POL 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



POL 



375 



31. Polygala Heisteria ; Heath-leaved Milkwort. Flowers 

 lateral ; stem arborescent ; leaves three-sided, mucronate, 

 spiny. This is a polymorphous plant, being, when young 1 , 

 very different from what it is when it becomes old. In the 

 course of a few years it becomes a shrub of a considerable 

 size, equalling a small Furze-bush, to which it bears a distant 

 resemblance. The purple of the flowers is brilliant in the 

 extreme, and they are plentifully produced almost through- 

 out the year. -Native of the Cape. 



32. Polygala Stipulacea. Flowers lateral ; stem suffru- 

 ticose; leaves in threes, linear, acute; stem filiform. Native 

 of the Cape. 



*** Beardless, herbaceous with a single Stem. 



33. Polygala Senega; Officinal Milkwort, or Rattlesnake 

 Root. Flowers in spikes; stem erect, quite simple, herbace- 

 ous; leaves broad-lanceolate; root perennial, woody, branched, 

 contorted, about the thickness of the finger, and covered with 

 ash-coloured bark. The flowers are produced in loose ter- 

 minating spikes ; they are small, pale red, or whitish, and 

 shaped like those of the common sort, buftheir keel has no 

 beard or crest. It flowers here in July, but does not produce 

 ripe seeds. Native of most parts of North America, on the 

 sides of hills and in dry woods, flowering from June to 

 August. The root of this plant, under the name of Rattle- 

 snake Root, was first introduced to the attention of phy- 

 sicians, nearly seventy years ago, by Dr. John Tennent, 

 whose intercourse with the Indians led him to discover that 

 they possessed a specific remedy for the bite of the rattle- 

 snake, which was, for a reward, revealed to him, and found 

 to be the root of this plant. He was afterwards fully con- 

 vinced of the efficacy of this medicine from his own expe- 

 rience; and observing that symptoms of pleurisy or peri- 

 pneumony were generally produced by the action of this 

 poison, he inferred that it might be a remedy in those 

 disorders. It was accordingly tried in pleurisies, not only by 

 Tennent himself, but by several French academicians, and 

 others, who all unite in testimony of its good effects. How- 

 ever, in many of these cases recourse was had to the lancet. 

 The repute which this root obtained in peripneumonic affec- 

 tions, induced some to employ it in other inflammatory disor- 

 ders, particularly in rheumatism. It has been said to be very 

 successful in dropsies, which we can the more readily credit, 

 from its effect in increasing the different secretions; for it 

 produces a plentiful spitting, increases perspiration and urine, 

 and frequently purges or vomits. It is also reported to be a 

 medicine of great power in rendering the siziness of the blood 

 more fluid ; although De Haen asserts a strong fact to con- 

 tradict that report. The usual dose is from one scruple to 

 two of the powder ; or two or three table-spoonsful of the 

 decoction, prepared by boiling an ounce of the root in a pint 

 and half of water till it is reduced to a pint. A little Madeira 

 wine is most effectual for removing the pungent taste, and 

 making it sit easy on the stomach. The seeds of this remark- 

 able plant rarely grow in this country ; hence the best way 

 to propagate it is to procure the roots from America, and to 

 plant them in a bed of light earth in a sheltered situation. 

 In summer keep them clean from weeds, and keep the sur- 

 face of the ground about their roots covered with old tan- 

 ner's bark, or any other kind of mulch, in winter, to keep 

 out the frost. 



34. Polygala Lutea ; Yellow-flowered Milkwort. Flowers 

 in oblong heads; stem erect, quite simple, herbaceous; leaves 

 lanceolate, acute ; spike terminating, large for the size of the 

 plant, composed of yellow flowers, closely set on. Native 

 of most parts of North America. 



35. Polygala Viridescens ; Green-flowered Milkwort. 

 VOL. ii. 97. 



Flowers in globular heads ; stem erect, quite simple ; leaves 

 lanceolate, bluntish ; root annual. Native of Virginia. 



36. Polygala Triflora ; Three-flowered Milkwort. Pedun- 

 cles subtriflorous ; stem erect; leaves linear, alternate. Na- 

 tive of Ceylon. Annual. 



37. Polygala Glaucoides. Peduncles many-flowered, late- 

 ral ; stems diffused ; leaves acute. This has the appearance 

 of our common Milkwort. Perennial. Native of Ceylon. 



**** Beardless, herbaceous, branched. 



38. Polygala Ciliata; Fringed Milkwort. Capsules ciliate, 

 toothed ; stem e-rect ; root annual ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, 

 sessile, smooth, quite entire; flowers sessile, directed one 

 way : they are small, and variegated with pink, white, and 

 green. It varies with heart-shaped leaves and stems, half a 

 foot high, and branched. Native of Ceylon. 



39. Polygala Sanguinea; Red-spiked Milkwort. Pedun- 

 cles squarrose; stem erect; root annual; leaves alternate, 

 narrow, lanceolate ; spikes terminating, loose, blood-red, 

 ovate. The lower flowers, when mature, drop off, whilst new 

 ones are coming on, hence, the peduncle is jagged or squar- 

 rose. Native of Virginia. 



40. Polygala Verticillata; Whorl-leaved Milkwort. Flow- 

 ers separate ; leaves linear, in whorls ; root annual ; spikes 

 white, very narrow, with the flowers remote ; stem slender. 

 This little plant is exceedingly branched, and at each joint 

 puts forth four or five narrow oblong leaflets. On the tops 

 of the stems and branches it produces slender oblong spikes, 

 composed of whitish flowers. Native of Maryland. 



41. Polygala Cruciata; Cross-leaved Milkwort. Leaves 

 in fours. The head of flowers is of a green rufescent colour. 

 Native of Virginia. 



42. Polygala Oxycoccoides. Stem shrubby, procumbent ; 

 leaves elliptic, obtuse, thickish. The older branches are 

 tubercled and jointed, the younger ones smooth. Native of 

 Mount Atlas, in fissures of rocks, flowering early in spring. 



43. Polygala Saxatilis. Stems shrubby, decumbent ; 

 branchlets pubescent; leaves lanceolate, acute; flowers capi- 

 tate, racemed. They are like those of the preceding, from 

 which it differs in having lanceolate leaves, more slender and 

 acute, and pubescent branchlets. Native of Mount Atlas, in 

 the fissures of rocks. 



44. Polygala Rosea. Stem shrubby at the base, rod-like, 

 simple ; leaves lanceolate, acute ; flowers in loose racemes ; 

 corollas fringed, tubular; upper lip two-lobed, lower fringed 

 at the top, bright rose-coloured, often exceeding the wings. 

 Native of Mount Atlas. 



45. Polygala Mariana. Flowers beardless, in oblong heads; 

 stem erect, branched ; leaves linear ; root perennial. Native 

 of Maryland. Cultivated like the thirty-third species. 



46. Polygala Americana. Flowers crested ; raceme termi- 

 nating; stem erect, branched; leaves lanceolate, tomentose. 

 This plant will not live in the open air of our climate, and 

 as it will not thrive in a pot, is very difficult to preserve here. 

 It is propagated by seeds, procured from abroad. 



Polygonum; a genus of the class Octandria, order Tri- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth turbi- 

 nate, coloured internally, five-parted; segments ovate, blunt, 

 permanent. Corolla : none, unless the calix be taken for it. 

 Stamina: filamenta commonly eight, awl-shaped, very short; 

 anthersE roundish, incumbent. Pistil: germen three-sided; 

 styles commonly three, filiform, very short ; stigmas simple. 

 Pericarp : none ; the calix involving the seed. Seed : single, 

 three-sided, acute. Observe. The first species has a two- 

 leaved calix, and three petals. Stamina in some, six; Pis- 

 tillum in some species, bifid. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. 

 Calix : none, or five-parted, coloured. Corolla : five-parted, 

 5C 



