N. ORD.—ARALIACEA, | 69 
GENUS.—ARALIA,* TOURN., 
SEX. SYST.—PENTANDRIA PENTAGYNIA. 
ARALIA RACEMOSA. 
SPIRENARD. 
SYN.—ARALIA RACEMOSA, LINN. 
COM. NAMES.—SPIKENARD, AMERICAN SPIKENARD, PETTYMORREL, 
LIFE-OF-MAN, PIGEON-WEED; (FR.) NARD D’AMERIQUE; (GER.) 
AMERIKANISCHER ARALIE. 
A TINCTURE OF THE FRESH ROOT OF ARALIA RACEMOSA, LINN, 
Description.—This aromatic perennial attains a growth of from 2 to 5 feet.+ 
Root large, thick, spicy-aromatic; dark thick, whitish internally. Svem ligneously 
herbaceous, smooth, bifurcating, much branched, and devoid of prickles. Leaves 
very large, odd-pinnately compound; /eaflets ovate-cordate, doubly-serrate, 
acuminate, slightly downy; sépu/es wanting, or represented by a serrate stipular 
membrane at the bifurcation of the branches and sometimes at the bases of the 
petioles. Inflorescence numerous axillary, compound, racemose panicles, or thyrsi. 
flowers monceciously polygamous or perfect. Ca/ya coherent with the ovary ; 
teeth 5, short, projecting upward between the petals. /e¢a/s 5, epigynous, obovate 
acute, reflexed-spreading, caducous. Stamens 5, epigynous, situated opposite the 
calyx teeth; //aments slender; anthers 2-celled, opening longitudinally. Ovary 
globular, 5-celled, somewhat 1o-ridged ; ovu/es anatropous, suspended, 1 in each 
cell; sty/es 5, closely clustered, sometimes united at the base, or in the sterile 
flowers entirely united; ségmas capitellate, or simply a stigmatic surface to the 
apex of each style. vat globular, aromatic, baccate drupes, retaining the per- 
sistent and now divaricate styles ; eméryo minute. 
Araliacesze.—Many characters of this natural order are identical with the 
preceding (Umbelliferz), its distinguishing points are: Herbs, shrubs, or trees. 
Leaves sometimes simple but mostly compound or decompound. /nx/lorescence 
panicled or racemose umbels; flowers in our species more or less polygamous. 
Calyx : limb very short or wanting. Petals 5, not inflexed. Stamens 5. Fruita 
berry or drupe with usually more than two cells; carfels not separating ; albumen 
generally sarcous. —% 
This family affords, beside the two species represented here, the following 
plants used in medicine and the arts: The common Ivy (//edera felix), at one 
time held in great repute as a preventive of drunkenness and antidote to the 
* Derivation unknown, 
+ J. F. James mentions a plant 7 to 8 feet high, with leaves 3 feet long, and fruit 15 to 18 inches, in Bot. Gaz., 
1882, p. 122. 
