326 BOTANY AND PHARMACOGNOSY. 



The balsam of the gardens {Impatiens Balsamina), which 

 flowers all summer, belongs to this family. Other species of 

 Impatiens are also cultivated. 



The stem sap as well as that of the flowers of a number of 

 species of Impatiens is used on account of its red and yellow col- 

 oring matters, to color the skin of the han-ds and feet as also the 

 nails by the people of India, Tartary and Japan. The seeds of 

 some species of Impatiens yield an oil which is used for burning. 



XVIII. ORDER RHAMNALES. 



This order includes two large families which are characterized 

 by having 4 or 5 stamens which are either alternate with the' 

 sepals or opposite the petals when the latter are present. The 

 ovules are atropous. 



a. RHAMNACE^ OR BUCKTHORN FAMILY. The 

 plants are woody climbers, shrubs or small trees. 



Rhamnus Purshiana is a large shrub or small tree. The leaves 

 are petiolate, oblong, elliptical, acuminate, finely serrate and pubes- 

 cent beneath ; the flowers are small and in axillary umbellate 

 cymes, and the fruit is 3-lobed, black, ovoid, and drupaceous. 

 The bark constitutes the official Cascara sagrada (p. 523). 



Rhamnus Frangula or Alder Buckthorn, is a shrub the botan- 

 ical characters of which closely resemble those of R. Purshiana. 

 The bark of this plant is also official (p. 521). 



The leaves of the shrub known as New Jersey Tea {Ceanothus 

 americanus) are said to have been used as a substitute for tea 

 during the Revolutionary times. This plant is found in the East- 

 ern United States and Canada and the root, which contains con- 

 siderable tannin and possibly an alkaloid, has been used in medi- 

 cine. The leaves of Sageretia theecaus of Asia have also been 

 used as a substitute for tea. A number of plants of this family 

 have been substituted for hops in the fermentation industry, as 

 Ceanothus recUnatus of the West Indies ; Coliibrina fermenta of 

 Guiana, and Coitania domingensis of Martinique and Hayti. 

 Saponin is found in the bark of Gouania touicntosa of Mexico. 

 A crystalline bitter principle, colletin, occurs in the wood of Col- 

 letia spinosa of South America. The bark of Discaria febrifuga 



