NYMPHLEACEJE. 17 



DeCandolle, in his System, takes no notice of what is described 

 here, as also by Swartz, as a nectary. 



<2. CissampeloS microcarpa. Woolly Pareira, or 



Velvet leaf. 



Leaves sub-peltate orbiculate subreniform tomen- 

 tose beneath, berries at first pubescent afterwards 

 glabrous. De Cand. 



Var. jS. C. Pareira, Swartz, Obs. 380. Browne, Jam. 557. 

 C. microcarpa, De Cand. Syst. I. 



HAB. Plains and lower hills, where the white limestone pre- 

 vails. 



FL. February July. 



Stem villous. Leaves pubescent above, and villoso-tomen- 

 tose beneath. $ Racemes occasionally shorter, but usually 

 longer than the leaf. In every other respect, this plant agrees 

 with the preceding species. This may therefore be considered 

 as merely a variety of the c. PAREIRA. 



The juice of the leaves of the Pareira-brava, according to Piso, 

 is employed by the Brazilians as a remedy against the bite of 

 serpents. Sloane mentions that the leaves may be used, beat up 

 into a pulp, as an application to sores. The root, which is black, 

 stringy, of the thickness of that of Sarsaparilla, and runs super- 

 ficially under the surface of the ground, has long been employed 

 in medicine.- It has an agreeable bitter taste, and has the cha- 

 racter of being diuretic and alterative. It is prescribed m 

 dropsy, dysury, urinary calculus, jaundice, gout, and cutaneous 

 diseases. The infusion is recommended to be drunk freely during 

 the irritable stage of gonorrhoea, and is also employed as a ve- 

 hicle in the administration of other medicines, where we wish 

 a mild grateful bitter to be combined with the principal indica- 

 tion. It has also been found useful in pulmonary complaints. 

 " I knew a Physician,'' says Barham, " perform great cures on 

 consamptive persons, who told me that his remedy was only a 

 syrup made of the leaves and root of this plant, for which he 

 had a pistole a bottle." The analysis of M. Feneulle (Journal 

 de Pharmacie, VII. 404) gives as its composition a resin, a 

 yellow bitter principle, another brown principle, fecula, an ani- 

 mal substance, and different salts. It may be administered iti 

 doses of a scruple to a drachm of the powdered root, or a wine 

 glassful 3 times daily of the infusion of an oz. of the root to a 

 pint of boiling water. 



ORDER VIII. NYMPILEACE^E 

 Sepals and petals numerous, imbricated, passing 



