294 PHARMACOPEIAL DRUGS 



Belgio, and adds that the fruit does not differ much in 

 form from the berries of the laurel, although it is much 

 smaller. It contains a white nut of bitterish taste, 

 divided into two parts. 



As far as we can ascertain, Plukenet (514a), as late 

 as 1691, was the first to give an illustration of the berry, 

 which, however, is faulty, because it is void of the acorn- 

 like calyx. The trilobed leaves are also illustrated, and 

 the botanical name affixed to it by Plukenet is "cornus 

 mas odorata, foliis trifido, margine piano, sassafras 

 dicta." 



Catesby (130), true to his task as set forth in the 

 title of his book on the natural history of Virginia, etc., 

 "to correct faulty illustrations of plants by preceding 

 authors," gives, 1731, a good picture of sassafras, 

 including the fruit and flowers. 



In the middle and later part of the 18th and the 

 earlier part of the 19th century, sassafras was studied 

 in its native country by such celebrated travelers as 

 Peter Kalm (350), J. David Schoepf (582), F. A. Mi- 

 chaux (433), and Fred. Pursh (528). Peter Kami's ac- 

 count, especially, contains many points of interest. 



Regarding the botanical nomenclature of sassafras, 

 Linnaeus in 1737 assigned it to the genus laurus, upon 

 the examination of a specimen of the flower which 

 proved to be clearly distinct from the genus cornus, to 

 which Plukenet had assigned it. In 1758 he gave it 

 the name Laurus Sassafras. The botanical name sub- 

 sequently underwent the following changes: 



"Laurus variifolia, Salisbury. 



"Sassafrasofficinak, Nees v. Esenbeck and Endlicher, 

 1831. 



"Sassafras Sassafras, Karsten, 1880-1882. 



