36 PODOPHYLLUM PELTATUM. 
transparent veins. Stamens shorter than the pe- 
tals, curving upwards ; the anthers oblong, twice 
as long as their filaments. Germ oval, compress- 
ed, obseurely angular. Stigma nearly sessile, 
convex, its surface rendered irregular by nume- 
rous conyolutions and folds. The flower is suc- 
ceeded by a large ovate yellowish fruit, which is 
one celled, many seeded and crowned with the 
stigma. Its early period of ripening has given 
rise to the trivial name of May apple. 
The dried root of the May apple is fragile and 
easily reduced to powder. It has a peculiar and 
rather unpleasant taste, but without much acri- 
mony. When chewed for some time, it manifests 
a strong bitter taste. Both the tincture and de- 
coction are intensely bitter. "When water is add- 
ed to the alcoholic solution the mixture becomes 
very gradually turbid, and at length opaque. On 
the other hand, alcohol disturbs both the infusion 
and decoction, especially the latter, in which it 
produces, after some time, a pearly whiteness. 
The trials I have made with it lead me to con- 
clude that it contains a resin, a bitter extractive 
matter, frecula and a slight proportion of a gummy 
substance. ) 
‘The medicinal properties of the Podophyllum 
peltatum are those of a sure and active cathartic, 
