302 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



REVIEW. 



Medicinal Herbs and Poisonous Plants. By Datid Ellts, D.Sc, 

 Ph.D., F.ll.S.E, Fcap 8vo, pp. xi, 179 ; 103 illustrations. 

 Blackie & Son. 2s. dd. net. 



In this attractive little volume, Dr. David Ellis, of the Royal 

 Technical College, Glasgow, has given us a simple account, both from 

 the botanical and economic points of view, of the principal native 

 and cultivated plants used in medicine. He devotes two chapters to 

 floral structure and physiology, basing the former upon familiar types 

 and under the latter head discussing the various products : these are 

 followed by chapters in which the plants are systematically arranged 

 and their properties described. Special instruction is given as to 

 collecting for medicinal purposes — a subject of much imjwrtance at 

 the j^resent time : occasionally hints of practical importance are given, 

 as when the growing of Mustard is referred to : " most of our supplies 

 came from the Continent, indicating that we had not attended 

 sufficiently to the cultivation." Some of the more important species 

 are described at length, and the characteristics of others are given : 

 we think that this feature might be extended at the expense of infor- 

 mation which is of little value : e. g. Si fuller description of Corian- 

 drum (p. 93) — of which we are only told that it has white flowers, no 

 reference being made to the curiously unpleasant odour of the whole 

 plant — might usefully replace the unnecessary warning on the pre- 

 ceding page that Carum Carvi " must not be confused with" C. verti- 

 cillatum and C. Pulhocastanum. 



Here and there are statements to which we should demur — e. g. that 

 Cicufa virosa is " superlicially not unlike Hemlock " (p. 83). The 

 Pedicularis of pastures is not sylvatica but palustris, and we should 

 not regard Melampgrum pratense as a "pasture plant" (pp. 102, 

 103) : folk see colour so differently that perhaps Colckicum may 

 appear "rose-coloured" to some (p. 21). The general cultivation of 

 Chenojjodiiim Bonus-Henricus in Lincolnshire might have been 

 mentioned. We are surprised to find no reference to Hypericum, 

 from at least two species of which a healing ointment is made in 

 country districts, nor are the consolidating properties of Comfrey 

 indicated : it seems likely that popular rustic remedies would repay 

 investigation. Occasionally we meet with a somewhat puzzling state- 

 ment, such as that " many cases of poisoning have occurred from the 

 leaves [of Foxglove] being eaten in mistake for the leaves of other 

 plants — e.g. the Borage" (p. 97) ; do people eat Borage leaves ? 



The book is admirably printed, though we think black t^^pe might 

 with advantage have been more extensively employed, and is singularly 

 free from misprints : we note "■ Patienta'" (p. 47) and " (S'celeratus " 

 and " *S'coparius " (the former thrice). A useful appendix gives lists 

 of herbs of which leaves, flowers, seeds, and roots are wanted, and 

 which " from considerations either of patriotism or profit should be 

 grown in this country " ; and there is a good index. 



The numerous illustrations, which Dr. Ellis, who, with his wife, 

 is responsible for them, modestly (and indeed incorrectly) calls 

 " diagrams," demand a special word of praise ; all are good and some— 

 e.g. the Coltsfoot (p. 143)— are excellent. 



