226 



OX A 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



OX A 



umbel of leaves and flowers ; leaves numerous, villose on 

 both sides, and at the edges ; antheree incumbent, yellow. 

 Native of the Cape. 



80. Oxalis Luteola. Styles very short; filamenta tooth- 

 letted, equal ; leaflets obcordate, unspotted, and somewhat 

 villose on both sides ; bulb ovate, or oval, with a blackish 

 skin, half the size of a hazel-nut ; stipe subterraneous, about 

 an inch long, terminated by a loose umbel of leaves and 

 flowers. Native of the Cape. 



81. Oxalis Lanata; Woolly Wood Sorrel. Styles very 

 short ; filamenta gibbously toothletted, equal ; leaflets obcor- 

 date, very hirsute on both sides ; bulb deep in the ground ; 

 stipe standing out, closely woolly, with one or two woolly 

 scales, about half an inch in length, terminating in an umbel 

 of flowers and leaves ; leaves several, small. Native of the 

 Cape. 



82. Oxalis Punctata ; Dotted Wood Sorrel. Styles very 

 short; filamenta toothletted, unequal; leaflets underneath 

 coloured and dotted with gold ; middle one obcordate ; lateral 

 ones roundish; bulb deep in the ground; stipe standing out, 

 closely woolly, with one or two woolly scales, about half an 

 inch in length, terminating in an umbel of flowers and leaves ; 

 leaves several, small ; germen hirsute. Native of the Cape. 



83. Oxalis Obtusa. Styles middling; filamenta toothlet- 

 ted, unequal ; calicine leaflets rounded, blunt ; leaflets ob- 

 cordate ; bulb deep in the ground; stipe standing out, villose, 

 half ark inch long, terminating in an umbel of leaves and 

 flowers; leaves several; corolla four times as long as the 

 calix, bell-shaped ; claws erect, yellow ; borders obovate, 

 rounded, spreading very much, smooth, purple or variegated. 

 Native of the Cape. 



84. Oxalis Fallax. Styles middling ; filamenta toothlet- 

 ted, equal; leaflets obcordate; bulb ovate, or oval, with a 

 blackish-brown skin, half the size of a hazel-nut; stipe sub- 

 terraneous, about an inch in length, terminated by a loose 

 umbel of leaves and flowers. Native of the Cape. 



85. Oxalis Marginata. Style middling ; filamenta tooth- 

 less, equal; leaflets obcordate; bulb oval, with a blackish 

 brown hard skin, an inch long , stipe subterraneous, scarcely 

 an inch in length, terminated by a dense umbel of leaves and 

 flowers. Native of the Cape. 



86. Oxalis Pulchella; Pretty Wood Sorrel. Styles very 

 long ; filamenta toothless ; leaflets obcordate ; bulb oval or 

 ovate, with a blackish-brown hard skin, about an inch in 

 length ; stipe subterraneous, very short, terminated by an 

 umbel of leaves and flowers ; leaves several, spreading in a 

 ring ; petiole jointed at the base, roundish, very hirsute, 

 purple, one or two inches long ; styles very hirsute, with 

 most minutely capitate hairs. Native of the Cape. 



87. Oxalis Macrogonya. Styles very long ; filamenta 

 toothletted; stipe subterraneous; leaflets obcordate; bulb 

 oval or ovate, with a blackish skin, half the size of a hazel- 

 nut; stipe subterraneous, about an inch in length, terminated 

 by a loose umbel of leaves and flowers. Native of the Cape. 



88. Oxalis Incarnata; Flesh-coloured Wood Sorrel. Styles 

 very long; filamenta toothletted; stipe standing out very 

 long, branched ; leaflets obcordate ; bulb in the young plant 

 ovate, covered with a brown skin, twice the size of a pea. 

 The root in the mature plant consists of several legs, slen- 

 derly fusiform, terminating in a long fibre, round, the thick- 

 ness of a reed, and more, some inches in length, fleshy, 

 brittle, pale, somewhat pellucid, and sweet. Native of the 

 Cape. 



89. Oxalis Bifida; Clover-leaved Wood Sorrel. Styles very 

 long; filamenta toothletted; stipe standing out, commonly 

 Branched ; leaflets semibifid ; corolla bell-shaped ; leaves 



several, smooth ; branches alternate, directed one way, stri- 

 ated, upright. Native of the Cape. 



90. Oxalis Longiflora ; Long-flowered Wood Sorrel. Stipe 

 standing out; leaflets semibifid; corolla caryophylleous ; 

 flower long. Native of Virginia. 



91. Oxalis Acetosella; Common Wood Sorrel. Stem none; 

 stalks single-flowered ; styles equal ; leaflets obcordate, 

 hairy ; root perennial, branched, round, knobbed, creeping, 

 with very fine fibrils on every side, partly white, partly red, 

 having an ovate, acute, thick, rigid scale, like a tooth, at 

 the knobs ; stipe partly subterraneous, partly standing out, 

 sometimes very little, sometimes several inches, then pro- 

 cumbent, and striking roots into the ground, toothletted at 

 the knobs, like the root; round, somewhat hirsute, red, 

 closely toothletted above with the permanent joints of de- 

 cayed leaves. The flower-stalks are taller than the leaves, 

 and each bear a delicate drooping inodorous flower, the 

 petals of which are blush-coloured, veined with purple. 

 Perennial, putting forth from its top several aggregate leaves 

 and scapes. Native of shady groves in most parts of Europe: 

 frequent with us in the spring. The London College directs 

 a conserve of the leaves and petals of this plant to be made 

 by beating them with thrice their weight of fine sugar and 

 orange peel : this is called Conserva LujultE. This plant is 

 totally inodorous, but has a grateful taste, so that it is use- 

 ful in salads, by supplying the place of vinegar. It is more 

 agreeable than the common Sorrel, and tastes nearly like 

 the juice of lemon, or the acid of tartar, and produces in a 

 great measure the same medical effects, being esteemed 

 refrigerant, antiscorbutic, and diuretic. It is recommended 

 by Bergius in inflammatory, bilious, and putrid fevers. Its 

 principal use, however, is to allay inordinate heat, and to 

 quench thirst; for this purpose a pleasant whey may be 

 obtained by boiling the plant in milk, which under certain 

 circumstances may be preferable to the conserve directed by 

 the London College, though an extremely grateful and use- 

 ful medicine. Many have employed the root of this plant, 

 probably on account of its beautiful red colour, rather than 

 for its superior efficacy. An essential salt is prepared from 

 this plant, known by the name of " Essential Salt of Lemons," 

 and commonly used for taking iron-moulds and ink-stains 

 out of linen. This salt is made from the expressed juice. 

 Thunberg found that the Oxalis Cornua of the Cape of Good 

 Hope, yields the salt in greater quantity than the Acetosella. 

 This salt, when genuine, is composed of the vegetable 

 alkali and a peculiar acid, which seems more allied to the 

 acid of sugar than that of tartar. It is very rarely found 

 genuine. What is sold under the name of " Essential Salt 

 of Lemons," in this country, appears sometimes to consist of 

 cream of tartar, with the addition of a small quantity of 

 vitriolic acid. The active principle of the expressed juice, 

 which reddens vegetable blues, coagulates milk, and instantly 

 precipitates lime from its solutions, is superoxalat of potass, 

 which is obtained crystallized from the juice, and sold in 

 the shops under the name of " Essential Salt of Lemons." 

 The same salt may be formed by cautiously dropping a 

 solution of potass into a saturated solution of oxalic acid, 

 obtained from sugar by the action of the nitric acid ; the 

 superoxalat precipitates as soon as the proper quantity of 

 alkali is added. On the continent, this salt is prepared by 

 the following process : the juice is allowed to subside after 

 being slightly heated, and then clarified by adding to it 

 water in which a smally portion of fine clay is suspended. 

 This clarified juice is next boiled till a pellicle forms on its 

 surface, and put aside for a month to crystallize: the opera- 

 tion being repeated until the whole of the salt is obtained, 



