16 



NATURAL niSTORY OF PLANTS. 



special formations that give the plants of this family a particular 

 character. In iho wood is found beside the medullary rays, formed 

 of a single row of cells, fibro-vascular bundles, representing in trans- 

 verse section concentric circles of islets. Each bundle comprises 

 externally cells; more internally fibres, and quite inside, vessels. 

 These same bundles are repeated in the pith, composed and arranged 

 in the same way — that is to say, disseminated as in a monocotyle- 

 donous stem. 1 The general organization is the same in Oxybaphm 

 and Mirabilis. But in the former, the bundles scattered through the 

 woody mass in Pisonia " tend to, approach, and join each other. The 

 general woody mass in which they are plunged is already a little less 

 homogeneous, and the woody fibres less perfect." And in Mirabilis 

 the bundles remain nearly the same ; the fibres of the general woody 

 mass have quite the character of young fibres in process of formation 

 from the primitive elongated cell. 2 In all three the pith is partly 

 filled with isolated fibro-vascular bundles. In several genera {Mira- 

 bilis, Boerhaauia, Oxybaphm, Pentacrophys, 8fc.) the roots rapidly 

 take the conical form of a swollen tap-root, with fleshy concentric 

 la} T ers in which the juices collect ; it is often gorged with starch and 

 with certain active principles. 



These principles give to the roots of several Nyctayinacete properties 

 sometimes tolerably powerful, 3 which led the ancients to derive from 

 this family several evacuant drugs, such as Jalap. The production 

 of this was formerly ascribed to the common Marvel of Peru or 

 Mirabilis Jalapa* L. (figs. 1-10), and to M. clicliotoma L. 5 and lonyi- 

 fiora L. 6 It is now known that they only yield a root of spurious 

 Jalap, the section polished blackish or greyish, marked with con- 

 centric striae, " hard, compact, very heavy, with a faint nauseous 



1 Disposition which introduces into the woody 

 mass the elementsof cortical layers. Regn., loc. cit. 



2 Mirabilis, he says, is destitute of true liber. 



3 Guib , Drog. Simpl., ed. 6, ii. 444. — Endl., 

 Fnchirid., 194 — Lindl., Fl. Med., 365; Yeg. 

 Kingd., 507. — Rosenxh , Sym. PI. Diaphor., 

 226, 1111. 



4 See p. 1-4. 



5 Spec, 252 (nee Gaiieu,). — Plenk, Off., 

 t. 139.— Chois., Prodi:, 428, n. 2.—Jalapa 

 qfficinarum M Aims, Cent., 1, t. 1. — Nyctago 

 dicholoma J. (vulg. Flew de quatre I/cures). 



6 Spec, 252.— Plenk, Off. t. 138.— Chois.' 

 Prodr., n. 5. — Jalapa longiffora McENcn. — 

 Aleoya/i Heknand., Mexic, 170, fig. 2. — 

 Nees D'Esenbeck (PI. Medic, Suppl., t. 33), 

 believed that this species supplied the "rariiie 

 de Mechoacan gris" or " radix Metalistce" of the 

 apothecary, which is a powerful drastic. M. 

 suavolens (11. B. K., Nov. Gen. et Sp>ec., ii. 

 213); and M. odorata of gardens [in Linncea 

 (1838), 75], regarded in Mexico as good re- 

 medies iu diarrhoea and rheumatism, are ascribed 

 in Prodromus to this species. 



