BOTANIC MATERIA MEDICA. 189 
a dehiscing spiked capsule, containing many 
hard black seeds of irregular shape, which will 
be spoken of under their proper head. The 
only preparation of the leaves is an extract, and 
this is only recommended by the British Phar- 
macopceia, but occasionally used in the form of 
poultice and ointment, the latter being made 
with lard. The Indians call it the white man’s 
plant, because it is found only near his habita- 
tion. The name Datura is of Arabic origin, 
from the Sanskrit word Dhatoora. The deri- 
vation of the name obscure, but said to be from 
the Greek strychnomantkon, a plant causing 
madness when taken in poisonous doses. 
Senna Alexandrina, Alexandria Senna, Cas- 
sia Acutifolia.—Natural order C. Leguminosz 
Ceesalpineze. Native of Africa. Senna is a 
small under shrub 2 or 3 feet high, with straight 
woody branches adorned with alternate and 
pinnatifid leaves, with narrow stipules at the 
base. The leaflets are almost sessile, oval lan- 
ceolate and acute in shape, about 1 inch (25 
millimeters) long, and of a grayish-green color, 
somewhat lighter when dry and as found in 
commerce; odor pleasant and peculiar; taste 
bitter and somewhat mucilaginous. The flowers 
are yellow and infloresce in axillary spikes. The 
Cassta ELoncata, or InpIan SENNA, differs from 
the above-named by being longer in the leaflet, 
also more acutely pointed at the apex, with a 
slight pubescence on the surface. There 
are other varieties of Senna, viz: Cassia Oxo- 
vata, Cassta 42TuHeopica, and the Cassia Mar- 
ILANDICA or AMERICAN SENNA; the leaf of the 
last-named closely resembles the Cassia Obo- 
