BOTANIC MATERIA MEDICA, ; 157 
should be fresh as often as possible to insure a 
perfect result as a remedy. 
Punica Granatum, Pomegranate.—Natural 
order Granataceze. Found growing wild in Ara- 
bia, Persia, Bengal, China and Japan, also as 
an ornamental tree in the gardens of the South- 
ern States and places of the same latitude in 
other countries, The tree or shrub attains a 
height of 15 to 20 feet, having shining opposite, 
leathery green leaves, oblong or lanceolate in 
shape and on short foot stalks; flowers large and 
of a very rich scarlet color, and at the extremity 
of the young branches; the flowers are five-pet- 
aled, round and wrinkled and inserted into the 
tube of the calyx, which is fleshy and thick; sta- 
mens number as many as eleven, with one pistil. 
When cultivated in hot-houses or in warm situ- 
ations, the flowers become double. The bark 
of the Punica Granatum root is used. in medicine, 
and occurs in commerce in thin fragments or 
quills, 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) long 
and about 31; of an inch (1 millimeter) thick, of 
a brownish-gray color externally and somewhat 
warty; finely lined and of a greenish-yellow 
color on the inner surface; when broken the 
fracture is short and granular; has little or no 
odor; taste bitter and astringent. It contains 
mannit, sugar, pectin, tannin, existing as a 
punico-tannic acid, and a colorless oly alkaloid, 
termed felletiering, which is said to be soluble 
in water. ‘The peel or rind of the fruit was for- 
merly considered officinal, and this occurs in 
hard, dry, brittle. pieces, resembling, in a meas- 
ure, the rind of the orange, but differing in size 
and thickness and having no odor. The pome- 
