N. ORD.-SCROPHULARIACE&. 114 
Tribe.—ANTIRRHINEZ., 
GENUS.—LINARIA,* TOURN, 
SEX. SYST.—-DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMIA. 
LINARIA. 
TOAD FLAX. 
SYN.—LINARIA VULGARIS, MILL.; ANTIRRHINUM LINARIA, LINN. 
COM. NAMES.—TOAD FLAX, FALSE FLAX, YELLOW FLAX, RANSTED, 
JACOB’S LADDER, CONTINENTAL WEED, BUTTER AND EGGS; 
(GER.) FRAUENFLACHS, LEINKRAUT, LOWENMAUL; (FR.) LINAIRE 
COMMUNE. 
A TINCTURE OF THE FRESH PLANT LINARIA VULGARIS, MILL. 
Description.— This too-common roadside weed grows to a height of from 1 to 
3 feet, from a perennial root. oot woody, creeping, white and fibrous. Stem 
erect and simple. Leaves pale green, glaucous, arranged alternately, or more or 
less scattered or whorled upon the stem; sesile, linear-lanceolate, with an acute 
tip, and vary from 1 to 3 inches in length. J/nflorescence, a terminal, densely- 
flowered, spiked raceme; flowers 1 inch long, bright yellow, with a chrome- 
colored palate. Ca/yx five-parted, shorter than the spur of the corolla. Corolla 
tubular, masked with a projecting, bifid palate, that nearly closes the ringent 
throat. Upper lip two-cleft. Lower Up trifid, the middle lobe smallest, Spur awl- 
shaped, situated upon the lower side of the base. Stamens four, didynamous. 
Anthers two-celled. Pollen grains oval, with a deep sulcus and induplicate edges. 
Fruit a thin, two-celled ovoid capsule, opening by two slits below the apex, Seeds 
numerous, flattened, with a nearly complete winged margin. For description of 
the natural order Scrophulariaceze, see Verbascum Thapsus, 1 10. 
History and Habitat.—This pernicious, widely-spreading weed, doubtless has 
its originin Europe. It is now but too thoroughly naturalized here ; its injurious- 
ness, however, being somewhat mitigated by its choice of ground, growing as it 
does only in waste places, dry sandy fields, and along the embankment of rail- 
roads and roadways. It blossoms through the summer months, fruiting as it flowers. 
Linnzus states (For. Suec.) that a decoction of this plant in milk was used as a fly 
poison. Its previous medical uses were internally for jaundice and anasarca, and 
externally for hemorrhoids, but it has dropped out of use entirely, except with us. 
PART USED AND PREPARATION.— [he whole fresh plant, gathered when 
in full flower, is chopped and pounded to a pulp and weighed. Then two parts 
by weight of alcohol are taken, the pulp mixed thoroughly with one-sixth part of 
it and the rest of the alcohol added. The whole is then poured into a well-stop- 
® The leaves.of some species resembling those of flax (Linum). | 
