FLORA OF THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 217 
Enum. Synop. PI. Mey. 21 !— Z). Deppii, Schlecht., Uimisa. 1843. p. 602 !— D. BiUbergiana, Kunth, 
Sp. Plant, vol. V. p. 354. — Testudinaria Mexicana, Hort. Aiigl. ! — Nomcn vcmacul. " Cabeza de 
Negro." Common all over the Isthmus j Chagrcs (Fciidl. nos. 335 et 336) ; Portohelo (TBillbcrg). 
This species, at once recognized bjits large rhizome, ■\Yhich resembles that of TesiuJinaria elephant I'pes, 
Bureh., has, like most of tlic species o? Bioscorca, a very extensive range. It is found in Mexico (Hartweg, 
Schicde, Galcotti), Central America (Barclay), New Gruuada (Bdlberg, Feudler, Seemann), Surinam (Host- 
maun), Brazil (Spruce). 
977. DioscoREA alata, Linn., Kth. Sp. Plant, vol. v. p. 387. — Nomen vernacul. "Same." Cul- 
tivated extensively on account of its esculent tubers. 
978. DioscoREA sapindoidesj Presl, Kunth, Sp. PI. vol. v. p. 410. Common amongst the shrubs 
of the savanas about Panama. 
SMILACINEtE. 
J 
979. Smilax Schomburgkiana, Kth., Spec. Plant, vol. v. p. 187.— Nomen vernacul. "Zarzapa- 
rilla," In woods, common all over the lower regions of the Isthmus. 
980. Smilax tomentosa^ H. B, et K.^ Kth. Spec. Plant, voh v. p. 231. Volcano of Chiriqui, 
Veraguas. • ^ ' • 
981. Smilax officinalis, H. B. et K., Nov. Gen. vol. i. p. 271. — S, papyracea, Duhani. \xh. 
ed. Mich. vol. i. p. 24-2 ! — B. medica, Schlecht. et Cham, in Linnaea, vol. vi. p. 47 ! — Nomcn ver- 
nacul. " Zarzaparilla." Volcano of Chiriqui, Veraguas (Warsze-vvicz) . 
A perusal of the various treatises on Sarsaparilla tends to confirm the soundness of Sir ^^illiam 
Hooker's remark, that those plants most useful to mankind are generally the least kno^\Ti botanically. 
Even Pereira, with all his industry and research, could give in his 'Elements of Materia Medica and 
Therapeutics ' (London, 1850) but an unsEitisfactory accoimt of the botanical sources of the various sorts 
of Sarsaparilla ; and I well remember, that in the last conversation which I had with that great pharma- 
cologist, he expressed an ardent wish that some competent person might be induced to iuYestigate this 
perplexing subject. I am not vain enough to look upon myself as the "competent person" to whom 
Pereira wished to assign the investigation ; and if the settlement of the question depended upon the 
opinion of great authorities, I would not have ventured to meddle with it ; but, as it has solely to be 
decided by the simple elucidation of facts, I have made an honest attempt to cut the knot, the untying of 
which has been so often tried in vain. 
M. de "Warszewicz, during his last visit to the Volcano of Chiriqui, in Veraguas, collected specimens 
of a Sarsaparilla, which he transmitted to Mr. Daniel Hanbury. These were submitted to me for deter- 
mination. After a careful examination, I pronounced them to belong to Smilax officinalis of Humboldt, 
Bonpland, and Kunth; but, asSmilaj^ officinalis, H. B. et K., had been described from imperfect materials, Mr. 
D. Hanbury made, during a sojourn in Paris, a tracing of the original specimens from which the three bo- 
tanists drew up their description. This tracmg agreed in every essential point with the specimens from 
the Volcano of Chiriqui, and left in my mind no doubt that I had named them coiTCctly. A fortunate co- 
incidence confirmed this view. When M. de Warszewicz lately visited Bajorque, in New Granada, the 
place where Humboldt and' Bonpland obtained the Smilax officinalis, he took the precaution to collect 
specimens of the Sarsaparilla of that locality (where, by the bye, it has now become very scarce), which, 
3e 
