Hedera. LXVIII. ARALIACEiE. 295 



branches. The root is pleasant to the taste, and highly esteemed as an ingre- 

 dient in small beer, &c. July. 



3. A. iiispiDA. Wild Elder. Bristhf Aralia. 



St. shrubby at base, hispid; Irs. bipinnate; Iff.s. ovate, cut-serrate; umbels 

 on long peduncles. — %. Common in fields, about stumps and stone-heaps, N. Eng. 

 to Va. ytcm 1 — 21' liigli, the lower part woody antl thickly beset with sharp, 

 stifl" bristles, the upper part branthing, herbaceous. Lcallets many, ending in 

 a long point, ovate, smooth. Umbels many, simple, globose, axillary and ter- 

 minal, followed by bunches of dark-colored, nauseous berries. The plant ex- 

 hales an unpleasant odor. Jl. Aug. 



A. spiNosA. Angelica Tree. 



Arborescent; sL and petiole's prickly; lis. bipinnate ; Ifls. ovate, acuminate, 

 sessile, glaucous beneath; iimbch numerous, forming a very large panicle; 

 invol. small, few-leaved. — Damp woods, Ponn. to Flor. and La. Shrub 8 — 12f 

 high, with the leaves all crowded near the summit. Flowers white. Aug. — 

 Emetic and cathartic, ij: 



S.'PANAX. 



Gr. irav, all, aKos, a remedy ; i. e. a panacea, or universal remedy. 



Dioeciously polygamous. $ Calyx adnate to the ovary, limb short, 

 obsoletely 5-tootlied ; petals 5 ; stamens 5, alternate with the petals ; 

 styles '2 — 3 : fruit baccate, 2 — 3-celled ; cells 1 -seeded, d Calyx 

 limb nearly entire ; petals and stamens 5. — Herbs or shrubs. Lis. 

 3 {i/i the herbaceous species)., ijahiately compound. Fls. in a solitary.^ 

 simple umbel. 



1. P. TRiFOLiuM. Ground Nut. Dvarf Ginseng. 



Rt. globose, tuberous ; Ivs. 3, verticillate, 3 — 5-foliate ; Ifts. wedge-lanceo- 

 late, serrate, subsessile; sty. 3 ; berries 3-secded. — Common in low woods. Can, 

 to S. States. The globular root is deep in the ground, and nearly I' diam., 

 connected with the stem by a short, screw-like ligament. The stem arises 3 — 

 6' above the surface, smooth, slender, simple. At the summit is a whorl of 3 

 compound leaves, with a central peduncle terminating in a little umbel of pure 

 white flowers. Leaflets generally 3^ nearly or quite smooth. Barren and fer- 

 tile flowers on ditferent plants, the latter without stamens, succeeded by green 

 berries, the former with a single, abortive style. May. 



2. P. auiNauEFOLiuM. Ginseng. 



Rt. fusiform ; Irs. 3, verticillate, 5-foliate ; Ifts. oval, acuminate, serrate, 

 petiolate ; yed. of the iivibcl rather shorter than the common petioles. — Not un- 

 common in rocky or mountainous woods, Can. to the mountains of the South- 

 ern States. Root whitish, thick and fleshy. Stem round, smooth, If high, 

 with a terminal whorl of 3 compound leaves, and a central peduncle bearing 

 a simple umbel. Leaves on round and smooth foot-stalks, consisting of 5, 

 rarely 3 or 7 obovate leaflets. The flowers are small, yellowish, on short pedi- 

 cels. The barren ones borne on separate plants have larger petals and an en- 

 tire calyx. The fertile ones are succeeded by berries of a bright scarlet color. 

 The root is in little estimation as a drug with us, but it enters into the compo- 

 sition of almost every medicine used by the Chinese and Tartars. Jn. Jl. 



3. HEDERA. 



Celtic hedra, a cord ; from the vine-like habit. 



Calyx 5-toothed ; petals 5, dilated at the base ; berry 5-seeded, 

 surrounded by the permanent calyx. — European shrubby jjlants^ climb- 

 ing or erect, icith simple., evergreen leaves and green flowers. 



H. HELIX. English Ivy. — St and branches long and flexible, attached to the 

 earth or trees or walls by numerous radicating fibres ; /r.<;. dark green, smooth, 

 with white veins, petiolate, lower ones 5-lobed, upper ovate ; fls. in numerous 

 umbels, forming a corymb ; Z)crn/ black, with a mealy pulp. — Native of Britain. 

 There are several varieties in gardens, -j- 



