LEGUMINOS^E. CI. GLYCYRHIZA. CII. GALEGA. 



227 



consists of horse-hoeing, and deep-stirring in weeding, and in 

 cutting down and carrying away the haulm every autumn, after 

 it is completely withered. As the plants do not rise above a 

 foot the first season after planting, a crop of onions is sometimes 

 taken in the intervals. The plants must be three summers' growth, 

 at the end of which the roots may be taken up by trenching 

 over the ground. The roots are then either sold immediately to 

 the brewers' druggists or to common druggists, or preserved 

 like carrots or potatoes in sand, till wanted for use. 



The roots of liquorice are externally brown, and internally 

 yellow. Their taste is very sweet, combined with a slight de- 

 gree of bitter when long kept in the mouth. The powder of 

 liquorice usually sold is often mingled with flour, and perhaps 

 also with substances not so wholesome. The best sort is of a 

 brownish-yellow colour, the fine pale-yellow being generally 

 sophisticated, and it is of a very rich sweet taste, much more 

 agreeable than that of the fresh root. 



Robiquet obtained from liquorice-root, 1. Amylaceous fecula. 



2. A saccharine substance, having little resemblance to sugar. 



3. A new crystalline substance. 4. A resinous oil, which is the 

 cause of its acrimony in the decoctions. 5. Phosphate and ma- 

 late of lime and magnesia. 6. Woody fibre. 



The sweetness of liquorice-root depends upon a peculiar prin- 

 ciple discovered by Robiquet, and called by him glycyrhizin and 

 glycion. He prepared it by subjecting a strong cold infusion of 

 the root to ebullition, which separated a coagulable matter. It 

 was then filtered, and acetate acid added, which gradually threw 

 down an abundant, transparent, gelatinous magma, which being 

 washed with a little cold water to separate any adhering acid, 

 he considered as pure glycion. Its taste is peculiar, and in- 

 tensely sweet, and its smell is not perceptible unless thrown 

 upon hot coal, when it is resinous. 



The predominant constituents of liquorice being saccharine 

 and mucilaginous matter, its only action is that of a mild demul- 

 cent, and as such it is frequently used in catarrh, and in some 

 stomach complaints, which seem to arise from a deficiency of the 

 natural mucus, which should defend the stomach against the 

 acrimony of the food and the fluids secreted into it. On account 

 of its bulk it is rarely exhibited in substance, but more frequently 

 in infusion or decoction. 



The extract of liquorice is never prepared by the apothecary, 

 but is commonly imported from other countries. It is imported 

 in cylindrical rolls, covered with bay leaves. It should be per- 

 fectly black, brittle when cold, and break with a smooth and 

 glassy fracture, have a sweet taste without empyreume, and be 

 almost entirely soluble in water. It is prepared from the fresh 

 roots by expression, decoction, and inspissation. The best 

 foreign extract of liquorice is prepared in Catalonia. The re- 

 fined liquorice sold in the shops in small cylindrical pieces not 

 thicker than a goose quill, is a composition with mucilage of glue. 

 The extract possesses the same properties with the root, and is 

 used for the formation of several kinds of troches. 



Common or Smooth Liquorice. Fl. June, Sept. Clt. 1562. 

 PI. 3 to 4 feet. 



2 G. GLANDULI'FERA (Waldst. et Kit. hung. 1. p. 20. t. 21.) 

 leaflets oblong-lanceolate, clothed beneath with clammy pubes- 

 cence, acute or emarginate ; stipulas marcescent ; spike of flowers 

 pedunculate, shorter than the leaves ; flowers distant ; legumes 

 3-4-seeded, usually echinated with glands. If.. H. Native of 

 Hungary and of Caucasus, on the banks of the river Don. Stems 

 angular at the apex. G. hirsuta, Pall. itin. append, no. 363. ex 

 Bieb. fl. taur. suppl. 1431. Flowers blue. 



fur. /3; legumes smoothish. 1. H. Native of Russia, on 

 the banks of the Don. G. glabra, Pall. itin. 



Gland-bearing Liquorice. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1805. PI. 2 

 to 4 feet. 



3 G. LEPIDOTA (Nutt. gen. amer. 2. p. 106.) leaflets oblong- 

 lanceolate, acute, squamulose, under surface covered with 

 glandular dots ; stipulas linear-subulate ; spikes of flowers pe- 

 dunculate, shorter than the leaves, dense ; legumes oblong, echi- 

 nated by hooked bristles. 1 . H. Native of North America, 

 abundant around St. Louis, and on the alluvial banks of the 

 Missouri to the mountains, and is in all probability the liquorice 

 mentioned by Sir A. Mackenzie as indigenous to the coasts of the 

 North Pacific Ocean. Sims, hot. mag. 2150. Liquiritia lepidota, 

 Nutt. in Fras. cat. 1813. Root flagelliform, creeping, possess- 

 ing the taste of the common liquorice in a considerable degree. 



Lepidoted Liquorice. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1811. PL 3 to 5 ft. 



4 G. FCE'TIDA (Desf. all. 2. p. 170. t. 199.) leaflets oblong, 

 mucronate, rather lepidoted, the odd one on a short petiole ; sti- 

 pulas subulate; spikes of flowers dense, pedunculate, about equal 

 in length to the leaves ; legumes oval, mucronate, 2-seeded, 

 echinated by bristles. If. . H. Native of Algiers and of Bar- 

 bary, near Mayane. Leaflets 9-11. Root creeping. Flowers 

 pale-yellow. The whole plant has a fetid scent when bruised. 



Fetid Liquorice. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1817. PI. 2 to 3 ft. 



5 G. ASPE'RRIMA (Lin. fil. suppl. 330.) stems diffuse ; leaflets 

 obovate, retuse, or emarginate, usually mucronate, rather sca- 

 brous beneath, as well as the petioles and stems ; stipulas lan- 

 ceolate ; legumes rather terete, torulose, 3-8-seeded, glabrous. 

 1}. . H. Native of Siberia, on hills between the rivers Volga and 

 Jaick, in the desert of Tartary, at the river Karaman, on the 

 Ural mountains, and at Lake Inderskoi. G. aspera and G. his- 

 pida, Pall. itin. ed. gall. no. 365 and 366. t. 80 and t. 81. f. 1 

 and 2. Racemes axillary. Flowers pale-violet. 



Very-rough Liquorice. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1795. PI. 2 feet. 



6 G. URALE'NSIS (Fisch. in lift. D. C. prod. 2. p. 248.) stem 

 erect, covered with velvety pubescence ; leaflets obovate, obtuse, 

 almost glabrous; stipulas lanceolate; calyxes villous. If.. H. 

 Native of Siberia, on the Ural mountains. Fruit unknown. Very 

 nearly allied to G. asperrima. Flowers pale-violet. 



Ural Liquorice. Fl. July, Aug. PI. 2 feet. 



7 G. ECHINA'TA (Lin. spec. 1046.) leaflets oval-lanceolate, 

 mucronate, glabrous ; stipulas oblong-lanceolate ; spikes of 

 flowers capitate, on very short peduncles ; legumes oval, mucro- 

 nate, 2-seeded, echinated by bristles. If. . H. Native of Apulia, 

 on mount Gardano, and in the northern provinces of China, and 

 of Tartar}'. Jacq. hort. vind. t. 95. Sims, bot. mag. 252. 

 Schkuhr, handb. 225. Racemes not half so long as the leaves. 

 Flowers purple. The whole plant is glutinous to the touch. 

 Roots horizontal, in taste like the common liquorice. 



Ecfiinated-poAdeA Liquorice. Fl.Ju. July. Clt. 1596. PI. 3 ft. 



8 G. HIRSU'TA (Lin. spec. 1046.) leaflets oblong-lanceolate; 

 legumes hairy. 1. H. Native of the Levant. Tourn. cor. 26. 

 Flowers purple. 



Hairy-podded Liquorice. Fl.Ju. Sept. Clt.1739. PI. 2 to 3 ft. 



9 G. UNDULA'TA (Ruiz et Pav. mss. in herb. Lamb.) leaves 

 large, with 6 pairs of elliptic-oblong, undulated, acuminated, 

 glabrous leaflets ; panicles large, shorter than the leaves, spread- 

 ing, composed of numerous racemes ; rachis of flowers and 

 calyxes pubescent; bracteas tomentose, 1-flowered. Jj . S. 

 Native of Peru. Flowers purple. 



Waved-leaved Liquorice. Shrub. 



Cult. A deep light soil suits all the species of Liquorice, and 

 they are easily increased by taking slips from the roots with 

 eyes, and planting them in spring. 



CII. GALE'GA (from yaXa, gala, milk ; supposed to in- 

 crease the milk in animals eating of the herb). Tourn. inst. t. 

 222. Lam. ill. t. 625. Pers. ench. 2. p. 328. Galega species 

 of Lin. and others. 



LIN. SYST. Monadelphia, Decandria. Calyx with 5 subulate, 



G 2 2 



