BLACK ALDER. — 4143 
the border divided into six obtuse segments. 
The stamens are erect, with oblong anthers. In 
the barren flowers they are equal in length to the 
corolla, in the fertile ones, shorter. The germ, 
in the fertile flowers, is large, green, roundish, 
with a short neck or style, terminating in an 
obtuse stigma. These are followed by irregular 
bunches of bright scarlet. berries, which are 
roundish, supported by the persistent calyx, and 
crowned with the stigma, six celled, containing 
six long seeds, which are convex outwardly and 
sharp edged within. These berries are bitter 
and unpleasant to the taste, with a little sweet- 
ness and some acrimony. | 
-'The bark of the Black alder is moderately 
bitter, but inferior in this respect to many of our 
shrubs and trees. It diseoyers very little astrin- 
geney either to the taste, or to chemical tests. 
A decoction which I made of the dried bark 
underwent no alteration on the addition of dis- 
solved gelatin, and only changed to a dark green 
with the sulpliate of iron. | Alcohol produced. 
hardly any change. The tincture, in alcohol, was 
found moderately bitter, and was not altered by 
water. | Cage oo Sere ae ett Fat Ser ee te 
The Black alder has had a considerable repu- 
tation as a tonic medicine, perbaps more. than it 
