Ansrewandte Botanik. 601 



's? 



years of age, and deprived of the periderm; it contains tannin and 

 quercitannic acid. The bark is astringent and somewhat tonic, but 

 is not employed as an internal remedy, only as a decoction used 

 with advantage as a bath in cases of scrofula, cholera infantum etc. 

 So far as concerns the internal structure of the vegetative organs, 

 it must be remembered that only a proportionally few^ species of 

 the genus have been examined, thus it is not possible to demon- 

 strate any particular anatomical feature that may be characteristic 

 of the species in question. The primary root of the seedling is ver- 

 tical, and very strong; secondary formations set in at an earl}' 

 moment resulting in the development of pericambial cork and a 

 broad parenchyma, the secondary cortex, in which isolated Strands 

 of stereome are located, accompanied by cells containing large 

 crystals of calcium Oxalate. In the stele we notice that the leptome 

 is divided tangentially by Strands of thickwalled stereome. In the 

 young shoot the cork appears in the hypodermal Stratum of cortex, 

 and there are, also, peripheral layers of collenchyma. No endodermis 

 was observed, but a pericycle of continuous strata of stereome. In 

 the older branches we notice the presence of stereome as several 

 concentric bands in the inner portion of the cortex, mixed with 

 sclereids. The secondary leptome shows the same structure as the 

 primary, being divided by la3^ers of stereome. A bifacial structure 

 characterizes the leaf-blade, and the stomata are surrounded by 

 mostly six ordinary epidermis-cells; near the stomata the epidermis 

 forms low papillae. The chlorenchyma consists ofa ventral palisade- 

 tissue of one to two strata, and of a dorsal pneumatic of about five 

 layers with numerous idioblasts. The midrib contains a stele, at 

 least approximately, there being two dorsal arch-shaped mestome- 

 strands, and one ventral, linear in cross-section, a structure that 

 recurs in the petiole. The lateral veins exhibit, on the other hand, 

 a much simpler structure, containing only a Single, collateral 

 mestome-bundle, supported by stereome, and connected with epi- 

 dermis of both faces by thinwalled parenchyma, densely packed 

 with Single, very large crystals. Theo Holm. 



Holm, T., Medicinal plants of North America. 36. Aletris 

 jarinosa L. (Merck's Report. 19. p. 33—35. fig. 1—11. Febr. 1910.) 



The rhizome contains aletrin, a bitter principle, which may be 

 prepared by exhausting the drug with alcohol and evaporating the 

 percolate to dryness, treating with water, and drying the residue. 

 It is a resinoid different from amarin and aloin, and is perhaps a 

 Compound formed by amarin, an oil, and a gum. Ihe drug is used 

 in colic, dropsy, and chronic rheumatism, beside in the treatment 

 of rattlesnake-bites. The plant is described and figured. In respect 

 to the internal structure may be mentioned that no indication ot 

 secondary growth was observed in the roots, although some species 

 of the genus are said to exhibit such growth, according to Van 

 Tieghem. Characteristic of the stem is the presence of true glan- 

 dulär hairs, beside that the mestome-strands constitute two circular 

 bands surrounded by a stereomatic pericycle, but without endoder- 

 mis. Very interesting is the structure of the mestome-strands; they 

 are collateral or, sometimes, leptocentric, and the leptome contains 

 stereomatic fibers, often developed to such an extent that the 

 leptome becomes divided into several separate Strands, a structure 

 which has been noticed also in some other genera viz. Dioscorea, 



