BOTANIC MATERIA MEDICA. 211 
their summit with small, golden-colored flowers 
enclosing many stamens and ovaries; some of 
the leaves are radicle (arising from the root), 
on long foot-stalks, with three to five lobes with 
deeply-cut leaflets, whilst the leaves on the stem 
are sessile. The whole plant is covered with a 
pubescence, or minute prickles, and is known as 
the early buttercup, to designate it from the 
creeping buttercup (R. repens) and the tall but- © 
tercup (R. acris). All the varieties are said to 
be natives of Europe, but very thoroughly nat- 
uralized in this country. ‘They contain an oily, 
volatile liquid of a yellow color, from which is 
obtained Anemonin. Rarely if ever given in- 
ternally, but used in some localities as a counter- 
irritant, and highly spoken of as a remedy for 
local application. 
Ruta, Rue, Ruta Graveolens.—Natural or- 
der Rutaceze. This small perennial plant is a 
native of Southern Europe, but cultivated in 
many parts of the world as a garden plant. Rue 
is quite shrubby in its arrangement, and has 
many branching stems, and usually attains a 
height of two or three feet, adorned with trian- 
gular, ovate-shaped leaves, the upper ones be- 
ing pinnatifid, whilst all the others are bi or tri- 
pinnate, and the divisions are obovate oblong 
and smooth upon their surfaces, with many pel- 
lucid spots. Flowers yellow in color and in 
clusters; stamens numbering ten, but only one 
pistil. The odor of Rue is aromatic, the taste 
bitter and acrid, and its constituents are ch/oro- 
phyll, albumen, extractive matter, starch and a 
volatile oil, which will be spoken of under the 
head of oils, Rue has been used as a nervine, 
