ERIOCAULONE^— PIPEWORT TRIBE 257 



pectoral ; it should, however, be employed with caution. The famous Eau 

 mediciiude, so praised for its cure of gout, is composed mainly of a tincture of 

 this plant ; and in Switzerland, where the ancient repute of its medicinal 

 virtiies remains in full power, the peasantry tie the flowers around the necks 

 of sickly cliildi-en as a restorative. This may he a safe proceeding ; but 

 Dr. Hamilton, in his " Flora Homoeopathiea," says, "Garibel, in his ' Histoire 

 des Plantes des Environs d'Aix,' records that a servant was killed by taking 

 the flowers for an intermittent fever, for which malady they were said to be 

 a remedy." 



Dr. Storck, of Vienna, some years since, called the attention of European 

 practitioners to the value of this plant in cases of rheumatic gout ; and it is 

 still used both in the ordinary medicines for this complaint, and in the 

 globules of the homceopathist. Of its dangerous nature, however, in the 

 hands of the unskilful, we have not wanted proof ; in the course of the year 

 1855, two men died in this kingdom in consequence of its use. It appeared, 

 on examination, that they were two robust la]>ouring men, who, being 

 troubled with occasional pain, had applied to an empiric for relief, and who 

 both sank on the following day from prostration. An irritant poison was 

 found to have caused death ; and a chemical analysis proved that colchicum 

 had Ijeen administered in a powerful form. 



The corm of the Meadow Safiron is gathered for use when about the size 

 of a chestnut ; and its power is supposed to be greatest when it is about a 

 year old. It is a solid bulb, without scales, and fleshy and white in the 

 interior, with a milky juice, which has a very acrid and bitter taste. 



2. Scottish Asphodel (Tofieldia). 



Mountain Scottish Asphodel {T. jmhlsiris). — Flowers in a dense 

 crowded head, with a bract at the base of the partial flower-stalk ; stem nearly 

 leafless ; leaves sword-shaped, in 2-rowed tufts ; rootstock creeping. This 

 plant is not infrequent in boggy places on the mountains of Scotland, the 

 north of England, and Ireland. Its stem is four or five inches high ; and its 

 short dense spikes of greenish-white flowers appear in August. The narrow 

 sword-shaped leaves all spring from the root. 



Order XC. ERIOCAULONEiE— PIPEWORT TRIBE. 



Flowers in heads ; perianth chafiy or white, or colourless, 2 — 6 parted ; 

 stamens 2 — 6, if in two rows, the inner row most developed ; ovary free, 

 with 1 or more cells ; ovules solitary, pendulous ; fruit, a capsule. The order 

 consists of herbaceous plants or under-shrubs, generally having the stamens 

 and pistils in different flowers on the same plant. 



PiPEWORT (Eriocai'ilon). — Flowers arranged in a compact scaly head; 

 barren flowers in the middle ; perianth divided into 4 or 6 segments ; stamens 

 4 — 6 ; anthers roundish, 2-celled ; fertile flowers in the circumference ; 

 perianth deeply 4-parted ; style very short ; stigmas 2 — 3 ; capsule 2 — 3, 

 lobed, with as many cells and valves ; seeds round, solitary. Name from the 

 Greek erion, wool, and kanlos, a stem. 



III.— 33 



