4U8 



NATUIiAL HISTOJiY OF PLANTS. 



JpAane^: &c. The- name Saiwtdsorba (Fr., /S'ffw^«or^^=Blood-stanclier) 

 indicates tluit the plants of this genus were formerly used in 

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

 section Puterium ; we may cite as the most important Poferium 

 SiinyaiHorba^ Sanguhorba officinalis' and several other species/ The 

 leaves of several Brambles, especially Rubus fmticosus' (Blackberry), 

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

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

 root [rachte ile Framer), that of the Cinquefoil {quintcfeuiUe),' Tor- 

 ment il" {Torment ille), Herb Bcnnet {Benotte),' the leaves of the 

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

 Meadows" {Llmaire or Beine-des-pres), and the green fruits of many 

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



' LKKB3, llfrh., n. 122. — A. arvensis Scov.,Fl. 

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

 179 (Parsley Picrt, Perce-inerre Perchepied). 



■■* L., Spec, 1111. — Pimpinella Sanguisorba 

 OXRTN., Fnwl., ir)2, t. 32. (Garden Burnet, 

 Salnil Huniet, Petite Pimprenelle, Bipinnelle). 



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

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

 montaynes). 



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

 same virtues (Esdl., Encliir., 662). 



* L., Spec, 707. JS. crtsivs (Dewberry) has 

 the same properties. In the north of America, 

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

 same purposes. As many as thirty Brambles 

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

 Syn. PI. Diaph.,'dh1-{\m, 115'j). 



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



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

 ne-moralis Lehm., Mon., ic. t. 13. 



* PotentiUa Tormentilla Xestl., Pot., 65. — 

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

 Sm., £nsl. Bot., t. 863.— r. tetrapetala Hall. 

 F., Ser. Mus. llch., 51. 



* Geutn urlanum L., Spec, 716. — Gttib., 

 op.cil., 282.— H. B.\., Diet. Encycl. des Sc 

 Med., ix. 84. — G. canadense Mv'&Vi., rivale h., 

 inUrmedium EjiKN., and mrginianum L., have 

 tlic name astringent properties. 



•" PotentiUa anserina L., Spec, 710 {Herbe 

 aux oie$). About half a score of Potentils are used 

 ill the came ways (Uosenth., op. cit., 961-963). 



" Spirira i'lmaria L., Spec, 702. — S. de- 

 nudata I'uKHL.. Ft. Cech., 101.— ,S. ulmarioides 

 HoK., Vol/. Soul., 124. — Ulmaria palustris 

 M(K>-cii, Meth., 663. This plant has played a 

 certain part in chemistry on account of the 

 Rtudi(>]i nia le on the acid oil it contains, which 

 is salicylic hydride, a substance which has also 

 been prejmred artificially by the action of sul- 

 phuric acid and jMta.Hsic bichromate on salicine. 

 Sevend Spirtrii.t are used ns astringents, such as 

 -S. Aruncux L. {Sprr., 702), .V Filipendula L. 



{Spec, 702); — Filipendula vulgaris Mcench j 

 I)ropwort), and S. tomentosa L. {Spec, 701), a 

 species from North America, whose properties 

 are analogous to those of Rhatany. 



'- Including the Service-trees {SorUers) and 

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

 fruits of the Crab Apple, Pyrus acerba DC. {Ma- 

 ins acerba Mee., Fl. Par., 187), are very austere 

 and astringent. Those of the White Beam 

 (P. Aria Ehe., Beitr., iv. 20 ; — Mespihis Ana 

 Scop. ; — Sorbiis Aria Ce. ; — Cratagvs Aria 

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

 count in the country while unripe, as are those 

 of the Service-tree {Pgrns Sorbtts G.iktn., 

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

 Sorbtts domestica L. ; — Cormus domestica 

 Spach ; Fr., Cormier, Sorlier Commnn), of the 

 Mountain Ash or Rowan (P. aucuparia G^etn., 

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

 aiicvparia All.; Fr., Sorbier aux oiseavx), rich in 

 malic acid, often extracted from them, and from 

 P. americana DC. [Sorbus americana Puesh.), 

 and the Wild Service-tree (P. torminalis Ehe., 

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



^3 Including Mespilus (p. 397). It is well 

 known how astringent and austere are the 

 fruits of the Common Medlar {Cratcegus ger- 

 manica, Mespilus gei-manica L., Spec, 684 ; — 

 Pgri's 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 G^RTN., Fr. Au- 

 bepine), C. monogyna Jacq., C. cru.sgalli L., 

 Azerole Thorn {C. Azarolus L., Vr., Azerolier, 

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

 cantha Pees. ; — Mespilus Pyracantha L. ; — 

 Cotoneaster Pyracantha, SPACH., Fr., Buisson 

 ardent). Several North American species are 

 similarly used, especially C. mexicana Sess., 

 parvifolia AiT., coccinea L., cordata AiT., &c. 

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



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



