518 



NATURAL ARRANGEMENT. 



natives of damp ditches or way-sides, in cool parts of the world; in the tropics they are extremely rare 

 The simplicity of their structure, and uniformity of their appearance, have rendered their classification 

 a matter of very great difficulty. It has been attempted in modern days by Sprengel, Lagasca, Koch, 

 and Decandolle, all of whom have added much to our knowledge. The arrangement of Koch and De- 

 candolle is here adopted as the most perfect, upon the whole, of any yet published. The culinary and 

 agricultural importance of many species is well known ; the parsnep and carrot form a large part of the 

 staple winter store of the inhabitants of Europe, as the Arracachas do of those of South America ; and 

 the Prangos of Thibet is supposed to be the most important and productive of any in the whole world, as 

 a forage plant. The medicinal properties of Umbellifera? are not more powerful than they are at variance with 

 each other. While the seeds of some are aromatic, and stimulating in the highest degree, the fresh roots and 

 leaves of others are not less narcotic. This has been supposed to arise from the difference in the state of the 

 sap in different parts of the plant ; and it has been thought that the narcotic principle is only to be found in 

 the ascending sap, while the aromatic stimulant properties are found in the juices, which are fully elaborated 

 and matured. It has been already observed, that their dangerous properties are often removed by cultivation ; 

 the common celery is a familiar instance of this ; but the most remarkable, that of ffinanthe pimpinelloldes, a 

 most dangerous species when wild 4 which is cultivated about Angers for the sake of its roots, which arc there 

 called Jouanettes, and about Saumur, where they are known by the name of M^chons. The roots of some 



291. ORDER XCIX. ARALIA^CEJE. 



Genera 7, Species 43; Hot-house Species 26 ; Green-house Species 5 ; Hardy Ligneous Species 7 : 

 Hardy Herbaceous Species 5. 1 15 feet ; 6 feet ; = feet. 



- are a sli ? ht diver gence from the well-known Umbellifera, with which they nearly agree in habit 

 om which they are obviously distinguished by their 1-celled fru t 

 ge of ma "y is extremely fine, especially of the species of SciodaphyU 



* - - , 



Thei? fln h g USUa ", y frutescent . and from which they are obviously distingui 

 S VC " bea " ty ' but the foliage of ma "y is extremely fine, especiall 



lum an 



Umb'ellifer^ T C T, mO r ^ y m ^ st not be omitted ' Their **&* properties are much the same as those of 

 aromatk JS, ^ ?P ? fru lt which differs in virtues as it does in botanical structure. Their bark exudes an 

 ' g esm> as in Ari ^ ha umbellifera. Their roots are tonic, with, in some cases, the flavor of narsneo 

 Wh l Ch J - S P roduccdb y ' 



S ' 



some by dvUion. 



oduccd , b y a ^nax, is reputed to have powerful tonic, restorative, and even 

 probable that these have been S reatl y exaggerated. Cuttings, layers, roots ; 



~> 



Panax L. 



. 



~> Cussonta L. 

 912 Sciodaphylium Br. 



2 I 911 Aralia L. 

 1466 GastomVi J. 



3 | 3386 Adamm Wai. 

 718 Wedera L. 



