112 



FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM BOTANY, VOL. III. 



Hab. Merida, Nov. 29, 1864, Schott 14; "abundant in waste 

 places about Merida, Valdez 63 ; "herb 18 inches, common at Cacal- 

 chen and Euan, June to March," Gaumer 964, San.Anselmo -2/oj, 

 Chichankanab 2104, 2352. 



Called XKANTUMBUB, "Yellow TUMBUB," by the Mayas, and 

 "SANGUINARIA DE FLORES NEGROS" in Spanish; used by the Mestizas 

 as a remedy for the vomiting or spitting of blood, also as a pectoral. 

 The sprouts, leaves, and flowers in decoction are employed as a remedy 

 for bloody dysentery. Cuevas remarks: * "It is indicated in dysentery, 

 in which an infusion of the whole plant should "be taken, with sugar, 

 at intervals during the day. " Donde says : f "Abundant from July to 

 March in the suburbs of Merida, principally, however, at San Sebas- 

 tian, the plaza of which is carpeted over its larger part with this useful 

 plant. Of all the plants of Yucatan this is without doubt the one most 

 generally employed in domestic medicine at every point on the penin- 

 sula. Its great reputation as a remedy for the spitting or the 

 vomiting of blood, and for strengthening the organs of respiration, is 

 attested by innumerable laymen and the extended observations of the 

 faculty of medicine. It is also used as a remedy for bloody dysentery. ' ' 



The achenes figured are taken from the same head (Gaumer 2104); 

 the most compressed are from the center of the disk, the awnless and 

 wingless from the margin, next to the ray flowers. 



ECLIPTA L. Mant. PL, 2:157. 



Heads heterogamous, radiate; rays pistillate, perfect, ligulate; 

 disk flowers perfect, mostly fertile, tubular. Involucre hemispheric 

 of herbaceous, subequal bracts imbricated in 2 series. Receptacle 

 plane or convex, chaffy; scales small, awn-like. Achenes laterally 

 compressed, ray achenes 3 sided, disk achenes 4 sided ; pappus none, 

 or a few short teeth. Weedy herbs 

 with inconspicuous heads. 



Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. PI. Jav. 

 Rar., 525. 



Verbesina alba L. 



A coarse annual, erect or pro- 

 cumbent, with subangled, strigose 

 stem and branches, and opposite, 

 lanceolate, sinuate-dentate, acute, 

 strigose-hispid leaves, narrowed in- 

 to a short petiole. Inflorescence 

 of solitary, peduncled, terminal and 

 axillary heads; peduncles slender, 

 strigose pubescent. Heads 5 mm. 

 high, 7-9 mm. broad, ray and disk 

 flowers numerous. Involucral bracts broadly ovate, acuminate, ap- 

 pressed or the tips spreading, pubescent, equal or the outer slightly 



*Ensayo Botanico 1894 : 36. 



^Apuntes sobre las Plantas de Yucatan 1874 : 146. 



