DRUGS. 



Vernacular. Manalie keeray, Tarn. Easikedunti-koora, Tel. JEt- 

 rilla-pala, Cey. 



Habitat. Southern India. 



N. O. 176. POLYGONACE./E. BUCKWHEATS. 

 Rheum palmatum. W. Officinal Rhubarb. 



Linn. Syst. Bnneandria Trigynia, 



The root, Rhubarb. 



Vernacular. Rewund-chenee, Hind. Rawund, Reebass, Arab. Ri- 

 vend-tchini, Pers. 



Habitat. Mongolia. 



Remarks. The pa or pjjoi/ of Dioscorides is supposed to be modern 

 Rhubarb, and he speaks of it as coming from the countries beyond the Bos- 

 phorus : and the Rheum Rhaponticum (Linn.), a native of the shores of 

 the Euxine, Caspian, and Siberia, was formerly thought to be the source 

 of Genuine Turkey, or Russia-Crown Rhubarb. Mr. Anderson at Chelsea 

 Gardens, however, found that Rheum palmatum, was the only Rhubarb 

 which yielded a root at all like the officinal article ; and hence, although no 

 attempts to identify the plant in Mongolia have succeeded, it is very pro- 

 perly concluded that Rheum palmatum is the source of the drug now known 

 in commerce as Russian-Crown, because imported into Europe by way of 

 Russia, but formerly, from having been carried through Turkey, called 

 Turkey Rhubarb. Chinese, East Indian or Canton, and Dutch or Bata- 

 vian Rhubarb are also derived from this plant, but would appear to be 

 merely the refuse of the Russian market. Taschkend Rhubarb is also the 

 refuse of the genuine drug, White, or Imperial, the root of R. leucorrhizum, 

 (Pal.) Bucharian of R. undulatum, (Linn.), while Siberian is from an 

 undetermined plant. Himalayan Rhubarb is derived from several species 

 of Rheum, natives of the Himalayas, and European Rhubarb is obtained 

 from R. Rhaponticum, R. undulatum, and R. compactum (Linn.), chiefly. 

 It is strange that a druggist in Calcutta or Lucknow has to receive his 

 Rhubarb after passing through Kiachta, St. Petersburgh, and London, 

 and over two wide oceans, instead of through the Himalayan passes. 



Rumex dentatus. W. Dentated Dock. 



Linn. Syst. Hexandria Trigynia. 



The nut. 



Vernacular. Gool-hamas, Pers. 



Habitat. Egypt; Himalayas? 



Remarks. Gool-hamaz, Pers., Chooka-ke-phool, Hind., and Tamir, 

 Arab., are general names for Dock-nuts. Whether I have properly iden- 

 tified the Gool-hamaz of the Bombay Bazar, I have not data enough to 

 positively state. The smaller Bacook-ke-phal, I refer, also tentatively, to 

 R. cegyptiacuS) W., Egyptian Dock, JSeejbund seems another Rumex. 

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