274 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



" cotiin " (Guatemala); " hierba raton " (Venezuela); " tomatillo tie sabana " 

 (Cuba). 



The roots are liard, tortuous, brown, and rugose, with a bitter flavor. They 

 are said to have diuretic, enimenagogue, febrifuge, and expectorant properties, 

 and are used in treating urinary and venereal diseases. The plant also has 

 a great reputation throughout tropical America as a remedy for the bites of 

 venomous snakes. It has been confused with the " pareira brava " of com- 

 merce, which is furnished by a South American plant {Chondodendron tom&n- 

 tosum Ruiz & Pavon) of the same family, and is used sometimes as an adul- 

 terant of that drug. The leaves are said to be employed as a poultice for 

 treating wounds. The name " velvet-leaf " is applied to the plant in Jamaica. 

 The leaves have been suspected to be poisonous to cattle. 



3. CEBATHA Forsk. Fl. Aegypt. Arab. 172. 1775. 

 Reference: Diels in Engl. Pflanzenreich IV. 94: 227-241. 1910. 

 Slender scandent shrubs; leaves thin, entire or shallowly lobate; petals 6; 

 stamens 6 to 9 ; fruit a drupe. 

 Leaves densely pilose beneath, those of the flowering branches broadly ovate or 



ovate-deltoid 1. C. Carolina. 



Leaves glabrous or glabrate beneath, those of the flowering branches usually 

 lance-linear to elliptic-oblong 2. C. diversifolia. 



1. Cebatha Carolina (L.) Britton, Mem. Torrey Club 5: 162. 1891. 

 Menispenmim carolinum L. Sp. PI. 340. 1753. 



Cocculus caroUnus DC. Reg. Veg. Syst. 1: 524. 1818. 



Tamaulipas. Eastern United States ; type from Carolina. 



Plants copiously pubescent ; leaves 3.5 to 6.5 cm. wide, obtuse or rounded at 

 apex, pale beneath ; flowers cream-colored ; fruit red, edible. " Hierba del ojo " 

 (Tamaulipas). 



2. Cebatha diversifolia (DC.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PI. 1: 9. 1891. 

 Cocculus diversifoUus DC. Reg. Veg. Syst. 1: 523. 1818. 

 Cocculus oNongifolius DC. Reg. Veg. Syst. 1: 529. 1818. 



Tamaulipas to Sonora and Oaxaca ; described from one of Mocino and Sesses 

 drawings. Western Texas and southern Arizona. 



Climbing over shrubs and fences ; leaves extremely variable, ranging from 

 linear to broadly ovate, entire or lobate; fruit dark purple. 



4. MENISPERMUM L. Sp. PI. 340. 1753. 

 1. Menispermum canadense L. Sp. PI. 340. 1753. 



Menispennum iiiexicanum Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 13: 302. 1911. 



Mountains of Nuevo Leon. Eastern and southern United States. 



Slender pubescent vine ; leaves long-petiolate, the blades nearly orbicular, 5 

 to 20 cm. wide, angulate or shallowly lobed, sometimes entire, pale beneath ; 

 stamens 10 to 20; fruit dark blue, about 1 cm. wide. 



The roots of nioonseed have been use<l in the United States in domestic medi- 

 cine as a tonic and for venereal diseases. They contain an alkaloid, menispine, 

 and were formerly official as a substitute for sarsaparilla. 



41. MAGNOLIACEAE. Magnolia Family. 



Trees or shrubs ; leaves alternate, stipulate or estipulate, entire ; flowers per- 

 fect, often large and showy, solitary or fasciculate; sepals 2 to 6; petals 6 to 

 many ; stamens numerous ; fruit of few or numerous carpels. 

 Stipules large, deciduous ; flowers large, 5 to 10 cm. long ; carpels of the fruit 

 imbricate in numerous series. 



