LAPPA — BURDOCK. 



185 



A perennial herb, 1 to 2^ feet high. Eatlical leaves orbicular or round- 

 ish-ovate, mostly cordate, creuate-serrate, petiolate ; the lower cauhue 

 lyrate, the upj^er lanceolate, cut-pinnatifid, sessile or partly clasping. 

 Heads in an umbel-like corymb, appearing in May and June. A vexy va- 

 riable species. 



Habitat. — In swamps, marshes, and wet places ; common eveiywhere. 



Pai-t Used. — The entire plant — not official. 



Constituents. — Unknown. 



Frepa)-ations. — Commonly employed in decoction. There are commer- 

 cial fluid extracts and a so-called senecin. 



Medical Properties and Uses. — Said to be diaphoretic, diuretic, tonic, and 

 emmenagogue. Considerably used and praised — by eclectics. 



Several other species of senecio are said to possess similar properties. 



LAPPA. —Burdock. 



Lappa officinalis AUioni. — Burdock. 



Description. — Heads many-flovrered ; the flowers aU tubular, perfect, 

 the corolla regularly 5-cleft, 10- 

 nerved. Involucre globular, the 

 imbricated scales coriaceous and 

 appressed at the base, subulate 

 and spreading above, tipped 

 with a hooked appendage. Re- 

 ceptacle flat, fleshy, and some- 

 what bristly. Achenia oblong, 

 compressed, glabrous, wrinkled 

 transversely. Pappus of numer- 

 ous short rough bristles, not 

 united at the base, deciduous. 



A coarse, ill-scented, bien- 

 nial herb, 1 to 4 feet high. 

 Lower leaves very large, cor- 

 date, slightly undulate on the 

 mai-gins, more or less tomen- 

 tose beneath, smoother above ; 

 the upper ovate. Heads rela- 

 tively small, solitary or some- 

 what corymbose ; flowers pur- 

 ple, vax-ying to white, appear- 

 ing from July to autumn. 



Habitat. — Introduced from Europe ; common in waste places every- 

 where. 



Parts Used. — The root — United States Pharmacopceia. The seeds are 

 also employed, but are not official. 



Fig. 137.— I.appa officinalis. 



