NAT. ORDER. TRILLIACEiE. Ill 



The figure here exhibited was taken from a plant which 

 flowered in my garden, last spring, from the roots sent me the 

 preceding autumn, by a practical gardener of South Carolina, 

 who is not only well acquainted with the medical plants of this 

 country, but indefatigable in discovering and collecting the more 

 rare species of that portion of our country, and with which the 

 gardens of our Northern States are likely soon to be enriched. 



It grows in shady situations, in a light soil, and. requires the 

 same treatment as the Dodecatheon, and round-leaved Cyclamen. 

 We have not leai'ned, neither have we had a fair opportunity of 

 ascertaining whether this species will ripen its seeds with us ; 

 though a native of South Carolina, where it has been known and 

 applied for medical purposes, ever since the first settlement of that 

 country, it has never found its way north ; and hence we may 

 conclude that it is not very readily propagated, or more easily 

 destroyed. 



Medical Properties and Uses. This, as well as all the vai'ieties 

 of the Wild Turnip, in its fresh state, is a powerful stimulant and 

 local irritant, possessing, in a great degree, the power of stimula- 

 ting the secretions of the lungs and skin. It is also recommended 

 as valuable for pain in the bowels, and colic. Dr. Samuel Thom- 

 son says , " Its pectoral properties have proved highly beneficial 

 in coughs, consumption of the lungs, asthma, and sore throat, for 

 which we have used it for more than forty years. The root should 

 be dried, pulverized, and used as cough powdei's ; or it may be 

 given in honey, in the sirup of preserves, or in any other saccha- 

 rine matter ; or it may be made into a paste with honey or sirup, 

 and used in the form of candy, by letting the substance dissolve 

 gradually on the tongue, so as to diffuse its warmth through the 

 mouth. It is also good for sore mouth and throat, canker, and 

 swellings about the neck, and is considered good in coughs, colds, 

 and catarrhal affections. 



