No. 27. CO^TlS. i^9 



petals, and two seeded capsuls. Many botanists call 

 the petals of this plant nectaries, and the calix corol* 

 la, thus saying that they have no calyx : but the na- 

 tural affinities teach that wherever the perigone is dou- 

 ble, the inner range is the corolla, whatever be its 

 form. 



Both Copth and Hell eb or us h^\ox\^ toPoLYANDRA 

 polygynia of Linnaeus, and to the Ranunculaceous 

 tribe, or natural order Adnantheria, section Avith 

 irregular petals, and dehiscent fruits. This plant blos- 

 soms early in the spring of the cold regions or in May. 



The roots are the only parts lised ; they are of i 

 fine golden color, whence the name. They ought to 

 be collected in the summer, and are easily dried ; but 

 not easily reduced to powder. The plant itself is a 

 pretty evergreen, having the appearance of the straw- 

 berry plant. 



Locality — A boreal plant found from Canada to 

 Greenland and Iceland on the east, and to Siberia on 

 the west. The most southern limits are New En- 

 gland, New York, and the shores of Lake Erie. It 

 is commonly found in mossy swamps and bogs of 



Moun 



Wh 



Qualities — A pure intense bitter, without smell, 



nor astringency, consisting of extractive matter and 



a bitter principle, soluble in water and alcohol : the 



tincture is yellow. 



PROPERTIES— Tonic and stomachic, promoting 



digestion, strengthening the viscera, useful in dyspep- 



ff 



a 



