OXALIS. Lin. 



(^OxalidecB.) 

 X. — 5. DECANDKIA PENTAGYNIA. LIN. SYST. 



15. Oxalis cernua, Lin, Root bulbous. Leaves radi- 

 cal, stalked, ternate. Leaflets obcordate, two-lobed, 

 often blotched, smooth. Scape erect, umbelliferous. 

 Flowers peduncled, the open ones erect, the closed 

 ones drooping. 



A weed, common throughout a great portion of the 

 colony, where it is known as the wild sorrel (wilde 

 zuring). On account of their acidity, the leaves, mixed 

 with other vegetables, are used for culinaiy purposes. 

 They contain, indeed, a good deal of oxalic acid, and Thun- 

 berg relates that, at his time, this salt in its crystallized 

 form was easily obtained from the juice of this plant. 

 The bulbs, moreover, eaten raw, are said to be a good 

 vermifuge. 



MELIANTHUS. Lin. 



(^ZygophyllecE.) 

 XIV. — 2. DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMIA. LIN. SYST. 



16. Melianthus major. Lin. Shrubby. Leaves alter- 

 nate, smooth, unequally pinnate, glaucous beneath. 

 Leaflets sharply-toothed. Stipules large, solitary, folia- ' 

 ceous, adnate with the leaf-stalk. Flowers racemose, 

 reddish brown. Peduncles twisted, downy. 



Every part of this plant has a nauseous smell, whence 

 it has received the Dutch name of Truytje roer my niet 

 (Gertrude, don't touch me). A decoction of the leaves 

 is an excellent external remedy in tinea capitis, crusta 

 serpiginosa,* necrosis, and foul ulcers. It is also useful 

 as a gargle and lotion in sore throat and in diseases of 

 the gums, and the bruised leaves, applied to ulcers, pro- 



* A shoemaker, about 25 years of age, had laboured for some time 

 under a most obstmate attack of crusta serpiginosa. All the usual 

 remedies having failed, his medical attendant at last advised him to 

 try a decoction of this plant, to be applied in a tepid state. With this 

 treatment, and occasional aperients and spare diet, he was perfectly 

 cured within a month. 



