SPIKENARD 473 



, OR GINSENG FAMILY 



A family consisting of about 450 species of plants which are 

 widely distributed. They are perennial herbs, shrubs or trees. 

 The leaves are mostly palmately lobed or compound; the flowers 

 are small, perfect or polygamous, frequently occurring in umbels; 

 the fruit is either a berry or a drupe. The plants are especially 

 characterized by the presence of schizogenous secretion canals in 

 the parenchymatous tissues of pith and cortex and in the veins 

 of the leaves. They contain a volatile oil, resin, gum and occa- 

 sionally a milky content. Schizogenous secretion cavities also are 

 sometimes present giving a pellucid-punctate character to the 

 leaves. In the root, resin canals are generally situated opposite 

 the strands of primary xylem and phloem and in consequence there 

 is an exceptional displacement of the young lateral branches. The 

 tracheae are marked by simple pores or scalariform thickenings, 

 except when in contact with the parenchyma, when bordered pores 

 are developed. The wood fibers usually possess simple pores. 

 In a number of species of Aralia collateral medullary vascular bun- 

 dles are developed, which are inversely orientated, i.e., the phloem 

 being directed toward the center of the pith and the xylem being 

 developed in the direction of the cortex. Weiss has shown that 

 these bundles in Aralia racemosa appear first as normal bundles in 

 the peripheral ring and only enter the pith later, at the same time 

 undergoing a rotation through 180. Calcium oxalate is usually 

 secreted in the form of rosette aggregates, being only occasionally 

 present in the form of solitary crystals. In the leaves there is usually 

 a development of a hypodermal layer. The leaves are usually 

 glabrous, but in the floral parts both glandular and non-glandular 

 hairs of several different forms occur. 



ARALIA RACEMOSA. American Spikenard, or Indian Root. 

 The rhizome and roots of Aralia racemosa (Fam. Araliacese), a 

 perennial herb growing in rich woodlands of the eastern United 

 States and Canada. The plant grows to a height of 1 or 2 M., 

 possesses a thick, fleshy rhizome; large, ternately-compound leaves; 

 and numerous umbels of small, greenish flowers, which are arranged 

 in large compound panicles. The fruits are small bright reddish, 

 or reddish-purple drupes and give the plant a very handsome and 

 striking appearance. The rhizomes are gathered in the fall, some- 

 times cut longitudinally to facilitate drying, and should be carefully 

 dried and preserved. 



