38 



Its medical properties are tonic, gently stimu- 

 lating and diuretic, useful in chronic diseases of 

 the mucous membranes, and especially expecto- 

 rant in chronic diseases of the lungs, &c ; an 

 ounce of the root to a pint of boiling water in 

 doses of a wine-glass. Cut and mixed with grain 

 it is also good for horses. These thick fusiform 

 roots are eaten by the Indians ; they are first 

 beaten and fermented a day or two in a hole made 

 in the ground, then heated rocks are thrown in ; 

 they are thus said to furnish a sweet agreeable 

 repast. 



Botanically this plant belongs to the natural 

 family Heliopsidea, and occupies an intermediate 

 position between Wyethia and Bahamorhiza; with 

 some slight alterations this, and the former, might 

 constitute one genus. 



The provisional name proposed is 

 Melarhiza. — Kellogg. 



Heads many-flowered, ray-flowers numerous, 

 fertil pistillate, with sterile filaments, scales of 

 the involucre loosely imbricated in 3 to 4 series- 

 unequally foliaceous, longer than the disk, inner, 

 most smaller, glabrous within, resembling the soft 

 herbaceous chaff. Receptacle nearly flat; the 

 chaff linear-lanceolate, 2 lateral teeth obsolete, 

 carinate acute, somewhat foliaceous, half embra- 

 cing the achenia, and in the unexpanded flowers 

 about the same length. Corolla of the disk cyl- 

 indrical, elongated, with a short proper tube, 

 5-toothed, teeth bearded externally. Branches 

 of the style in the ray-flowers sub-villous ; in the 

 disk elongated filiform, revolute, villous through- 

 out. Achenia of the ray stout, sub-compressed, 

 arcuate, all elongated, 4 to 5-angled, prismatic, 

 terminated with a membranaceous coroniform 

 laciniate pappus, 5 to 10-toothed, one or more of 

 the teeth often prolonged into a rigid persistent 

 awn, largest at the two principal angles, anthers, 

 disk and rays, yellow. Low perrennial plants with 

 the labit of Inula Helenium, long black tap-roots 

 branched at top, stems simple erect often decum- 

 bent or ascending, head solitary, leaves chiefly 

 radical. 



M. inidoides. — Stem simple, erect or ascending, 

 1-flowered, whole plant lax fleshy densely tomen- 

 tose-canescent, radical and lower leaves very 

 broad lanceolate 3 to 5 iuches wide, 8 to 14 inch- 

 es long, veiny, lamina? somewhat waved, gradual- 

 ly tapering at base into the petiole, entire sub- 

 acute ; upper cauline leaves broad rhombic-lance- 

 olate, seldom ovate-lanceolate, alternate, chiefly 

 radical, from forked head roots, or lateral sucker 

 buds ; leaf-scales of the involucre in 3 or 5 series, 

 loosely imbricated broad-lanceolate acute and ac- 

 uminate, somewhat unequal, exterior longer than 

 the disk, innermost smaller ; florets, styles, pap- 



pus, achenia and chaff pubescent ; rays \% to 2 

 inches long, 2 to 3-toothed 20 or more ; anthers, 

 disk flowers and rays yellow. 



There are also two other very distinct species 

 of this genus not yet in bloom. 



Dr. Kellogg also presented the following de- 

 scription with the specimens. 



Marah Mcricatus. — California Balsam Ap- 

 ple. This new plant was described about two years 

 since before the California Academy of Natural 

 Scienees accompanied by a drawing and illustra- 

 tions afforded by abundant fresh specimens. 



This herbaceous vine climbs over shrubs in a 

 similar manner to the Echinocystis or Balsam Ap- 

 ple of the older States and is closely allied to that 

 genus as well as to a similar plant found in this 

 vicinity. Besides these there are several other 

 plants in California of this natural family, — Cu- 

 curbitaca, or cucumber tribe, — which so far as 

 we are informed, have not been described. 



One of the most remarkable features of this 

 climber is the gigantic fleshy root which shoots 

 its numerous branching angular stems ten to thir- 

 ty feet in length, which climb over and festoon 

 the shrubs within their reach with a dense, green' 

 broad, roundish foliage, somewhat heart-shaped- 

 The claspers or tendrils by which it clings are 

 many-parted or from one to five. From the in- 

 tense bitterness of the root it must prove an excel- 

 lent tonic. The seeds abound in oil, which burn- 

 with a clear, bright flame, with little or no smoks 

 or odor. It is readily obtained by simply bruise 

 ing and pressure. There is also a pungent acri- 

 mony determined to the larynx and throat after 

 chewing the pits, besides a bitter laxative prorj- 

 erty. We have still much to learu of its medi- 

 cal virtues. 



Generic Cltaracter. — Flowers monoecious — 

 Calyx flatfish ; in the fertile flowers constricted 

 above the ovary, tubular-campanalate, segments 

 five, subulute, snorter than the corolla. Petals, 

 five, lanceolate, united at the base into a rotate- 

 campanulate corolla. Stamens three to five ; fil- 

 aments short, united ; anthers sigmoid, connate. 

 Fertile flowers, solitary ; abortive filaments, three 

 to five, distinct. 



Style short ; stigmas two, very large, broadly 

 obcordate, connivent. Fruit, oblong, tapering 

 at both ends, sparsely muricate, with weak prick- 

 les, fleshy, bursting elastically near the summit, 

 at length dry, membrane-coriaceous ; carpels not 

 separable, two-celled ; seeds six, enveloped in a 

 dry, reticulated, membranaceous arillus, three in 

 each cell, imbricately ascending, large, flattened, 

 broadly oval, margin obtuse ; dark brown. 



Root perennial, very large, tubero-fusiform. — 

 Stem annual, a climbing, succulent vine. Leaves 

 palmately five to seven-lobed ; three to five-cleft 

 tendrils. 



Flowers small, white ; sterile in long simple or 

 compound racemes; the fertile ones from the 

 (March 26.] 



