438 



NATURAL EI8T0BY OF PLANTS. 



Aphanes,^ &c. The name Sanauisorba (Fr., /iS'«;?y5'or5^= Blood- stancher) 

 indicates that the plants of this genus were formerly used in 

 the treatment of haemorrhage, just like the other Burnets of the 

 section Poterium ; we may cite as the most important Poterium 

 Sanauisorba,' Sangidsorha officinalis^ and several other species,* The 

 leaves of several Brambles, especially Rubus fruticosus^ (Blackberry), 

 also constitute one of the best known astringent simples, Hke also 

 the rhizome of the Fragaria vesca,^ commonly known as strawberry- 

 root {racine de Fraisier), that of the Cinquefoil {Quintefeuille),^ Tor- 

 menti? {TormentiUe), Herb Bennet [Benoite)^ the leaves of the 

 Silverweed'" {Argentine) the root of the Meadow-sweet or Queen of the 

 Meadows^' {Ulmaire or Reine-des-prh), and the green fruits of many 

 Pears,'' Hawthorns,'^ and Plums." The same astringent properties 



' Leees, Serb., n.l22. — A. arvensis iicov.,Fl. 

 Carniol., i. 115. — Aphanes arvensis L., Spec, 

 179 (Parsley Piert, Perce-pierre Ferchepied). 



- L., Spec, 1411. — Pimpinella Sancfuisorba 

 G^ETN., Fncct, 162, t. 32. (Garden Burnet, 

 Salad Burnet, Petite Pimprenelle, Bipinnelle). 



^ L., Spec, 169. — S. sabauda Mill., Bid., 

 n. 2 (Great Burnet, Grande Pimprenelle, P. des 

 montagnes). 



* S. media L., and canadensis L., have the 

 same virtues (Enbl., Enchir., 662). 



* L., Spec, 707. R. ccesius (Dewberry) has 

 the same properties. In the north of America, 

 R. canadensis, villosns, hispidus L., serve the 

 same purposes. As many as thirty Brambles 

 are more or less used in medicine (see Rosekth., 

 St/n. PI. Biaph., 957-960, 1159). 



6 L., Spec, 705.— DC, Prodr., 569, n. 1. 



7 Poteniilla reptans L., Spec, 714. — P. 

 nemoralis Lehm., Mon., ic. t. 13. 



* Potentilla Tormeniilla Nestl., Pot., 65. — 

 Tormentilla erecta L., Spec, 716. — T. officinalis 

 Sm., Engl. Pot., t. 863.-2'. tetrapetala Hall. 

 F., Ser. Mus. Selv., 51. 



^ Geii/m urlanum L., Spec, 716. — GtriB., 

 op.cit., 282.— H. Bn., Bid. Encycl. des Sc 

 Med., ix. 84. — G. canadenseTAvB.^., rivale L., 

 intermedium Ehen., and virginianum L., have 

 the same astringent properties. 



'" Poteniilla ansetina L., Spec, 710 {Herle 

 aux oies). About half a score of Potentils are used 

 in the same ways (Kosentu., op. cit., 961-963). 



" Spircea Ulmaria L., Spec, 702. — iS'. de- 

 nudata Peesl., jF^^. Cech., 101.— ^. ulmarioides 

 BOE., Voy. Sout., 124. — Ulmaria palustris 

 McENce, Meth., 663. This plant has played a 

 certain part in chemistry on account of the 

 studies made on the acid oil it contains, which 

 is .salicylic hydride, a substance which has also 

 been prepared artificially by the action of sul- 

 phuric acid and potassic bicliromate on salicine. 

 Several Spirceas are used as astringents, such as 

 S. Aruncus L. (Spec, 702), S. Filipendula L. 



{Spec, 702); — Filipendnla vulgaris SIcEXCH ; 

 Dropwort), and S. tomenlosa L. (Spec, 701), a 

 species from North America, whose properties 

 are analogous to those of Rhatany. 



'- Including the Service-trees [Sorbiers) and 

 Apples {Pommiers, p. 392, note 1). The green 

 fruits of the Crab Apple, Pgrus acerba DC. [Ma- 

 ins aeerba Mee., Ft. Par., 187), are very austere 

 and astringent. Those of the White Beam 

 (P. Aria Ehe., Beitr., iv. 20 ; — Mespilus Aria 

 Scop.; — Sorbus Aria Ce. ; — Cratagus Aria 

 var. a L., Spec., 681), are employed on this ac- 

 count in the country while unripe, as are those 

 of the Service-tree (Pgrus Sorbus Gj:etn., 

 Fruct., ii. 45, t. 87 ; — P. domestica Smith ; — 

 Sorbus domestica L. ; — Cormtts domestica 

 Spach ; Fr., Cormier, Sorbier Commun), of the 

 Mountain Ash or Rowan (P. aticuparia G.?:etx., 

 loc. cit. ; — Sorbus aucuparia L. ; — Mespilus 

 aucvparia All.; Fr., Sorbier aux oiseaux), rich in 

 malic acid, often extracted from them, and from 

 P. americana DC. [Sorbits americana Pxtesh.), 

 and the Wild Service-tree {P. torminali^ Ehe., 

 S. torminalis Ce. ; — Cratagus torminalis L.). 



" Including Mespilus (p. 397). It is well 

 known how astringent and austere are the 

 fi'uits of the Common Medlar (Cratagus ger- 

 manica, Mespilus germanica L., Spec, 684; — 

 Pyrus germanica B. H., Gen., loc cit.). In the 

 popular medicine of the country we often find 

 used to stop slight attacks of phlegmasia, flux, 

 &c., the Hawthorn (C Oxyacantha L., Spec, 

 683 ; — Mespilus Oxyacantha Gjjetn., Fr. Au- 

 lepine), C. monogyna Jacq., C. cntsgalli L., 

 Azerole Thorn (C. Azarolus h., Vr., Azerolier, 

 Epine d'Espagne), the Fiery Thorn (C. Pyra- 

 cantha Pees. ; — Mespilus Pyracaniha L. ; — 

 Cotoneaster Pyracaniha, SpACH., Fr., Buisson 

 ardent). Several North American species ore 

 similarly used, especially C. viexicana Skss., 

 parvifolia An., coccinea L., cordata All., &c. 

 (see RosENTH., op. cit., 950). 



" It is from the Sloe or Blackthorn (P. spi- 



