Ranales.] RANUNCULACE^. 427 



Candolle, been discovered in New Holland. They characterise a cold damp climate, 

 and are, when met ^^'ith in the tropics, found inhabiting the sides and summits of moun- 

 tains : in the lowlands of hot countries they are almost unknown. 



Acridity, causticity, and poison, are the general characters of this suspicious Order, 

 which, however, contains species in which those qualities are so little developed as to be 

 innoxious. The caustic principle is, according to Krapfen, as cited by De Candolle, of 

 a very singular nature ; it is so volatile that, in most cases, simple diying, infusion in 

 water, or boihng, are sufficient to dissipate it : it is neither acid nor alkaUne : it is in- 

 creased by acids, sugar, honey, wine, spirit, &c. and is only effectually destroyed by 

 water and vegetable acids. The leaves of Knowltonia vesicatoria are used as vesicato- 

 I'ies in Southern Africa. Ranunculus glaciahs is a powei'ful sudorific : Aconitum Napel- 

 lus and Cammainim are diuretic. The Hepatica, Actsea racemosa, and Delphinium 

 eonsoUda, are regarded as simple astringents. The roots and leaves of several Helle- 

 bores are di-astic piu'gatives ; of the pereimial Adonises, according to Pallas, emmena- 

 gogues ; and of several Aconites, especially Napellus and ferox, aci-id in a high 

 degree. The black Hellebore of the ancients was H. officinahs rather than H. niger, 

 (see Bot. Reg. 1842, t. 34 &l 58). The root of an Aconite of India, one of the sub- 

 stances called Bikh, or Bish, is a most %drulent poison. According to Hamilton, the 

 Bishma, or Bikhma, is a strong bitter, very powerful in the cure of fevers : the Bish, 

 Bikh, or Kodoya Bikh, has a root possessing poisonous properties of the most dreadful 

 kind, whether taken into the stomach, or appUed to wovmds : theNir Bishi, or Nii'biklii, 

 has no deleterious properties, but is used in medicine. For some important informa- 

 tion on tliis Bikh, Vish, Visha, or Ativisha, which Wallich considers his Aconitum 

 ferox, see Plant. As. Rar. vol. i. p. 33, tab. 41, and especially Royle's Illustrations, 40. 

 Ranunculus flammvda and sceleratus are powerful epispastics, and are used as such in 

 the Hebrides, producing a bUster in about an hour and a half. Their action, is, how- 

 ever, too violent, and the bUsters are difficult to heal, being apt to pass into irritable 

 ulcers. Beggars use them for the purpose of forming artificial ulcers, and also the 

 leaves of Clematis recta and flammula. The root of Ranunculus Thora is reported to be 

 extremely acrid and poisonous, its juice having been formerly used by the Swiss hunters 

 of wild beasts to envenom their javehns, whose woimd by that means became speedily 

 fatal and incurable. The root of Hydrastis canadensis has a strong and somewhat nar- 

 cotic smell, and is exceedingly bitter ; it is used in North America as a tonic, imder the 

 name of Yellow-root. The root of Coptis trifolia, or Gold-thread, is a pure and powerful 

 bitter, devoid of anythmg like astringency ; it is a popvdar remedy in the United States 

 for aphthous affections of the mouth in chikben. The wood and bark of Xanthorhiza 

 apiifoha are a very pure tonic bitter. The shrub contains both a gum and resin, each 

 of which is intensely bitter. The seeds of Nigella sativa were formerly employed 

 instead of pepper ; those of Delpliinium Stapliisagi'ia are vermifugal, caustic, di-astic, 

 and emetic ; those of Aquilegia simply tonic. It is supposed that a pungent seed used 

 by the Affghans imder the name of Siah dana, for flavourmg cun-ies, is the Black Cumin 

 of Scriptui-e, and a species of Nigella.— i2o?/7e. Peeony seeds are emetic and cathartic ; 

 the root has the credit of bemg antispasmodic. The black ben-ies of the Baneberry, 

 Acteea spicata, are poisonous, the roots antispasmodic, expectorant, asti'ingent ; they are 

 reported to have afforded very marked relief in cases of catarrh. Similar quahties are 

 assigned to Botrophis actseoides ( Actsea racemosa, Z.), whose nauseous, astrmgent bitter 

 roots are regarded, in the United States, as a remedy for the bite of the rattlesnake. 

 For fm'ther details, see Endlicher's Encheiridion. 



The fruit of the May-apple (Podophyllum peltatum) is very acid, whence one of its 

 names is Wild Lemon, and it may be eaten ; but if other parts are used it is a sure and 

 active cathartic. The rhizome is administered m fine powder. The leaves are poison- 

 ous, and the whole plant narcotic. 



Dr. Wight remarks that, notwithstanding their ancient reputation, the whole Order, 

 with a few exceptions, has fallen into disuse ; Hellebore being almost the only evacuant 

 retained, and that, from the uncertainty of its operation, is seldom used.— Illustv. 1. 3. 

 Dr. Fleming has indeed shown that of all the European Aconites, one only, A. Napellus, 

 is of any value ; the remainder, includmg A. Cammarum, being feeble and unimportant ui 

 their action. Tliis A. Cammarum is what the London College of Physicians directs to 

 be employed exclusively, under the name of A. paniculatum ! 



I, CLEMATEiE. — Calj'X 



valvate, or induplicate, 

 Clematis, Litin. 

 Viticella, Dillen. 

 Stylurus, Raf. 

 Trigula, Noronh. 



GENERA. 



Ckmatopsis, Boj. aestivation imbricated. 



Viorna, Pers. 

 Atragene, DC. 

 Naravelia, DC. 

 II. Anemones. —Calyx 



Achenia one -seeded, 

 tailed. Seed inverted. 

 CjTtorhyncha, Nutt 



Physocarpum, DC. 

 Physocarpidium , Rchb 

 Syndesmon, Hoffmans. 

 Anemonanthe, Spach. 

 Anemone, Hall. 



usually coloured, in ' Triptermm, DC 



Thalictrum, Tournef. Pulsatilla, Toiurnef, 



