262 INTRODUCTION TO PLANT GEOGRAPHY [CHAP. 



principally in the East and West Indies ; anise and star anise, cara- 

 way, coriander, dill, fennel, vanilla and its substitute tonka beans, 

 and many others. 



Spices obtained from flowers or flower-buds include cloves, 

 capers, and safi^ron, while from leaves are obtained such familiar 

 ones as peppermint, balm, basil, marjoram, sage, the savouries, 

 spearmint or mint, bay, thyme, lemon thyme, parsley, wintergreen, 

 tansy, and tarragon, most of which can be (and commonly are) 

 grown in gardens in temperate regions. Spices or flavourings 

 obtained from barks include cinnamon and cassia, from various 

 species of Cinnamon trees grown chiefly in southeastern Asia, and 

 sassafras, from the familiar North American tree of that name. 

 Important spices obtained from roots and rhizomes are angelica 

 (other parts of the Angelica plant are also used), now cultivated 

 chiefly in Germany ; ginger, from the Ginger plant which is widely 

 cultivated in the tropics ; horse-radish, widely grown in temperate 

 regions ; sarsaparilla, from several tropical Catbriars ; and turmeric, 

 cultivated in various tropical regions and employed to colour as well 

 as flavour curries, etc. 



- Medicinals and Drugs 



The history of the medicinal use of plants is long and intricate, 

 being largely bound up with the beliefs of primitive peoples — for 

 example, that disease was due to the presence of evil spirits in the 

 body, which could be driven out by the use of unpleasant substances. 

 After the Dark Ages came the herbalists with their compilations of 

 what was known or supposed about the medicinal value and folk- 

 lore of plants, and the ' doctrine of signatures ' according to which 

 plants were supposed to possess some sign indicating the use for 

 which they were intended. Thus the Maidenhair Fern, so called 

 from the black hair-like ' stalks ' of the leaflets, was considered a 

 specific for baldness, and plants with heart-shaped leaves were 

 believed to be valuable for use against heart ailments. Plants were 

 believed to have been placed in the world for Man's use, and to 

 have clear indications of their particular usefulness provided by 

 the Almighty. 



From such crude beginnings developed modern pharmacognosy, 

 which is concerned with the knowledge and commerce of crude 

 drugs and their sources, and pharmacology, the study of the action 

 of drugs. The medicinal value of drugs is due to the presence in 



