

AROMATIC SEEDS. 217 



sules are used for this purpose, and the seeds, if burnt and ground like 

 coffee, can hardly be distinguished from it. The seed is planted in 

 May (if warm and dry) in drills an inch deep and 3 or 4 feet apart ; 

 thin and earth them 2 or 3 times. 



HYSSOP, is a warm aromatic plant, and the leaves and flowers 

 have a pungent taste. When reduced to powder, these are used with 

 cold salad herbs. This, as well as many preceding plants, is used 

 medicinally, but these properties will be hereafter considered. 



Blessed Thistle, Camomile, Fever-Few, Fenugreek, Horehound, 

 Lavender, Marsh-Mallow, Penny-Royal Mint, Rosemary, Rue, Tansy, 

 Tea-Sage, Wormwood, $-c., will be found described under medicinal 

 plants, in another volume. 



PLANTS DISTINGUISHED FOR THEIR AROMATIC SEEDS, ETC. 



These are the products of a large number of plants, which are 

 thereby rendered important for their dietetical and medicinal uses. 

 They are chiefly members of the umbelliferous class, and are distin- 

 guished by the volatile oil they contain. In this respect they rank 

 with many of the salads of which we have spoken, together with the 

 parsnip, skirret, &c. Many of the umbelliferous plants, as we have 

 said, are poisonous, or are aero-narcotics, causing, when swallowed, 

 irritation, giddiness, delirium coma, convulsions, &c. The active pro- 

 perties, taste and smell, are seen to be similar in most of the seeds of 

 these plants ; and, unlike the salad plants described, it is for these 

 seeds, and their peculiar properties only, that they are distinguished. 

 Many of these will be described under the head of medicinal plants, 

 wh'ere, but for the culinary purposes to which they are applied, we 

 should have placed them. The character of the plants of this class 

 are, however, extremely variable. 



ANISE, Pimpinella dnisum, C. 5. 0. 2. Umbelliferese, sp. 7-9. A. Ds. 

 1 ft. Cultivated in Malta, Spain and Germany, from whence the seeds 

 are chiefly imported for medicinal use. 192 cwt. were imported into 

 England in 1839. The seeds are aromatic and carminative; they 

 yield an oil by expression and distillation with water, which is much 

 used in flatulency in children, to prevent griping, as are the seeds. 

 The oil is used for scenting poisonous baits and to obliterate other 

 smells. Anise is sown in gardens for the leaves, which are used for 

 garnishes, for seasoning, &c., like fennel. The seeds are used in cor- 

 dials, with equal parts of angelica, also to flavor liquors, cakes and 

 plumbs, ragouts, confectionary, &c. It is composed of volatile oil 3, 

 stearin, resin, fatty oil 3, phytocol 7, uncrystalizable sugar, gum 6, 

 extractive ulmin 8, gumoin 2, lignin 32, with several salts 8, silicic- 

 atid and oxide of iron 3, and water 23. It is an aromatic stimulent, 

 like dill. It is detected in the excretions of those taking it, particu- 

 19 



