HYPERICACEIE. 



391 



its buds. An odorous oil distilled from its leaves was formerly em- 

 ployed in medicine.^ H^. Androscemum ^ was in equal repute under 

 the name of HeaUall.^ It was prescribed for insanity, burns, lise- 

 morrhage^ wounds. H, hircinum ^ (fig. 346-349), tbe odour of wliieh 

 is so strong, was used in the treatment of dysmenorrhea and 

 strangury; H, Coris, montanum, ciliatum^ etc., as astringents and 

 balsamics. Many other European species ^ have analogous properties. 

 In the United States, a stomachic tincture is prepared from H. vir- 

 ginicum^^ the flowers chiefly being employed. In Brazil if. laxius- 

 culum ^ is extolled as alexipharmic and H. connatum ^ as useful in 

 cases of angina and stomatite. H". Sarothra^^ of North America, is 

 said to be vulnerary. At Quito H, laricifolium'^^ is considered 

 astringent; its flowers are used for dyeing a saffron yellow. At 

 Bourbon an odorous balsam is extracted from H. lanceolatum,^^ pre- 

 scribed in gouty and syphilitic affections. In the N'orth of Europe 

 H. Elodes ^^ is used to dye red and yellow. Species of Hypericum 

 of the section Ascyrum ^^ have been employed as astringents and 

 resolutives; the seeds are considered purgative. Some evergreen 

 and subshrubby species of this genus are cultivated in our gardens 

 as ornamental.^* 



1 It forms an ingredient of several talsams. 

 The petals contain a yellow principle, soluble 

 in water ; the pistil and fruit, a reddish resinous 

 substance, soluble in oil, alcohol, etc. 



2 Ij. Spec. 1102.— GuiB. loc.cit. 617. — H. bacci- 

 ferum Lamk. Fl. Fr. iii. 151. — H. Bn. Diet. En- 

 cycl. Sc. Med. iv. 322. — Androscemum officinale 

 All. Fl. Fedem. ii. 47.— Lindl. FL Med. 117.— 

 RosENTH. op. cit. IbQ. — A. vulgare Gjkrtjt. 

 Fruct. i. 282, t. 59, fig. 2. 



' ParccBur, Herbe des grands bois. 



■1 L. Spec. 1103.- Gren. et Godr. Fl. de Fr. 

 i. 320. — Androscemicm. fcetidum Spach. 



^ H. quadrangulum L. tetrapterum Fries, cris- 

 pum L. olympicum L. origanifolium W. humifu- 

 smn L, empetrifolium W. etc. (Rosenth. op. cit. 

 749). 



6 L. Spec. 1104.— Andr. Bot. Repos. t. 552.— 

 DC. Prodr, iii. 546, n. 30. — Elodea virginica 

 NuTT. — E. campanulata Pursh. 



' A. S.-H. PI. Us. Bras. t. 62 {Jlecrim bravo) . 



** Lamk. Diet. iv. 168, n. 55. — A. S.-H. op, 

 cit. t. 61. — Rosenth. op. cit. 750. — Brathys con- 

 nata Spach {Orelha de gato). 



9 MiCHX. Fl. Bor.-Amer. ii. 81. — Sarothra 

 gentianoides L. — S. hypericoides Nutt. — Ro- 

 senth. op. cit. 751. 



10 J. Ann.Mus. iii. 160, t. 16, fig. I.— Brathys 

 laricifolia Spach. 



^1 Lamk. Diet. iv. 145, n. 3. — Campylosporus 

 reticulatus Spach {Ambaville, Fleurjaune). 



12 L. Spec. 1106.— DC. Fl. Fr. iv. 866.— ^fo- 

 des paliistris Spach, Ann. Sc.Nat. ser. 2, v. 171. 

 — GREN.et GoDR. Fl. deFr. i. 320. — H.pulchrum 

 L. elegans Steph. Richeri ViLL. {barbatum All.) 

 have also been used in dyeing. 



13 Especially A. hypericoides L. and stans 



MiCHX. 



i" Bot. Mag. i. 137, 146, 178, 3277, 4949, 5693. 

 Carr. Rev. Hort. (1875) 170, c. ic. 



