ROSACEA. 443 



The other odours extracted from Rosacefs are due to essential 

 volatile oils ; the most famous is undoubtedly the essence or otto of 

 Roses, extracted from the petals of a certain number of species of the 

 genus Rosa, especially R. centifolia, damasasna, indica, sempervirens, 

 and moschafa, which are far less perfumed in these countries than 

 in India, Persia, and Tunis, where the essence is prepared in various 

 ways.* It is known in Persia as Atar, Ather of Roses, or Ather-gul ; 

 it very rarely arrives free from adulteration in our countries. It is 

 to the presence of this essence that Rose-water, so much employed 

 in pharmacy, owes its peculiar odour. The flowers and roots of 

 several Spircsas" are also very odoriferous ; the petals of the Agri- 

 monies have a fruity odour, and Agrimonia odorcdd^ possesses this 

 perfume in nearly all its parts ; Herb Bennet" owes its old name 

 of CaryopUyllata to the smell of its rhizome, and we all know the 

 sweet scent given off" in spring from Apples, Hawthorns, Peaches, 

 and Plums, when in blossom. 



The seeds of several Rosacece are rich in fixed oil ; the best known 

 is that of the sweet Almond," which the presence of this fat sub- 

 stance fits for making emulsions, orgeat, mucilaginous confections. 



sent Ktjnth specimens of Kousso, which drug almonds. Dropwort {S. Filipenchila L., Sjtec, 



had been attributed in France to Agrimonia 702 j Filipendula vulgaris Mcench; Fr., Fili- 



orientalis T. {Mem. de VAcad. de Medec, i. pendule) is the Saxifraga rubra of old herbals. 



470). The work of Beayee, in which Brayera The swelling on its roots, besides being edible, as 



was published, dates from 1823 {Notice sur une we shall see a little hiter.contains a bitter aromatic 



Nouv. PI. de la Fam. des Eosac). Feesenius substance. They have been recommended in 



{Mus. Senkenb., ii. 162) was the first to re- hydrophobia (Rosenth. op. cif., 968). The fol- 



cognise the identity of Magenia and Brayera, lowing other species have also been used as astrin- 



which BUCHNEB {Rep., ii. bd. xviii. s. 367), has gents : — S. tomentosa L. {Spec, 701 ; — DC, n. 



named, no doubt through some accidental error, 23), the Hardback of North America, S. opidi- 



Bracera anthelmintldca. Kousso was after- folia L. {Spec, 702; — DC, Prodr., n. 1), tlie 



wards studied by M^eat {Bull, de I'Acad. de Nine-bark of North America, which is a Neillia 



Med., vi. 492), and A. KicuAED {Tent. Fl. in the eyes of Benthasi & Hookee (see p. 



Abyss,,!. (1847), 258; Flem. d'Hist. Nat. 390); the Schelamanik of Kamtschatka, or S. 



Med., ed. 4, ii. 250). Even at the present kamtchatica Pa-lj..{FI. Iioss.,i.41; — DC.,Prodr., 



moment the fruit is, as we have stated, quite n. 33) ; and S. chamcedrifolia h., crenata L., 



unknown (see Guib., Brog. Simpl., ed. 4, iii. altaica L., and salicifolia L., sometimes mixed 



284;— LlNDL., Fl. Med., 230 ; — Kosenth., loc. with the tea imported from China. 



cit.). Bedall states that the active principle is '•> Games., Bort., 7, ex DC, Prodr., ii. 587, 



koussine (C-^^H-^O^). n. 2. 



1 See Kj^mpf., Am<En. Fxot., 276. — Meb. & ^ Geum urbanum L., Spec, 7l6. — DC, 

 De Le>s., Diet, de Mat. Med., vi. 111.— Guib., Prodr., ii. 551, n. 9.— Peeeiea, op. cit., 284. — 

 op. cit., 2lb.—Journ. de Pharm., v. 232; vi. H. Bn., Diet. Fncycl. des Sc Med., Lx. 84, n. 1 

 466 ; vii. 527 ; xv. 345 ; xviii. 641. {Badix Sanamunda: off.). 



2 Spiraa Ariincus L. {Spec, 782 ; — DC, s Prunus Amygdalus, var. amara {Amygdalus 

 Prodr., n. 29 ; — Barba Caprte oH'.) has a power- communis L., Spec, 677, a amara DC, Fl. Fr., 

 fully-scented bitter root, formerly employed as a iv. 486; Prodr., ii. 530, n. 4).— GriB., op. cit., 

 febrifuge. All tlie parts of the Meadow Sweet iii. 288.— Peeeiea, op. cit., 243.— Lindl., op. 

 {Spiraia Ulmaria L., Spec, 702; — Ulmaria cit., 231. — Kosenth., op. cit., 970. — H. Ln., 

 palustris Mcench, Meth., 663) smell of bitter Diet. Fncycl. des Sc. Med., iii. 483. 



