SEEDS AND FBUIJS. 311 



almost sessile on the bulb ; the pistil is about four inches 

 long, surmounted by three clavate-crested stigmas ; in these 

 the coloring matter resides. These stigmas are picked out 

 of the flowers, and about twelve thousand of th€se are 

 required to obtain a single ounce of Saffron. Crocin, or 

 Safranin, is the important constituent; it is a red, amor- 

 phous substance, soluble in water and alcohol. Saffron is 

 used as a spice, and also medicinally. It is used for color- 

 ing cheese, liquors, confectionaries, etc. 



306. Ardhemis nohUis, Chamomile, is a European 

 herb, of the Composite family. It is a prostrate, woolly 

 plant, with compound leaves, the leaflets cut into linear or 

 subulate segments. The involucre is hemispherical; the 

 ray flowers are numerous and white. The plant has a 

 strong and agreeable odor, and a bitter, aromatic taste. It 

 is cultivated for the flowers, which have tonic and anpdy- 

 nous qualities, and for the oil which is extracted from it,. 



SEEDS AND FRUITS. 



307. The Almond, Amygdalus communis (family Bosa- 

 cecB), is a native of the Caucasus, and has been long in 

 cultivation. It is a low, spreading tree, with lanceqlate- 

 serrate leaves. The flowers are sessile, in pairs, and pre- 

 cede the leaves in the spring. The seed , consists of two 

 cotyledons and a caulicle, surrounded by a hard pericarp. 

 In the Bitter Almonds 1.5-3 per cent, of Amyg4alin is con- 

 tained, a bitter, crystallizable substance; besides this, oil 

 (thirty-five to forty per cent),- sugar, gum, albuminoids, 

 cellulose, acetic acid, and coloring matter are contained in 

 both Bitter and Sweet Almonds. The oil is light yellow, with 

 a specific gravity of .92. The purer sorts of almonds are 

 used in the manufacture of oil, which is used for.flaTpring 



