letting it fluctuate to more than two or three degrees below the above. In the second week aim at 60' as the standard , m the third week 65°. When a month has nearly elapsed, begin to increase the heat gradually to 70° : having brought it to this stand- ard, let it afterwards exceed it from three to five degrees, rather than sink below. A succession may be kept up by introducing some pots every eight or ten days. Insects. All the species of Rosa are very liable to the attacks of insects, especially of the aphides : some, particularly the Briar and Scotch Rose, are attacked by the cynips rosa; which, by puncturing the bark, occasions the production of rose-galls, and of those massy tufts often seen on wild roses, which were formerly known under the name of bedequar, and used in medicine. A great number of insects seem fond of the flowers of roses, from the earwig to the seemingly harmless lady-bird, which deposits its larvae in the leaves of various species, both wild and cultivated. There seems no remedy for in- sects on plants in the open air so simple and effectual as gathering them by hand, or removing the leaf on that part of the shoot which is infected by them. Under cover, tobacco smoke will prove an ef- fectual remedy for the aphides ; but the larvae of many others, and especially of the tipula and the tenthredinidae, which occasion the wrapping up and shrivelling of the leaves, can only be removed by hand. Medical Pmperties and Uses. See Jiosa centifolia, Vol. I., p. 6 ; or Rosa Canina, p. 88 of this volume. NAT. ORDER, LeguminoscE. DALEA ALOPECUROIDES. STRIPED DALEA. Class XVI. MoNADELPHiA. Older V. Decandria. Gen. Char. Calyx, five-cleft. Vcxillum, short, free. Stanwm, ten. Lcgwme, ovate, one-seeded. Leaves., impari-pinnate. Spe. Char. Stem, glabrous and erect, having from ten to fifteen pairs of linear-elliptic retuse leaflets ; Spikes of flowers, ovate or cylindrical. This beautiful flower is almost universally cultivated throughout the United States ; more particularly as an ornament than for any valuable purposes. The stem is upright, hard, woody, nearly branch- less, and rises from three to six feet in height ; the calyx is five-cleft, five-toothed, and sometimes beset with numerous glands ; the ici?igs and carina are generally found adhering to the tube of the stamens ; the vcxillum is short and free ; stamens ten, monadelphous ; legume ovate, one-seeded, shorter than the calyx ; stijndcs, adhering to the petioles at the base ; leaves generally having the terminal leaflet ses- sile ; Jloicers disposed in pedunculate spikes, which are opposite the leaves. The Dalea is considerably cultivated at the present time as an ornament in the garden : its value, otherwise than for its beautiful and elegant appearance, is comparatively limited. As a medicine, we have no accounts of its ever being considered of sufllcient value to warrant its use, or even a trial. Ancient writers have given no account of this plant, nor do they seem to have known of its exis- tence. Modern botanists, however, have discovered and figured fifty- Vol. iii,— 107. 108 NAT. ORDER. LEGUMINOS^. two varieties, all of which are worthy of the gardener's notice, es- pecially as an ornament. A more particular description of the vari- ties, their different modes of cultivation, and their properties and uses, will be entered into and given in a future number of this work. Propagation and Culture, All the species of this most beautiful genus thrive much the best in a mixture of loam and peat, and the shrubby and perennial kinds are easily increased by young cuttings, planted in sand, with a hand-glass placed over them ; those of the stove species in heat. The seeds of annual kinds should be sown in pots, which should be placed in a hot-bed, and the plants sepa- rated and planted into other pots, singly, when they have grown to a sufficient size for that purpose ; and some of them may be planted out into the open border in a warm, sheltered situation, where they will probably ripen their seeds. None of the species are worth the trouble of cultivation, except in botanical gardens. Medical Properties and Uses. The medical virtues of this plant have never been considered of sufficient importance to give it a place in the Pharmacopseia, and consequently it has never been regarded as of much value. Prof Lindley, speaking of this plant, says that the extract, taken in quantities, has been known to do harm, produ- cing symptoms that were considered dangerous, resembling those of Belladonna and Nightshade. , .N. ,^^ K .; NAT. ORDER Amydalaceoe. AMYDALUS PERSICA. THE PEACH. Class XII. ICOSANDRIA. Orck}- I. MONOGYNIA. Gen. Char. Calij.r, quinquefid, inferior. Petals, five. Dnipe, hav- ing a shell perforated with pores. Skin, pubescent. Spe. Char. All the serratures of the leaves, acute. Floicers, sessile and solitary. The common Peach-tree grows to a considerable height, and sends off numerous spreading branches : the leaves are long, narrow, pointed, elliptical, acutely serrated, on footstalks, and alternate ; the Jloircrs are sessile, purplish, solitary and large ; calijx tubular, divided at the margin into five ovate segments, and at the base beset with numerous scales ; petals five, inversely ovate, spreading, attached by short claws ; Jilaments numerous, tapering, inserted into the calyx, furnished with purplish anthers ; go-men, roundish, downy ; style short, simple, terminated by a round stigma ; the fruit is too well known to require any description. The tree is of quick growth, and not of long duration. It blossoms in April, and ripens its fruit in August and September. Dr. Sickler considers that Persia is the original country of the Peach, which in Media is deemed unwiiolesome, but when planted in Egypt becomes pulpy, delicious and salubrious. The Peach, also, according to Columella, when first brought from Persia into the Roman empire, possessed deleterious properties, which T. A. Knight concludes to have arisen from those Peaches to be only swollen ^almonds (the tuhcrcs of Pliny), or imperfect Peaches, and which are Vol. iii.— 109. 110 NAT. ORDER. AMYDALACE.E. known to contain the prussic acid, which operates unfavorably on many constitutions. The tree has been cultivated from time imme- morial in many parts of Asia : when it was introduced into Greece is uncertain : the Romans seem to have brought it direct from Persia during the reign of the emperor Claudius. It is first mentioned by Columella, and afterwards described by Pliny. Use. The Peach is a dessert fruit of the first order, and makes a delicious preserve. In Maryland, Virginia, and many parts of New Jersey, a brandy is made from the fruit ; the best Peaches are care- fully picked in baskets and sent to market, and the inferior ones either used for the manufacturing this liquor, or fed to the pigs. The leaves steeped in gin or whiskey communicate a flavor resembling that of noyeau. Criterion of a Good Peach. — It may be observed, that a good Peach possesses these qualities — the flesh is firm, the skin is thin, of a deep or bright-red color next the sun, and yellowish green next the wall ; the pulp is of a yellowish color, full of high flavored juice, the fleshy part thick, and the stone small. Varieties. — Linnseus divides his Amygdalas Persica into two varie- ties : that with downy fruit, or the Peach, and that with smooth fruit, or the nectarine ; but in the present work the Peach and 7iecta- rine will be established into a genus called Persica, and the Peach and nectarine n ade distinct species. There are, however, various instances on record of both fruits growing on one tree, and even on the same branch ; and cases have occurred of a single fruit partaking of the nature of both. The French consider them as one fruit, ar- ranging them in four divisions : the peches, or free-stone Peaches, the flesh of whose fruit separates readily from the stone and the skin ; the peches lisse, or freestone nectarines ; the pavies, or cling- stone Peaches, whose flesh is hard and firm, and adheres both to the stone and the skin ; and the hrugnons, or ding-stone nectarines. — Many horticulturists consider the Peach and almond as one species ; but we shall follow the established nomenclature, and treat them as NAT. ORDER. AMADYLACEJE. Ill di.xtinct fruit. Tlicre are many varieties of the Peach. Tusser in 1573 mentions Peaches white and red ; Parkinson in 1629 enumer- ates 21 sorts; and Miller in 1750, 31 varieties. Several attempts have been made to class the varieties of Peaches and nectarines by the leaf and flow er, as well as the fruit ; some also founded on the glands of the leaves ; but none of these arrangements have been found sufficiently perfect for the purpose of this work. Culture of the Peach in the open air. Selection of So?-ts. — We are "informed by those who are ftimiliar with rearing Peach orchards, that except the situation be completely favorable as to climate^ aspect, and shelter, forbear to plant very early, or extreme late fruit, for frost will almost invariably cut off the former, when blooming and setting, and the latter will hardly ripen under the declining heat of autumn. The Peaches proper for a small garden, according to Forsyth, are: the Earlij Avunt, Small Mignonne, Anne Royal, George, Royal Ken- sington, Noblesse, Early Ncwington, Gulandc, Early Purple, Chan- cellor, Nivettc, Catherine^ and Late Neicington. Propagating to pi'ocure neic varieties. The Peach is raised from the stone ; and this mode is pursued in this country even from pro- curing trees for common purposes. The Peaches called Acton-Scot and Spring-grove were thus originated ; the parent trees were dwarfs planted in large pots ; these being brought into a vigorous state of health, the pistils of the blossoms of one sort were impregnated with the pollen of another : only three Peaches were suffered to remain on the same tree ; and from saving the stones of the above-mentioned Peaches, other varieties were produced ; the male parent of the latter ■was the large French Mignonne ; and the female the little red nut- meg, which choice is consistent with the general principle, that the most perfect and vigorous offsprings will be obtained of plants, as of animals, when the male and female parent are not too closely rela- ted to cacli other. The Peach does not, like many other species of fruits, much exercise the patience of the gardener who raises it from seed ; for it may always be made to bear when tliree years old. In 112 NAT. ORDER. AMADYLACELE. prosecuting such experiments, Mr. Knight recommends the seedling Peach-trees to be retained in pots, and buds from them only to be inserted in older trees ; for their rapid and luxuriant growth is ex- tremely troublesome on a wall, and pruning is death to them. Propagation to -perpetuate varieties. The Peach is generally bud- ded on Damask-plum stocks, and some of the more delicate sorts on apricot stocks, or old apricot trees cut down, or on seedling Peaches, almonds or nectarines. Knight recommends growing almond stocks for the finer nectarines and apricots, as likely to prevent the mildew, and as being allied to the Peach. He says, " almond stocks should be raised and retained in the nurseries in pots, as they do not trans- plant well." Perform the budding in July and August, in the side of the stock, one bud in each ; they should be inserted near the bot- tom for the principal wall-trees, and at the height of three or four or five feet for riders. The bud will shoot the following spring, and attain the length of three or four feet in the summer growth. After the budded trees have ripened the first year's shoots, they may either be planted where they are to remain, or to be trained in the nursery, for two, three or four years, till in a bearing state. Whether the plants be removed into the garden at a year old, or remain longer in the nursery, the first year's shoot from the budding must be headed down either early in June the same year, to gain a season, or in March following, to four, five or six eyes, to produce lateral shoots, with one upright leader to begin the formation of the head in a fan- like expansion ; the second year's shoot should also be shortened to a few eyes at the return of June or March ; and those also of the third year, in such degree as may seem expedient. Suitable Soil. A good soil for Peach-trees, according to Aber- crombie, " is composed of three parts mellow unexhausted loam, and one part drift sand, moderately enriched with vegetable mould. If the soil be lean and poor, and at the same time light, have the bor- ders improved by decomposed dung, and fertile mellow earth ; if the ground be strong and heavy, add some light earth or dung ; if very NAT. ORDER. — AMADVLACRE. 113 gravcllv, rciiiovo the grossest part, excavating to the proper depth ; and in the same proportion apply a compost as above. Let the soil be made good to the depth of thirty inches or three feet. The nec- tarine Avants the warmer, richer and deeper soil, if any difference be made. Bad, cold ground, or an exhausted mould, is often the cause of the trees gumming." Forsyth says, " Peaches require a lightei soil than pears and plums, and a light mellow loam is best." Choice of j)lants. Abercrombie, Forsyth, Nicol, and most authors agree in recommending the choice of trees, two, three or four years (rained. Forsyth says they sliould be procured in the latter end of October or bcgiiuiing of November, as soon as the leaf begins to fall. Final planting. In England, France, and many parts of Europe, the Peach is almost universally planted against walls, in order to protect them against frosts : in some warm situations they have been tried as dwarf standards, or as low e.spaliers, covering with mats in the spring, to protect tlieir blossoms; but in this country, especially in many parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Uie Peach is planted in the open field, in rows about four feet apart, and from six to twelve inches from each other, and with proper attention form beautiful nurseries. Early autumn planting is best on dry soils. Spring planting may be successfully performed in February and March, but the sooner the better, that the trees may take root immediately before the dry warm weather commences. 3Iode of bearing. All the varieties of the Peach and nectarines bear the fruit upon the young wood of a year old ; the blossom-buds arise immediately from the eyes of the shoots. The same shoot seldom bears after the first year, except on some casual small spurs on the two years wood, which is not to be counted upon. Hence the trees are to be pruned as bearing entirely on the shoots of the preceding year, and a full supply of every year's shoots must be trained in for successional bearers the following season. JJie Slimmer pruning. In May and June, and occasionally in 114 NAT. ORDER. — AMADYLACEIE. the succeeding month, is to regulate the shoots of the same year, and to prevent improper growths by rubbing off the buds. Pinch off fore-right buds or shoots, and pinch off or cut out ill placed, very weakly, spongy or deformed shoots, and very strong luxuriant growths, retaining a plentiful supply of good lateral shoots in all parts of the tree, and leaving the leader to each branch. Let them mostly be trained in at full length all summer, about three inches asunder, for the next year's bearers, and divest them of any lateral twigs, to prevent a thicket-like intricacy, and to promote a healthy, fruitful growth in the shoots left. In the course of the summer reg- ulation, if any partial vacancy occurs, or should a young tree under training want an additional supply of wood, shorten some conve- niently placed strong shoot in June to a few eyes, to furnish a supply of laterals the same season. The winter pruning — May be performed at the fall of the leaf, and thence, according to some professional writers, at any time in mild weather until spring. It should be completed in February, or early in March, before the blossom-buds are considerably advanced, which are distinguishable by being round, plump and prominent, while the leaf and shoot buds are oblong and narrow. There is some advantage in pruning when the blossom-buds can be certainly known. Retain in all parts of the tree a competent supply of such regular grown shoots of last year as are apparently fruitful in blossom-buds. Most parts of these should be shortened, not indiscriminately, but according to their strength and situation : the very strong shoots should be left longest, being topped about one-fourth or one-third of their length ; shoots of middling vigor reduce one-third, and prune the very weak to two or three buds. Always cut at a shoot-bud to advance for a leader ; sometimes a shoot-bud lies between a twin blossom-bud ; cut half an inch above the bud. As many new shoots as will lay from three to six inches asunder may be deemed a com- petent supply for next year's bearers. Cut out quite close the re- dundant, irregular, and other improper shoots ; remove or reduce NAT. ORDER. — A.MYDALACE.E. 115 some part of tlie former bearers of tlie two preceding year.>; ; cut- ting llie most uaUod cpiite away ami otiiers down to tlie most eligible younger branch or well-|)laced shoot. Also take out all diseased and dead wood, retaining ground where necessary to fdl a vacuity. In cold and late situations, some recommend a niodeof pruning adapted to obtain fruit-bearing spurs on the Peach, and these spurs are foiu)d to be best calculated in such situations and late seasons to generate well organized and vigorous blossoms. Instead of taking ofl" so large a portion of the young shoots, and training in a few only, to a con- siderable length, as is u.sually done, and as I should do myself, to a considerable extent, say, in New Jersey and other favorable situa- tions I should preserve a large number of young shoots, which are emitted in a proper direction, in early spring, by the yearling wood, shortening each where necessary by pinching oflf the minute succu- lent points, generally to the length of one or two inches. Spurs wiiich lie clo.se to the wall are thus made, upon which numerous blossom-buds form very early in the ensuing summer. It is only in cold and late situations that the mode of tnana)sa agrees very much in character with the Posa cenfifolia. The peduncles are bracteate; leojlets oblong or ovate, wrinkled ; disc thickened, closing the throat; scpcds compound. This division comprises the portion which has most particularly interested the lovers of flowers. It is probable that the earliest of which there are any records as being cultivated belongs to some portion of it ; but to which particular species those of the Cyrene or Mount Pangseus are to be referred, is now too late to inquire. The ottar of Roses, which is an important article of commerce, is either obtained from them indiscriminately, as in the manufactory at Florence, conducted by a convent of friars, or from some partic- ular kind, as in India. It appears, from specimens brought from Chizapore, by Col. Hardwicke, that the Moss Rose is there exclu- sively used for obtaining the essential oil. The Persians also make U.so of a sort which Ka'iupfer culls Posa shirazcnsis, from its growing about Shii*az, in preference to others. It is, however, well known Vol. iii.— 119. 120 NAT. ORDER. ROSACEA. that ottar of Roses from different countries is of various degrees of goodness, that from Turkey being usually the best. It is therefore probable that Rusa viuscosa may be sometimes used either alone or mixed with other kinds, especially at Mogodor, where considerable quantities are procured, but of inferior quality. To the first three or four .species of the section, nearly all the fine double Roses of the gardens are referable. If there be any one genus of plants more universally admired than the others, it is that of the Rose — where is the poet that has not celebrated it 1 and where is the painter that has not made it an object of his imitative art 1 In the opinion of Miller, the Moss Rose, or Moss Province, as it is frequently called, is a perfect distinct spe- cies ; Linnajus considers it as a variety only of the centifolia, as it is found in our nurseries in a double state only, and as we are ignorant of what country it is the produce, the decision of this matter mu.st be left to future observation and inquiry. Though it may not increase so fast by suckers, nor be increased so readily by layers^ as the coiti/uUo, there is no difficulty in propa- gating it either way : the latter mode is usually adopted. The Moss Rose is easily distinguished from all otiiers by the moss that almost covers the flower-buds and some portions of the stem. Medical Properties and Uses. See Vol. I. o. 6. NAT. ORDER Papaveracea. SANGUINARIA CANADENSIS. BLOOD-ROOT. Class XIIT. PoLYANDRIA. OldcV I. MONOGVNIA. Glu. Cliuv. Sepals, two, ovate, caduous. Petals, three to twelve. Staincii'^, twciity-lbur. Sligmas, bisulcate. Capsules, oblong, two-valveil. Spc. Char. Leaf, radical, kidney-sliaped, lobed. Fhicers, double or single, large or small. This is a small perennial American herb, aboxmding in a blood- colored juice, with one leaf and one scape rising from each bud. Professor Barton describes the Blood-root as a highly valuable herb, and from whom we quote the following: ''The root ui Paccoon is perennial, and of no definite size. It varies in thickness, from a c|uarter to a half, or sometimes three-quarters of an inch in diameter ; and in length from two to four inches. It is generally about the size and length of a finLrer; flesliv. round, and abruptly terminated; being for the most part tolerably straight in the middle, with a cur- vature at each end. It is conunonly of the shape represented in the plate, though not unfrequently, particularly in the new plant, shorter, and contorted or bent upwards. Occasionally a number of roots are coimccted together, principally by no closer attaclurient tlian that produced by a fasciculation ot the numerous fd>res originating from the main body. The external color of the root is brownish, inclining to copper; but being cut, it appears of a red hue; and a bright orange-colored juice is abundantly discharged ; the end always has the appearance of having lieen cut off by a dull instrument, or Vol. iii— l-2t. 122 NAT. ORDER. — PAPAVERACEjE. broken in removing it from the ground; the scape, vvhicli is uniformly terminated by a single flower, proceeds from one end of the root, and rises perpendicularly to the height of six or eight inches. In the early part of the season, that Is, about the last of March or fn-st of April, it flowers much under this height; and not unfrequently the flowers are expanded at these periods, when the scape lias just appeared above ground ; the leafstalks, which are thicker tlian the scape, are long, and arise from the same part of the root. This has relation to a plant in the state of forwardness represented in the plate. In common, by the time the flower is expanded, the leaf-stalk is not more than half the length of the scape ; and it then supports a small convoluted leaf, with its lower lobes embracing this part. Both the leaf-stalks and scape, which are encircled at their origin from the root by a common sheathe, are of an orange color, deepest towards their junction with the c.iudex, and becoming paler near the leaves and flowers, where it is blended with green. When bro- ken or .squeezed, they emit a colored liquor, like that of the root, — but paler. The stain made by this fluid on paper, is a faint yellow. When this plant first comes up, the young loaf is rolled round both scape and flower-bud ; and not unfrequently the flower is opened immediately over the convoluted leaf; the under side of the leaf is glauiious, the disc pale yellowish green, and on both sides the orange- colored veins are very conspicuous. In favorable situations the plant has often one or two expanded leaves, like that in the plate; and these are also of a pale green color on their upper surface, and glaucous or bluish-white under- neath, interspersed on either side with numerous orange-colored veins. The whole plant becomes much increased in size after the flowering is passed about a month ; frequently attaining at this period the height of fifteen inches, but commonly not exceeding twelve. The leaves are then enlarged to twice or thrice the size of that in the plate, are heart-shaped, and deeply lobed. The number of lobes is mostly five or seven, and their edges have many smdU » NAT. ORDER. — PAPAVERACEiB. 123 unequal indentations. On each lobe one large fibre of a bright yel- low color may be seen, running from the leaf-stalks, and sending off many s nailer ones ; the Jlowcis are white and spreading, and have two deciduous calyx leaves; the calyx is so exceedingly fugacious, that it is common for them to fall off before the flower is expanded ; hence they are rarely seen ; the petals, which for the most part are purely white, are often tinged on their under side, and sometimes on their upper, with a delicate rose-color ; the Jloiccr-bud is generally faint rose-colored ; the petals vary exceedingly, both in size and in number. I have in many flowers counted from seven to fourteen ; the most common number is about eight ; the stamens are numerous ; the anthers are simple and orange-colored ; i\\e filaments are simple, shorter than the corolla, and of a yellow color; ihc pist'dh of a red- dish green ; the germcns oblong and compressed ; stijle none ; stigma thick, two-furrowed, with a stria the height of the stamens, and per- manent; the ca/>su/e, or, as Wildenow designates it, the si li qua, is oblong, swelling in the middle, acute at both ends, and two-valved ; the seeds are numerous, round and pointed. This is a plant peculiar to North America. Its systematic name, as well as its English and German appellations, are expressive of the peculiar reddish, or rather orange-colored juice wliicii per- vades every part of it. It is one of the most beautiful and delicate vegetables of our country. It is particularly interesting from its flowering at a season when there is little or no general verdure, and scarcely any tiling in bloom, except trees, the inconspicuous floret;- cence of which does not render them in general very attractive. It is also one of the most abundant plants of our states, growing plen- tifully from Canada to Florida. The tendency of Blood-root, or Puccoon, to multiply its petals in favorable situations, renders it likely that culture would readily produce a double variety ; and, indeed, the variety Sanguinaria major Jlore plcno, by Dillenius, as quoted under the synonyma, proves that such a ciiange has been effected in it. As these double 124 NAT. ORDER. PAPAVERACEjE. flowers are admired by the florists, the plant is worthy of being in- troduced into our gardens, where it thrives extremely well. Propagation and Culture. In the wild state, Sanguinaria can- adensis inhabits a rich, loose soil, on the declivity of hills, and the exposed borders of shady woods. Pursh says it generally delights in fertile soil. A large abundance of it is found in many parts of New Jersey, where the soil is sandy and almost inclining to arid. In auspicious seasons, Blood-root flowers in the states of New- York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in the last days of March ; and even In the common weather of the spring months, it may al- ways be found in bloom about the first of April. Dr. Thatcher has given the Indian name, as Pauson. After many inquiries I believe this to be incorrect, and a mere corruption of the true aboriginal name, Puccoon, as given at the head of this article. This being a dwarf plant, it should be planted near the front of the flower-border ; it will thrive well in a light sandy loam or peat soil, and it is easily increased by dividing the roots or by seeds. Chemical Analysis. From the chemical analysis of Blood-root, made by Dr. Downey, it appears that there is a gum, a resin, and a saponaceous or extractive matter in the root, and that the gum is in the greatest abundance. It results also from the same experiments, that the active principle of the plant chiefly resides in the gum and extractive matter, but especially in the former. Medical Properties and Uses. Tliis plant is emetic and purgative in large doses ; and in smaller quantities is stimulant, diaphoretic and expectorant ; but it is principally valued for its emetic power. It is a powerful medicine, and has produced dangerous effects when incautiously administered. Dr. Shoepf mentions the emetic and purgative virtue of the root. Fifteen or twenty grains of the pul- verized root produce powerful emesis ; but the medicine must be given in the form of pills, as the powder creates great irritation of the fauces. A decoction or extract will perhaps answer better. The root of this plant, when exhibited as an emetic, has been found to NAT. OHDER. — rArAVERACJLE. 125 dislodge worms from the stomach. This hint of the anthelmintic property of this part, may not, perhaps, be unworthy of notice, though other emetics have sometimes produced the same effect. Dr. Siiccpf has also mentioned that a weak decoction of the root was used in gonorrhoea, against the bites of serpents, and in bilious diseases ; that the juice was employed against warts, and that the powder of the root, in the dose of one drachm, was exhibited in jaundice. Dr. Dexter, of Cambridge, Mass., says that in some trials he made with the plant, it proved efficacious as a stimulant and diaphoretic in doses of one grain of the powdered root, or ten drops of the saturated tincture. Dr. Thatcher mentions the reputed effi- cacy of this root in removing jaundice, and says it is believed to be the chief ingredient in the quack medicine known by the name of J?atcson's bitters. A spirituous tincture of the root is said to be fre- quently used in New England, in various diseases, as a tonic bitter." Prof. Barton, speaking further of the qualities of this root, says : " I prepared some of the tincture from the recent roots, last spring. It is intensely bitter, approaching, in its permanent impression on the tongue, to acerb. I have used this preparation of the plant in three cases, and with the manifest effect of increasing the appetite and tone of the stomach. It was used in the same way as wine bitters. 1 can readily believe that in this form it has done much good, at least as a prophylactic, in those low marshy grounds of the southern states, where the inhabitants are said to use it to guard them against intermittents, and what the country people call ' inward fevers.' The dose of the saturated tincture of the root is from thirty to eighty drops, twice a day, increasing or decreasing the number as circum- stances may require. I have found twenty drops twice a day a good average dose. A decoction of the root has been recommended in tiie treatment of old and indolent ulcers ; and tlie powdered root applied a few times in .some cases of ill-conditioned ulcers, with callous edges and an inchorous discharge, produced a healtiiy stale of the sores. I 126 NAT. ORDER. PAPAVERACELE. have also heard of the application of the powdered root to a fun- gous tumor within the nostril, with the effect of producing intumes- cence, and bringing away frequently small pieces of the fungus, which in the first instance impeded the progress of air through the nostril, and was supposed to be a polypus. A decoction of Blood- root has been employed with very good effect in that form of sore throat called by Dr. Darwin peripneumonia trachealis. The medi- cine proved emetic. From this case Dr. Barton believes that " it promises to be a useful medicine, particularly on the foundation of its emetic and expectorant effects, in cases of cynanche maligna, or ulcerous sore throat, in cynanche trachealis, or hives, and other similar affections. Its properties," continues the Doctor, "seem to be considerably allied to those of Seneca, Snake-root, which has been so beneficially employed in the same cases." Dr. Israel Allen, of Sterling, and others, have had recourse to this medicine as a sub- stitute for digitalis, in coughs and pneumonic complaints ; and on some occasions it is said that it proved as eflScacious as Fox-glove, when administered with the same care ; and it was found less debili- tating than this medicine." The leaves and the seeds of Blood-root are, according to Dr. Barton and Dr. Downey, evidently deleterious. The latter produce effects similar to those brought on by the seeds of Stramonium, or thorn-apple. The experiments of the last-named gentleman were made with the unripe seeds ; and he says they exerted a very con- siderable influence over the pulse, and had a stupifying narcotic quality. The best time to collect this plant for medical purposes, is when the seeds are ripe, which is about the beginning of May. Eccmomical Uses. The juice of the root of this plant makes a hne dye of an orange color, and is used by the country people for staining flannels and woollen goods. The Indians paint themselves with it, and use it as a dye for their baskets and articles of orna- ment ; hence one of its vulgar names, Indian jmint. From the ex- periments made by Dr. Downey, with a view to find a suitable NAT. ORDER. PAPAVERACE.E. 127 mordant to fix his dye, it appears that the color of flannel and silk stained with the juice, could never be entirely washed out ; that the sulphate of alumine, or alumine alone, and the niurio-sulphate of tin, are tolerable good mordants for flannel, cotton, silk and linen. Murio-sulphate of tin was the only mordant that fixed the color on cotton and linen. I have heard that this plant was employed as a dye, in some of the woollen-cloth manufactories in Delaware. If success has been obtained in fixing the color permanently, there can be no doubt that the dye obtained from this root will become a highly-important article in domestic manufactures. It is said that in IMaryland, the farriers give the root of Sa7igxiinana to horses, to induce sweating, and to promote the shedding of their old coats of hair. NAT. ORDER, LeguminosGB. LUPINUS PERENNIS. MEXICAN LUPINE, Class XVI. MoNADELPHiA. Order V. Decandru. Gen. Char. Calyx, bilabiate. Corolla, papilionaceous. Stamens, monadelphous. Style, filiform. Stigma, terminal, roundish, bearded. «SJoe. Char. Mowers, alternate, pedicellate, bracteolate. Upper lip of the Calyx, somewhat emarginate, lower one entire. Leaf- lets, eight to nine, lanceolate. Hoot, creeping. This is a very common plant in the state of New- York, in Long Island, and many parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where we have seen it growing in great plenty on sandy banks and in woods. The calyx is profoundly bilabiate ; corolla papilionaceous, the vexillum with reflexed sides, and the keel acuminated ; stamens monadelphous, with the tube or sheath entire ; five of the anthers are smaller, rounder and earlier, and the other five oblong and later ; style filiform ; stigma terminal, roundish and bearded ; legume cori- aceous, oblong, compressed, obliquely torulose ; cotyledons thick, but converted into leaves at the time of germination ; leaflets complicated before expansion, and while asleep or through the night ; stipules adnate to the petioles ; peduncles opposite the leaves or terminal ; floicers alternate or verticellate, sessile, or pedicellate, disposed in racemes and spikes, with one bractea under each pedicel, and with two bracteas adhering laterally to the calyx, which are caduous or wanting. Vol. iu -128. e //^r^Y^-O'M c=^/^a^- v<^fa«n<. are Tenty to twe, ty-flve in number, awl-shaped, and about the long h ol Ae calyx; .»aL erect, four-grooved; the ris:Ulum ,s an urfertor ge-rn,;.<,fe Aliform, four or flve-parted ; stigmas simple the pcnc»^ 5„m s an ovate capsule, acuminate at both ends, naked a. the top by Ae calyx being barked, four or flve-celled ; par„lu,ns conltary , the Zs are numerous, oblong, small, decumbent, ariUed, and astened «, the thickened edge of the partitions; anfe club-shaped acumtnate toothed at the basl This sht^b also sends up a ^e«^- ^ .,„ft», which are very slender, from the ™'. ^^'^ „^ f " ' f^^™ height, having a gray bark, and putting forth severa *<> •> »'* J frotn their sides; the W» are either ovate °' »« -'-3' ^' ^^^ unon the young shoots are three inche. and a half long, and two broad ta e middle,°tern,inating in acute points, and having --aHtKl n^ tures on their eyes ; they are rough, and of a deep P« » " ' -' ,^ per side, and pale on their under ; they stand opposite, upon very Vol. III.— 140. ^W/?r^' Ci-^a W<^^^^. 'T NAT. ORDER. HESPERIDE.E. 141 footstalks, and have the taste of fresh cucumbers : the floxccrs come out from the side and from the end of the branches, in loose bunches, each on a short pedicel ; they are white, and have a strong- scent, which at some distance resembles that of orange-flowers, but near it is too powerful for most persons ; the flowers appear at the end of May, and continue a great part of June. It is said to be a native of the south of Europe. There are two varieties — the dwarf syyinga, or Mock Oravge, just described, and the Carolina syrhiga, which rises with a stalk about sixteen feet high, shrubby, sending out slender branches from their sides, opposite to each other ; the leaves are smooth, shaped like those of the pear-tree, entire, opposite, and on middling long footstalks ; the Jloiccrs are produced at the ends of the branches; they are large but without smell ; each has four white oval petals spreading open, and a large cahjx, composed of four acute-pointed leaflets. Propagation and Calturc. These plants may be increased by suckers, layers and cuttings. The suckers are sent from the roots in great quantities. These should be taken from the old plants in the autumn, and placed in a nursery, to grow one or two years^ till they have obtained sufficient strength, when they may be removed to the place where they are to remain. The layers may be placed down in the autumn, being made from the young twigs ; these may be taken off in the following autumn, when well rooted, being planted out where they are to remain. The cutting of the young shoots may be planted in the autumn, in a shady situation, where they soon form plants. — These plants arc extremely hardy, and thrive in almost any soil or situation, but grow taller in light good ground than in that which is stiff. NAT. ORDER. iSpiroEacecB. SPIR^ LOBATA. MEADOW SWEET. C^ss XII. IcosANDRiA. Order V. Pentagynia. G&n. Char. Caly.v, five-cleft, permanent. Stamens, ten to fifty, in- serted in the torus, lining the calyx along with the petals. Car- pels, solitary or several together, rare, connected at the base. Seeds, two to six, fixed. Embryo, inverted. Spe. Char. Unarmed Shrubs, or perermial Herbs, with alternate branches. Leaves, usually simple, but sometimes pinnately cut. Flowers, white or reddish, never yellow. It is said that Spirosa took its name from sjjeirao, to become spiral — in allusion to the fitness of the plants to be twisted into gar- lands. The genus contains plants of the shrubby and herbaceous kinds. The calyx is a one-leafed, five-cleft perianth, flat at the base, with acute segments, permanent ; the corolla has five petals, inserted into the calyx, and oblong-rounded ; the stcmiens have more than twenty filaments, filiform, shorter than the corolla, and inserted into the calyx ; anthers roundish ; the pistillum has five or more germs ; styles as many, filiform, and about the length of the stamens ; stigmas prominently headed ; the pericarpium is an oblong capsule, acuminate, compress- ed, two-valved ; the seeds are few, acuminate, small, fastened to the internal suture. The following are among the species cultivated for ornamental puiposes and hedges. Spiraea salicifoUa. Willow-leaved Spiraea. This has stalks very tapering, rough towards the top, and covered with a reddish bark, Vol. III.— 142. .^. NAT. OUDER. — Snii.KACE.E. 143 the leaves are about three inches long, and in the middle about one inch broad, bluntly serrate, and of a brij^ht green color ; in rich, moist ground, the stalks rise five or six feet high, but in moderate land from three to four ; their whole height is one year's growth from the root, and are terminated by spikes of pale red or flesh-colored flowers. It flowers in June and July ; and in moist seasons there are frequently young shoots from the root, which flower in autumn. It is a native of Siberia. There are several varieties of this species : the Flesh-color- ed Willow-leaved, the Alpine Willow-leaved, the Panicled Willow- leaved, and the Broad Willow-leaved Spiraea. Spircca tomentosa. Scarlet Spiraea. This species has the stalks slender, and branching out near the ground, with a purple bark, cover- ed with a gray mealy down ; the leaves are smaller tiian the first, downy and veined on their under side, but of a bright green above ; the branches are terminated by a thick raceme of flowers branched towards tlie bottom into small spikes ; the flowers are very small, of a beautiful red color, appearing in July, August and September. It is a native of Pennsylvania. Spircca hypcricifulia. Hy]3ei-icum-lcaved Spiraea. This plant rises with several slender shrubby stalks, five or six feet in height, covered \vith a dark brown bark, and sending out small side branches the whole length ; the leaves are small, wedge-shaped, having many punctures on tlieir surface ; the flowers are in small sessile umbels, each on a long slender pedicel, and white ; they appear in May and June ; and as the flowers are produced almost the whole length of the branches, it makes a very beautiful appearance during the time of flowering. It is a native of Italy and America. Spiraa argenica. Silver-leaved Spiraea. This species has striated erect branches, with short branchlets ; the leaves are alternate, pctiokd, and silky-tomentose on both sides; the ?-acc?nts are longer than tlio branchlets ; the flowers are very small, widi villose germs. It i.s a native of New Granada. Spircca cluimadrifolia. Germander-leaved Spiraea. This kind 144 NAT. ORDER. SPIR^ACE^. has an abundance of shoots, seldom six inches high, about the thick- ness of the finger, wand-hke and branched ; the wood is britde ; the bark of die shoots is a yellowish brown, with prominent dots scattered over its surface ; the branches are alternate, commonly angular, with a testaceous bark somewhat striated, and in the younger branches covered with a tender ash-colored epidermis, which falls off; the an- nual shoots are grooved and pubescent ; the leaves are alternate, soft, pubescent, with prostrate hairs, quite entire at the base, but generally deeply serrated from die middle to the end, where they are sharp ; corymbs at the top of the stems frequent, many-flowered, terminating the annual alternate shoots ; in gardens and in moist shady places these corymbs are more elongated ; but in a ruder soil most of the peduncles are clustered at the top, like an umbel ; the flowers are large, white, having a weak virose smell, and fugacious. It is a na- tive of Siberia. Spirma crenata. Hawthorn-leaved Spiraea. This species has several stems, scarcely six inches high, very much branched from the bottom ; the branches are rod-like, round, with a testaceous bark cloven longitudinally ; the leaves on the younger branches and annual shoots are alternate, attended with smaller ones in little bundles, hoary or glaucous, three-nerved, hard, varying in form and size ; on the luxu- riant shoots or branches sometimes ovate-acute, serulate from the dp beyond the middle, but most commonly oblong, blundsh, crenulate, or serrulate towards the tip, or sometimes quite endre ; the corymbs at the ends of the annual shoots, very abundant, disposed along the branches on one side, in hemispherical clusters ; the flowers are small, white and odorous. It is a native of Spain, and flowers here in April and May. Spircea trilobata. Three-lobed-leaved Spiraea. This species has numerous stems, about the size of a large goose-quill, very much branched, upright, with a gray bark, which is more or less pale, and somewhat ang-ular, with sharo streaks running down from the branches ; the branches and branchlets are alternate, those of the last NAT. ORDER. SPIRJJACE^E. 145 year very smooth and yellow, leafy, and terminated by an umbel ; the leaves are alternate, on very short petioles, smooth, glaucous, wide ovate, retuse, gash-trilobate ; they vary even in the garden, with more or less freciuent gashes, with the teeth obtuse or acute, in breadth ; the umbels arc very frequent at the ends of the annual branches ; pe- duncles often more than thirty, besides a few axillary ones scattered below the umbel ; flowers middle sized, white. This is an elegant shrub, and a native of Siberia. Spircca opulifolia. Currant-leaved Spirsea. This species rises with many shrubby branching stalks, eight or ten feet high, in good ground, but generally five or six ; they are covered with a loose brown bark, whicli falls ofT; the leaves are about the size and shape of those of the common currant-bush, ending in acute points, and serrate on their edges ; the flowers are produced in roundish bunches at the end of the branches ; they are white, with some spots of a pale red. It is a native of Canada and Virginia, and is mostly known in the nurseries by the name of Virginian Golden Rose. SpircBci sorhifolia. Service-leaved Spirsea. This kind rises with shrubby stalks like the first, but sends out horizontal branches, which are slender, and covered with a brown bark ; the leaves are of a thin texture, and a bright gi-een color on both sides, slightly and acutely sen-ate ; the flowers are in terminating panicles, small and white. It is a native of Siberia, and produces its flowers in August. Spircca aruncas. Goat's-beard Spirsea. This species has a pe- rennial root ; the stem is annual, and from three to four feet in height ; the leaves are doubly pinnate, each having three or four pairs of ob- long leaflets, terminated by an odd one ; tliey are two inches long, and almost an inch broad, serrate, and ending in acute points ; the flowers are disposed in long slender spikes, formed into loose tenninating pani- cles, which arc small, white, and of two sexes in the same spike. It is a native of Germany, and flowers in June and July. Spiraea fdi I tcndnla. Common Dropwort. This plant has a peren- nial root, consisting of oval tubers or solid lumps, hanging from the 146 NAT. ORDER. SPIR^ACE^. main body by threads, which has given it the name it bears — Filip&n- dula and Dropwort. These tubers enable the plant to resist drought, and render it very difficult to be eradicated or destroyed ; the stem is erect, from a foot to a foot and a half in height, angular, smooth, leafy, and a little branched at the top ; leaves alternate, interiiiptedly pin- nate, serrate, and jagged, smooth, composed of several pairs of leaflets, all of which are set in uniform, or nearly corresponding in size ; the terminating leaflet is three-lobed ; a pair of roundish, united, indented stipules at the base of each leaf, embracing the stem ; the flowers are many, and in a cymose, loose, erect panicle, cream-colored, often tip- ped with red, or red on the outside. It is an elegant plant, which grows very luxuriantly in gardens, and often with double flowers. It flowers early in July. Spiraa ulmaria. Common Meadow Sweet. This has a peren- nial fibrous root ; stems erect, three or four feet high, angular and fiu*- rowed, tinged with red, leafy, and branched in the upper part ; the leaves are interruptedly pinnate ; leaflets very unequal in size, shaiply serrate, clothed beneath with white down, the end one remarkably large and three-lobed ; a pair of rounded serrate stipules are joined to the common leaf-stalk, and clasp the stem ; the flowers are white, in a very large compound cyme, the side branches of which rise much above the central one ; it perfumes the air with the sweet hawthorn-like odor of its plentiful blossoms from June till August. There are varieties of this species with double flowers, and with variegated leaves. Spiraea trifoliata. Three-lea\?ed Spiraea. This, the last species which we think worthy of notice at this time, has a perennial root ; the stalks are annual, about a foot high, and send out branches from the side the whole length ; the leaves are for the most part trifoliate, but sometimes single or in pairs ; they are about an inch and a half long, and half an inch broad, endmg in acute pomts, sharply serrate, of a bright green above, and pale beneath ; the flowers are in close terminating panicles, on slender peduncles. This is a native of North America, and flowers in June and July. NAT. ORDER. — SPlR.f:ACE.(E. 147 Propagation and Cullure. In all the shrubby sorts, this may be performed by suckers and layers, aud cuttings. The suckers should be taken ofT in the autumn, and planted out where they are to remain, or in nursery-rows, to attain a fuller growth. The first sort requires to be cleared of these suckers every two years at most. The layers should be put down in the autumn or in the spring, £ind may be taken off and planted as above, in the autumn or spring following : all the sorts may be raised in this way ; but it is most pro- per for such sorts as do not send off suckers. The cuttings may be made from the shoots of die preceding summer, and be planted in a shady border early in autumn : when they have become well rooted they may be removed and managed as others ; they succeed in this way with less difficulty than in either of tlie others. All the herbaceous sorts may be increased by seeds, or parting the roots. The seeds may be sown in autumn or early in the sprin"- ; but the first is the better mode, on a bed of fine mould ; when the plants appear they should be kept clear from weeds till the autumn, when they may be planted where they are to remain, or in the nur- sery for a year or two. The roots should be parted in the autumn or spring, when the stems decay, before they shoot out new ones, beino- planted immediately where they are to grow. The double-flowered and striped varieties can only be presei-ved in this way. They all afford variety and ornament in the shnibbery and oUier parts. Medical Properties and Uses. The roots and leaves of this plant possess astringent properties, and have been used as a vulnerary, with considerable success : it has also been highly recommended for stone and gravel. By some writers it is recommended in leucon-hoea and hernia : they act also as a sudorific, and are sometimes given in erup- tions and skin diseases. NAT. ORDER. Liliaceoe. SCILLA CAMPANULATA. COMMON SQUILL. Class VI. Hexandria. Order I. Monogynia. Gen. Char. Calyx, five-parted. Corolla, six-petalled, spreading and deciduous. Filaments, thread-like. Spe. Char. Floivers, naked, with refracted bracteas. The I'oot is large, perennial, bulbous, coated, of a reddish hue, abounding with a tenacious juice, and furnished with many white fibres, which issue from its base ; the stem is round, smooth, succulent, and rises two or three feet in height ; the leaves are sword-shaped, radical, smooth, pointed, long, and of a deep green color ; the Jloicers are whitish, produced in a long, close spike, upon purplish peduncles, and appear in April and May ; the bracteas are linear, twisted, and deciduous ; calyx none ; the corolla is composed of six petals, which are ovate, patent, with a reddish mark in the middle ; the filaments are six, tapering, shorter than the corolla, and furnished with oblong anthers, placed transversely ; the germen is roundish, support- ing a simple style about the length of the filaments, and furnished with a simple stigma ; the cajjsule is oblong, smooth, marked with three furrows, and divided into three cells, which contain many roundish seeds. This plant is a native of Spain, Sicily and Syria, growing in sandy situations on the sea coast, and hence its name. It was first cultiva- ted in England about the year 1648. There are several varieties of the Squill, but there is not found to be any very essential difference in their sensible or medicinal properties, and the distinction seems merely Vol. III.— 14fl. CPc^^?^///m. r^/fyy/'/// NAT. ORDER.^ — LILIACE.E. 149 to depend on llic exiernal color of the bulb, for when cut into, they are all of a whitish color internally, and may be used indiscriminately ; still the red rooted variety is by some supposed to be more efficacious than the white, and is therefore g-enerally preferred for medicinal use ; it is to the taste very nauseous, intensely bitter, and acrimonious, but without any smell. Water, wine, proof spirit, and rectified spirit, ex- tract the virtues bodi of the fresh and the dry root. Nothing- rises in distillation with any of these menstma, the entire bitterness and pun- gency of the Squill remaining concentrated in the inspissated extracts ; the spirituous extract is in smaller quantity than the watery, and of a proporlionably stronger, almost fiery taste. Alkalines considerably abate both the bitterness and acrimony of the Squill ; vegetable acids make little alterations in either, though the admixture of the acid taste renders that of the Squill more supportable. These acids extract its virtues equally with watery or spirituous men- strua. Medical Properties and Uses. The root of the Squill, which ap- pears to have been known as a medicine in the early ages of Greece, and has so well maintained its character ever since, as to be desei-ved- ly in great estimation, and of very frequent use at this time, seems to manifest a poisonous quality to several animals. In jiroof of this, we have the testimony of many ancient as well as modern writers. Its acrimony is so great that even if much handled it inflames die skin, and if given in large doses, and frequently repeated, it not only excites nausea, vertigo, and violent vomitings, but it has been known to pro- duce strangmy, bloody urine, hipercatharsis, cardialgia, convulsions, with fatal inflammation, and gangrene of the stomach and bowels. — But as many of the more active articles of the Materia Medica, by in- judicious administration, becomes equally deleterious, these effects of the Scilla do not derogate from its medicinal virtues; on the contrary, we feel ourselves fully warranted In representing this drug, under pro- per management, and in certain cases and constitutions, to be a medi- cine of great practical utility, and real importance in Uie cure of many 150 NAT. ORDER. LILIACE^. obstinate diseases. Its effects, as stated by the most approved writers, are expectorant in small doses, and emetic and purgative in larger, and sometimes it acts as an emmenagogue. In dropsical cases it has long been esteemed the most certain and effectual diuretic with which we are acquainted ; and in the asthmatic affections, or dyspepsia, oc- casioned by the lodgment of tenacious phlegm, it has been, and is still, the expectorant usually employed. The Squill, especially in large doses, is apt to stimulate the stomach, and prove emetic ; and it sometimes acts upon the intestines, and becomes purgative : but when these operations take place, the medicine is prevented from reaching the blood vessels and kidneys, and the patient is deprived of its diuretic effects ; which are to be ob- tained by giving the Squill in smaller doses, repeated at more distant intervals, or by the joining of an opiate to this medicine, which was found by Dr. CuUen to answer the same puipose. The Dr. further observes, that from a continued repetition of the Squill, the dose may be gradually increased, and the intei-vals of its exliibition shortened ; and when in this way the doses come to be tolerably large, the opiate may be most conveniently employed to direct the operation of the Squill more certainly to the kidneys. In cases of dropsy, that is when there is an infusion of water into the cavities, and but little terminating to the kidneys, we are of opinion that a little neutral salt accompany- ing the Squill may be of use. Like digitalis, this medicine is rendered much more active in its operation, by combining it with some other articles of this class, and particularly by giving it in union with Podophyllum 2idtatum. This union I consider very important in cases where we wish to evacuate dropsical effusions. The Squill seems to increase diuresis by stimulat- ing the kidneys to invigorated action, and the Podophyllum has a powerful tendency to promote absorption. By uniting these articles together, therefore, we obtain a remedy which enables us at once to excite the action of the absorbents and the kidneys, and thus, in the most effectual manner, promote the removal of dropsical collections. NAT. ORDER. LILIACEjE. 151 Dr. Home, of Edinbuig-h, says that the diuretic effects of this medicine were greatly enhanced by uniting it with such other articles as are capable of promoting its emetic operations ; or by giving it in sufficient doses to produce decided impressions on the stomach and bowels. — Directly the reverse of diis was strenuously advocated by Dr. CuUen, who maintained that the diuretic effects of the Squill are generally much less conspicuous when it operates strongly on the stomach and intestines, than when it produces no sensible operation on these organs. The reason of this he conceived to be, that by such effects on the bowels, the medicine was prevented entering the blood vessels, arid thereby reaching tlie kidneys. Whether we admit this explanation or not, the fact is, I believe, fully established, diat not only this, but every other article belonging to this class of remedies, is less apt to produce diuresis when it either purges or vomits, than when no such effects are produced. Upon this subject Dr. Blackall observes, " it never operates so favorably as when it is given in the fullest quantity which the patient can bear without sickness." This corresponds witli the experience of other late writers who speak of this remedy. It ap- pears to be admitted generally, that this remedy is more apt to afford relief in hydrothorax than in any of the other varieties of dropsy. R is a well established fact, that all medicines tending to act upon the minaiy organs, and thereby produce diuretic effects, does much to- wards mitigating this disease : and Squills is by far the most power- fill of them. We fuid it very useful where there is an oppression of the chest, the urine is scanty, high-colored, full of sediment, and with- out serum. Its use is not, however, limited to this ; I have seen it render service where the urine is partially coagulable. But in pro- portion as that symptom becomes more marked by its extreme con- stitutional characters, inflammation, and a weakness of tlie digestive organ.s, it fails in its effect, or is even injurious. It is recommended to be given at first in the dose of thirty drops of the vinegar or tincture of Squill, tliree times a day, and gradually increased to forty or fift,y drops. When it does not act entirely as it could be wished, the addi- 152 NAT. ORDER. — LILIACE.E. tion of from three to six grains of Podophyllum peltatum given every night, is frequently followed by a great flow of urine at the same time that the salivaiy glands are effected. I have myself uniformly obtained more advantage in this disease by these two articles in union with nitre, than from any other diuretic I have ever employed. Such a combination is particularly efficacious when it produces inflammation of the gums and the glands about the throat. The reason why the union of the above-mentioned articles are more apt to afford relief in hydrothorax than in any other varieties of dropsy, may be owing to a three-fold operation ; it promotes absorp- tion, excites the urinary discharge, and, by detennining the circulation particularly to the glands of the mouth and throat, it causes a deriva- tion from the exhalants of the pleura, and thereby lessens the dropsical exhalation. The exhalants of the cavity of the thorax would be more likely to be influenced by such an afflux to the glands of the mouth and throat, than those situated more remotely, and hence, perhaps, arises the more speedy relief which is commonly procured in hydro- thorax by such a combination of remedies, than in ascites and anasarca. The expectorant operation of Squill, is also a circumstance which would seem to render it more suitable in dropsies of the chest than the other diuretics. Dr. Ferias obsei"ves, that " in some habits the combination of tinc- ture of Squills, with sirup of buckthorn, proves very powerfully diure- tic." Its expectorant qualities are very obvious in asthmatic patients, and chronic affections of the chest, connected with a secretion of thick tough mucus, which is with great difficulty expectorated without the aid of an expectorant. As an emetic, it was once in general use, but is now much less frequently employed than formerly, and indeed where we simply wish to evacuate the contents of the stomach, it is too violent in its operation to be a desirable one ; but in some affections of the chest and throat, especially in croup, it is certainly a desirable emetic, as it renders the expectoration of the mucus more easy. It is never administered as a purgative, and we only know that it possesses this NAT. ORDER. — LIL1ACE.E. 153 property by its being accidentally g-iven in too large doses. The best way of exhibiting it is the dried bulb, in the form of powder, pill, or exti-act, (fcc, according to the way we may wish it to operate. The most approved and desirable manner of preparing this root for use, is by cutting it transversely into thin slices, and then exposing it to a moderate warmth ; for if the heat be too great, its sensible qualities become much impaired, and it is rendered almost inert ; and when dried, its medicinal properties are gradually becoming dissipated, on which account it is necessary to have a fresh supply annually at least. The dose of the powdered root is from five to ten grains, that of the tincture half a fluid ounce. NAT. ORDER, MalvacecB. LAVATEKA TEIMESTRIS. ANNUAL LAVATERA. Class XVI. MoNADELPHiA. Order VII. Polyandria. Gen. Char. Calyx, five-cleft, g-irded by a three or five-cleft involu- are, Leajiefs, pined, especially to the middle. Carpels, capsular, one-seeded, disposed into an orb aroundthe axis, which is various- ly dilated above the fruit. Spe. Cliar. Stem, herbaceous, scabrous. Leaves, smoothish, round- ish-cordate ; upper ones lobed. Pedicels, solitary. Lavatera is a genus of plants of the herbaceous, shrubby, peren- nial kinds. This species has an annual fibrous root, full of thick fibres, a foot in length, with innumerable other capillaiy fibres ; the stem is round, rugged, five or six feet high, and very much branched ; the leaves are on long petioles, very soft, tomentose, toothed, seven-angled^ the angles of the upper one sharper ; the stipules are lanceolate, cilate, bowing at the bottom, and then erect ; the flowers are axillary, about four together, and placed on upright peduncles ; the outer calyx is cup-shaped, with ovate segments ; the inner one is a little longer, five- cornered above, with lanceolate segments ; the corolla is twice the length of the calyx, pale blue, with oblong emarginate petals ; the germ is orbicular-fiatted and ten-grooved ; the stigmas are ten in num- ber ; the fruit is smooth, within the calyx ; the capsules are ten, round a column terminated by a hemisphere with a very small point at the top, disappearing when the fruit is ripe, and leaving a hole in the middle of the capsules, which then turn black. It is a native of the island of Candia, or Crete, and flowers in July. It sometimes possesses red, white, or purple flowers. Vol. III.— 164. NAT. ORDER. — MALVACEAE. 155 Lavatcra Crcfica. Cretan Lavatera. This has also an annual root, white with spreading beards ; the stem is round, two feet high, branched, and the lower branches almost horizontal ; the leaves are crenate-toothcd, smooth, on long petioles, gradually narrowed towards the top ; the stipulas are ovate-lanceolate, ciliate, bowed at the bottom, and then straight ; the flowers are solitary, axillary, on peduncles shorter than the petiole ; outer calyx semi-trifid, with keeled segments ; inner one larger, with lanceolate segments, curbed at the edge ; tlie corolla is large, spreading, bell-shaped, pale flesh color, with whiti'sh lines ; petals broader above, crenate, frequently rolled up, the edges of die claws of a deep puiple ; the germ very smooth ; the style multi- fied ; the stigmas pale flesh-colored, longer than the tube, thirteen to eighteen in number ; the fruit hemispherical, convex beneath, covered at the top with a circular, concave, smooth lid or peltate umbrella ; there are about twenty capsules in a whorl ; these arc brown, closed all round and not opening, with a longitudinal raised line along the back, elegantly marked along the sides with flexuose streaks drawn^ from the circumference to the centre ; the seeds are ferruginous. This is a native of the middle states of North America, and flowers from July till September. There are twenty-eight species of the Lavafcra described as be- ing useful either medicinally, ornamentally, or for domestic puiposes. Propagation and Culture. The green-house and frame species will thrive well in a mixture of loam and peat, or any light soil, and cuttings from ripe wood planted in the same kind of soil under a hand- glass will root readily, or they may be raised from seeds, which gene- rally ripen in abundance ; they may be planted out against a south wall during summer, where many of them will survive the winter, if not severe, by being sheltered by a mat in frosty weather. The pe- rennial herbaceous species will grow in any kind of soil, and may either be increased by dividing the plants at the roots or by seeds.— All the species are hardy, and well adapted for shrubberies. NAT. ORDER. Aroideoe. CALLA ^THIOPICA. COMMON CALLA. Class XX. Gynandria. Order II. Diandria. Gen. Char. Spathe, one-leafed, cucullate. Calyx and Corolla, none. Spadix, naked above, bearing- sessile anthers below the middle, and germens at the base. Berry, one-celled, many-seeded. Spe. Char. — Stemless. Leaves, ternate. Leaflets, ovate, acuminate, very entire. Spadix, clavate. Spathe, ovate, convolute. This genus contains plants of the herbaceous flowery perennial green-house kinds, Arum and its species. The calyx is a one-leafed spathe, ovate-cordate, acuminate, colored at the top, very large, spread- ing, permanent ; the spadix finger-shaped, quite single, erect, covered with fructifications ; corolla none ; the stamens consist of some filaments intermixed with the germs the length of the pistils ; they are perma- nent, compressed and truncate ; the anthers are simple, truncate and sessile ; the pistillum to each is a roundish obtuse germ ; the style simple, very short ; the stigma acute ; the pcricarpium contains as many berries as there are pistils, four-cornered, globular, pulpy, and one-celled ; the seeds are numerous, six to twelve, solitary, cylindric, and obtuse at both ends ; the leaves, which are heart-an-ow-shaped, originate in clusters from the roots, are shining above, and are on long footstalks ; the flowers are peculiarly graceful, at first of a greenish tinge, afterwards changing to the most perfect white ; the stamens are above, the pistils below, set so closely together as not easily to be dis- tinguished. The Ethiopian or Common Calla, is a well-known green-house Vol. III. — 166. J \ ^; -:^7?ZZ^i?^ ../. %^9i>^'m^<79i/ (^^i>z/i^^ NAT. ORDER. Boraginc(B. SYMPHYTUM ORIENTALE. ' COMMON COMFREY. Class V. Pentandria. Order I. MonogyiSiIa. Gen. Char. Calyx, five-parted. Corolla, cylindrically campannlate , Throat., furnished with five subulate, vauUcd processes, which connive into a cone. A\Us, four, one-celled, ovate, fixed to the bottom of the calyx, imperforated at the base. Spc. Char. Stem, branched, hairy. Leaves, ovate-oblong, acumi- nated, petioled, hairy above, and villous beneath ; upper ones nar- rowed at the base : floral ones opposite, sessile. Calyx, five-cleft, tubular at the base. Segments, of the corolla, ovate, acute. The root is perennial, large, branched, on the outside blackish, and within whitish ; the stuUc is about two feet high ; erect, branched,, somewhat angular, and covered with short ridged hairs ; the leaves are large, alternate, and those below stand upon footstalks, those above sessile, decuiTcnt, ovate, pointed, entire, rough, and fringed with short hairs ; the Jloiccrs are tubular, of a yellowish white, and placed in- spikes, which turn inward in a spiral manner ; the calyx is divided into five segments, which are rough, erect, and pointed ; the corolla is fim- nel-shaped, consisting of a short thick tube, and a limb slightly cut at the edges into five short obtuse reflexed segments ; the mouth of the tube closed by five narrow-pointed nectarious teeth ; ihc filaments are five, short, and terminated by yellow erect bifid anthci-s ; the germen is divided into four parts ; the alyle is tapering, longer than the corolla, and furnished with a small blunt stigma ; the seeds are four, angular, blackish, shining, and lodged in tlie bottom of the calyx. This is a com- VoL. III.— 169. 160 NAT. ORDER. — BORAGINE^E. mon garden plant cultivated both in America and England, and is often found growing by the side of old ditches. It flowers from June till September. Propagation and Culture. All the species of Comfrey are ex- tremely hardy, and will grow in any soil and situation ; some are very handsome border flowers, and are well fitted for woods or shrubbe- ries, as they will grow under the shade of trees and shrubs ; they are easily increased by dividing the roots in the spring, or by seeds, but the former mode is preferable. Medical Properties and Uses. The root of Comfrey, though rare- ly used, promises all the advantages to be derived from that of marsh- mallow : according to recent investigations we find, that the dried root, boiled in water, renders a large proportion of the fluid slimy ; and the decoctions inspissated, yield a strong flavorless mucilage, similar to that obtained from althaea, but somewhat stronger-bodied, or more tenacious, and in considerable larger quantities, amounting to about three-fourths the weight of the Comfrey. Hence it is inferred that the consolida is rather superior to the althsea in many cases where that root is employed ; the mucilaginous matter being in both roots the only medicinal principle. Therefore, as the root of this plant is easily ob- tained, it may be conveniently substituted for that of althaea in all the compositions in which the latter is officinally directed or extemporan- eously, for the general purposes of an emollient and demulcent. This opinion seems also to have the authority of Dr. Cullen, who says, — " While mucilaginous matters are retained in our list of medicines, I do not perceive why the colleges have entirely omitted the Symphy- tum, for it may be of great service in diarrhoeas and dysenteries." NAT. ORDER LobeliacccE. LOBELIA PUBERULA. BLUE DOWNY LOBELIA. Class J". Pentandru. Order I. Monogynu. Gen. Char. Calyx, adnate to the ovarium. Limb, five-parted. Co- rolla, irregular, tubular, tube cleft. The two Segments on the upper lip, linear-lanceolate. Filaments, combined above. An- thers, cohering^, bearded. Capsule, oval, two-celled, two-valved. Spe. Char. Leaves, oblong, obtuse, repandly sermlated. Flowers, almost sessile, forming a spike. Calij.v, downy. Calycine Seg- m,cnls, erect, lanceolate-subulate, entire. Stamens, inclosed. The root is perennial ; the stem erect, simple, two to three feet high, angled, very slightly downy ; leaves, alternate, remote, three to four inches long, oblong or elliptical-lanceolate, sessile, dentato-serrate, in our specimens nearly glabrous, gradually smaller upwards ; the radicle ones subspathulate ; the spike is from eight to ten inches and sometimes even a foot long, slender ; ihcjloiccrs are placed upon short pedicels, spreading, bracteated ; bractcas lanceolate, wavy, with glan- dular serratures ; the calijx-segments are almost as long as the tube of the corolla, erect, lanceolate-subulate, entire, edged with red, and the sinuses reflexed ; the corolla is of a bright purplish-blue, divided almost to the base into two portions ; the upper one linear, bifid, the segments acute reflexed, the lower broad and reflexed at the extremi- ty, three-lobed, with two oval, white, protuberant spots, the lobes ovate ; stamens included in the corolla. This is a highly interesting and valuable addition to the Materia Vol. III. — 101. 162 NAT. ORDER. LOBBLIACE^. Medica, and was first described and introduced by Mr. Drummond, of Jacksonville, in Louisiana, of which place it is a native. The spe- cies appears, indeed, to be but httle known, except to our American botanists, and is probably confined to the southern states. Its nearest affinity is with Lobelia siphilitica, but its spike is less dense and vastly more elongated, its flowers smaller, of a brighter color, deeply barpi- tite, the upper lip bifid, the segments much reflexed, not split down so far that the stamens are excluded as in the last-named species. Medical Properties and Uses. This species of Lobelia possesses properties very similar to the L. siphilitica, and may be used for the same pui-poses. Its active principle is highly volatile, thence by de- coction the medicinal qualities pass off. The best method for prepar- ing it for use is by tincture, one ounce of the dried leaves and flower- buds to one quart of diluted alcohol. This may be given in doses of one to thi'ee drachms, three times a day. It is veiy diffusive, acting upon the whole system at once, causing great perspiration, and lassi- tude of feeling, with some very unpleasant feelings. It is but very little used in practice, except by a few empirics, who fancy it a certain remedy for cancerj for the cure of which it has become very celebra- ted. For this purpose it is taken internally as directed above, and ap- plied externally as; a wa^h, nepeated several times a day. ( /. / / /: