68 PTEROSPORA. No. 78. 



pod in violent coughs, the rickets of children, and the 

 umbago. A poultice of it with Thuya has been found 

 useful in violent rheumatic pains. A strong decoction 

 will act as a mild cathartic, and expel also the worms 

 of children. The Aspidium Jilixmas^ or Male Fern, 

 once a i^ olypodium^ is not a native of America : the 

 root has been used with success, united to cathartics, 

 to expel the tenia or tapeworm ; perhaps this species is 

 equivalent to it. 



No. 78. PTEROSPORA ANDROMEDEA. 



Names. Scaly Dragonclaw. Fr.^ Pterospore para- 

 doxe. Vulgar. Dragon Root, Fever Root, Albany 

 Beechdrop. 



Classif. Nat. Order of Monotropes. Decandria mo- 

 nogynia Iv. 



Genus Pterospora. Calyx five parted. Corolla 

 ovate, five toothed. Ten stamina, inserted on the recep- 

 tacle, anthers peltate, two celledf adnate, bisetose. 

 One pistil, one style, stigma five lobed. Capsule five 

 celled, seeds minute winged. 



Sp. Pterospora (mdromedea. Nuttal, Stem simple, 

 viscid, and scaly 5 flowers irregularly racemose, nod- 

 ding. 



DESCRIPTION. Root perennial, large, white, 

 amorphous, full of irregular curved fleshy tubercles, re- 

 sembling the claws of animals. Stem erect, one or two 



feet high, simple, straight, covered with short brown 



viscid hairs, cylindrical, without leaves, but some small 

 scattered and subulate scales. Flowers in a long ter- 

 minal raceme, flowers scattered, some fesciculated, 

 axillary to linear bracts, color reddish white, pe- 

 duncle curved, nodding. Calyx with five ovate ci- 

 liate segments. Corolla resembling Andromeda^ mar- 

 ascent, ovate, with five reflexed oval obtuse teeth. 

 A^n stamina inclosed, filaments subulate, flat, arising 

 irom below the pistils ; anthers singular, semi-adnate, 



til tr *f '1*^^^ ceils opening transversely inside. Pis- 

 rree, style columnar, stigma capitate, nearly five 



