PHYTOLACCACEZ. 49 
several families with which they are connected by their flowers and 
fruit. Like the Marvels of Peru, the herbaceous Phytolaccacee often 
have a tap-root filled with fecul and resinous substances. As to their 
stems they present also in their thickness numerous concentric circles 
of fibro-vascular fascicles, whose presence has induced several authors’ 
to cite these stems as an example of the formation of several layers 
of wood in one and the same period of vegetation. The concentric 
layers, more or less regular, are. separated by circular ones of paren- 
chymatous’ tissue. Here also the bundles are distributed more 
internally than the wood proper, and consequently the pith is 
riddled’ by them. When the bundles, which alternate with the 
medullary rays in a given layer, alternate at the same time with 
those of a neighbouring zone, as in P. esculenta, icosandra, &e.,‘ the 
fibro-vascular bundles of one zone seem to continue the medullary 
rays of the more interior and of the more exterior zone. This 
arrangement is observed also in some other genera of Phyfolaccacee. 

The uses’ of these plants are not numerous. The most useful 
are, without doubt, the P/ytolaccas, especially P. decandra’ (figs. 21- 
28), which is an evacuant drug. Its root (fig. 28) has been employed 
as a substitute for the purgative Convolvulacee under the name of 
Méchoacan du Canada. Its leaves are acrid, and its fruit is an 
active purgative before attaining maturity. It is said that even the 
flesh of pigeons which feed on it becomes laxative; and it is doubt- 
less quite right that the use of these fruits in colouring food and 
beverages should be proscribed. The same properties are found in 
Anisomeria drastic of Chili, whose root is slightly bitter when 
masticated, but rich in a resinous substance producing powerful 
evacuant effects. These plants have also an irritant action when 

1 Cr. Marr., in Rev. Hort. (1855), 122.— 
Oxiv., Stem in Dicot., 28. 
2 Also M. Nm@ett (Beitr. z. Wiss. Bot., i. 14) 
cites them as examples of Dicotyledones which 
5 See p. 24, note 1 (Pocan, Garget, Cocum 
of the United States). 
7  Mechoacanna spuria s. canadensis.” 
BraELow (Med, Bot., i. t. 3) cites this plant as 
have limited rings of cambium in the épenchyme. 
3 Trevir., in Bot. Zeit. (1856), 833. 
4 Rean., in Ann. Sc. Nat., sér. 4, xiv. 
139. 
5 Enpt., Ænchirid, 509. — Linrz., Veg. 
Kingd., 508; Fl. Med. 351.— Rosenru., 
Syn. Pl. Diaphor., 702. 
VOL. IV. 
acting like Ipecacuanha, as Antirheumatical, but 
at the same time as acrid, and narcotie, &e. 
8 Moq., Prodr., 25, n. 2.—Phytolacca dras- 
tica Parr. et Enpu., Nov. Gen. et Spec., 26, 
t. 43, 44.—Pireunia suffruticosa Bert. The 
same properties exist in À. littoralis, which is 
perhaps only a variety of it. 
E 
