92 MEDICINAL HEEBS AND POISONOUS PLANTS 



a good stvaiii of Feiuiel iii this country. Seeing that .so 

 much ditforence in sweetness and flavour prevails among 

 the ditFevent varieties of tliis herb, it is very probable 

 tliat these are properties wliich would lend themselves 

 to improvement by careful cultivation. 



The fruit has five ridges, the lateral ones beinfj broader 

 than the others. From it is extracted a light-yellow 

 volatile oil, which is employed as an aromatic stimulant 

 and as a cure for flatulencv. 



The Anise Family (Pimpinella).—Tl\e two British 



representatives of FimpineUa arc 



the BuRXET Saxifrage (Plmpi- 



nella Saxifraga) and Pbnpinella 



The roots of the former 



m.a(jna 



Fiij^ 58.— Fruit of Piwjnnella 

 Aniinnn, enlarged 



are used by herbalists, but it is not 

 a plant of any importance. The 

 Aniseed of the pharmacist is a 

 native of Southern and Central 

 Europe. It is, however, grown for 



commercial purposes in North Ger- 

 n\auy, and the writer has seen it o-rowin£' in Scotland. 

 The leaves are valuable adjuncts for seasoning certain 

 dishes, and medicinally the fruit is in great request on 

 account of its sweet aromatic taste and smell, due to the 

 presence in it of 2 to 3 per cent of a vohitile oil. As wt' 

 use as much as 100 tons of this plant annually, the 

 possibility of its successfiil cultivation for commercial 

 purposes should be seriously considered. FimpineUa 



msuTn 



}i- 



' fied by examining the fruit, which, unlike all other Um- 

 belliferous fruits, is compressed laterally, and presents 

 a rough appearance from the presence of short bristly 



hairs (fig. 58). 

 broad. 



about \ imih 



12 



inch 



Propagation is efFected by seeds, which are sown in 



