STONE CROP, MYRRH, GOOSE-FOOT, TETRAGONIA. 195 



leaves are now mostly used as a sweet meat candied by confectioners. 

 In Lapland it is used for coughs and colds. The roots are aromatic 

 and fragrant. It is occasionally found a native of cold and moist 

 places. It was called the Holy Ghost," by the superstitious, for- 

 merly, and it was supposed to drive away pestilence. 



The dried roots of the shops are imported from Hamburg in casks. 

 386 cwt. were imported into England in 1839. The root has a cylin- 

 drical form, 6 or 8 inches long, of a brown color. When cut it ex- 

 hibits a liquid of a strong but sweetish odor. The seeds have the 

 same, though less strong taste and odor. The composition of the root 

 is volatile oil, acrid resin, bitter extractive (31), gum, with common 

 salt (31), water (17), albumen, &c. The roots and seeds are pungent, 

 stimulants and mild tonics. They are now much used in preparing 

 gin and bitters by rectifiers. 



STONE CROP, sedurn, C. 10. 0. 5. Semperviveae, sp. 41-60. Eh. 

 P. ft. 1. These plants grow on the bare rock. They are low succu- 

 lent plants, and some are pretty or curious. 2 or 3 species are called 

 by the French, orpine. Some have the properties of the house leek, 

 and others are pickled, like samphire. The juice applied to the skin 

 blisters it; taken inwardly, it vomits; and applied externally to gan- 

 grenes, it promotes suppuration. They are eaten mixed with salads in 

 Holland. They are very decorative plants. 16 species are common. 



MYRRH, myrrhis, C. 5. O. 2. Umbelliferse, sp. 1-2. Fr. P. ft. *. 

 A plant long cultivated. The young leaves have been used in salads, 

 and the roots were boiled, or eaten cold or in tarts, in a variety of 

 sauces, or candied. The seeds are used in soups, and also in polish- 

 ing and perfuming furniture and floors. The medicinal and fragrant 

 gum of this name we speak of under medicinal plants. 



GOOSE-FOOT, Chenapodium, C. 5. O. 2. Chenopodeae, sp. 34-72. 

 A. ft. 1-3. Leaves similar to the webbed feet of a water fowl, and 

 covered with powdery granules. The whole genus consist of succu- 

 lent herbs. C. bonus is cultivated as a perennial spinach, and its 

 leaves are applied to wounds, and for cleansing old ulcers. C. album 

 is the most common, and is boiled and eaten as greens, but for this 

 purpose C. maritium is the best of all the species ; and where it abounds 

 it is burned with salsofa kali and other marine plants, to produce soda. 



TETRAGONIA, C. 12. O. 2-5. Ficoideae, sp. 10-16. ft. 1-6. The 

 species of this genus are succulent trailing plants, but all are believed 

 to be fit to be used as a spinach. As a summer spinach, T. expansa 

 is now thought as valuable as O. vache. The New Zealand spinach, 

 if well watered, grows freely, with very succulent leaves, in the hot- 

 test weather. It will doubtless come into general cultivation. It is 

 sown the last of March. It grows in pots ; the plants are set out in 

 May, 3 feet apart, in rich soil ; and in 5 or 6 weeks the leaves are fit 

 for gathering. 



