TAXONOMY 359 



palmately lobed, cleft (Acer) or pinnate (Negundo). Inflorescence 

 a raceme condensing in some species to a capitulum of cymes. 

 Plowers small, regular, polygamous or dioecious; sepals five to four 

 green; petals none or five, variously colored; stamens usually eight, 

 hypogynous or perigynous; nectar disc around stamens or between 

 them and pistil; pistil bicarpellary with two-celled ovary. Fruit a 

 samara. Seeds green, exalbuminous with coiled or folded embryo 

 and long thin cotyledons. 



Unofficial drug Part used Botanical orign Habitat 



Acer Spicatum Bark Acer spicatum United States 



XVII. Order Rhamnales. Rkamnace or Buckthorn Family. 

 Shrubs or low trees usually of branching or spreading habit. 

 Branches either cylindric or long green or hardened, checked back 

 and spinescent, occasionally, especially flowering branches develop- 

 ing tendrils for support. Leaves simple, usually alternate. Flowers 

 hermaphrodite or more or less diclinous, pentamerous to tetramer- 

 .ous, greenish to greenish-yellow to yello wish- white ; sepals five to 

 four; petals five to four alternating with sepals; stamens five oppo- 

 site the petals, perigynous; pistil either free in center of receptacular 

 cup or more or less fused with it and so semi-inferior, ovary typically 

 three-celled becoming rarely four-celled with two to one atropous 

 ovules in each cavity. Fruit of three indehiscent cocci, each en- 

 closing a single albuminous seed with straight embryo imbedded 

 in albumen. 



Official drug Parts used Botanical origin Habitat 



Cascara Sagrada Bark Rhamnus Purshiana Northern Cali- 



fornia to south- 

 western British 

 America 



Frangula Bark Rhamnus Frangula Europe 



Rhamnus Fruit Rhamnus cathartica Asia and Africa 



Cathartica N.F. 



Vitacea or Grape Family. Rarely tall herbaceous, usually shrubby 

 and climbing, more rarely shrubby upright plants. Stems rarely 

 short more usually elongate, feeble, rather brittle, climbing by 

 tendrils which represent modified inflorescence shoots. Leaves 



