PLANTS FURNISHING ROOT DRUGS. 31 



SUAl'WOUT. 

 SnpoiKiria nffirintiJift L. 



Other common names. — Saponaria. sajxniary. coininoji soapwort. iMmiiring-bot, 

 soaproot. bniisowort, Boston pink, chiiimey-piiik. crow-soap. he«lj;e-piiik, old- 

 luaids-pink. fuller's-luM-b. lady-by-tln'-jratf. Lon(lon-i>ri«l('. lathorwort. niofk- 

 gilliflower, sc-ourwort, sheepweed, sweet-betty. wild sweet-william, woods-i)lilox, 

 world's-wonder. 



IJahilat and rangr. — By one or another of its many common names tliis plant, 

 naturalized from Europe, is known almost everywhere, on-urrinj; ahmt: roadsides 

 and in waste places. 



l)vscrii)ti(tn of plant. — Soapwort is a rather pretty herbaceous perennial, 1 to 

 2 feet hifih. and belonging to the pink family (Silenace:e). Its smooth, stout, 

 and erect stenj is leafy and only sparingly branched, the leaves ovate, 2 to 'A 

 inches long, smooth, prominently ribbed, and pointed at the apex. The bright- 

 looking, crowded clusters of pink (or in shady localities whitish) flowers appear 

 from about June until far along in September. The live petals of the corolla 

 are furnislied witli hmg "claws." or, in other wox-ds, they are narrowly length- 

 ened toward the base and inserted within the tubular and pale-green calyx. 

 The seed capsule is oblong and one-celled. ( IM. Ill, tig. 4.) 



Description of root. — Soapwort spreads by means of its stolons, or uniler- 

 ground nmners. But the roots, which are rather long, are the parts employed 

 in medicine. These are cylindrical, tapering toward the apex, more or less 

 branched, and wrinkled lengthwise. (PI. Ill, fig. 4.) The wliitisli wood is 

 covered with a brownish red, rather thick bark, and tlie root breaks with a 

 short, smooth fracture. It is at first sweetish, bitter, and mucilagineus. fol- 

 lowed by a persistently acrid taste, but it has no odor. 



Collection, prices, and uses. — As already indicated, the roots, without the run- 

 ners, should be collected either in spring or autumn. With water they form a 

 lather, like soap, whence the common names soapwort. soaproot. latherwort, etc., 

 are derived. The price ranges from 5 to 10 cents a pound. The roots are 

 employed in medicine for their tonic, alterative, and diaphoretic properties. The' 

 leaves are also used. 



(iOLDEXSEAL. 



Hydrastis canadensis L. 



Pharmacopceial name. — Hydrastis. 



Other common names. — Yellowroot. yellow puccoou. orange-root, yellow In- 

 dian-paint, turmeric-root, Indian turmeric, Ohio curcuma, ground-raspberry, eye- 

 root, eye-balm, yellow-eye, jaundice-root, Indian-dye. 



Habitat and range. — This native forest plant occurs in patches in high, open 

 woods, and usually on hillsides or bluffs affording natural drainage, from 

 southern New York to Minnesota and western Ontario, south to Georgia and 

 Missouri. 



Goldenseal is now becoming scarce throughout its range. Ohio. Indiana. Ken- 

 tucky, and West Virginia have been the greatest goldenseal-producing States. 



Description of plant. — Goldenseal is a perennial plant belonging to the same 

 family as the buttercup, namely, the crowfoot family (Ranunculacese). It 

 has a thick yellow rootstock, which sends up an erect hairy stem about 1 foot 

 in height, surrounded at the base by 2 or ?, yellowish scales. The yellow color 

 of the roots and scales extends up the stem so far as it is covered by soil, while 

 the portion of the stem above ground has a purplish color. The stem, which 

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