SAXIFRAGACEtE. 



313 



Almost all the species of this genus are North American ; they are peren- 

 nial, mostly acaulescent herbs, with numerous radical leaves on long petioles; 

 the cauline ones, when they exist, are alternate. The flowers are in pani- 

 cles, on long scapes. The whole of the species have astringent roots, 

 and may be used indiscriminately, and are known under the common name 

 of Alum root. 



H. caulescens, Pursk. — Petioles villous. Leaves glabrous, acutely 5 — 7-lobed, lobes 

 acute, unequally and acutely-toothed. Scape naked, or about 2-leaved ; nearly glabrous. 

 Petals linear, spatulate, about as long as the stamens. 



Pursh, Fl. Am. i. 188 ; De Candolle, Prod. iv. 51 ; Torrey and Gray, Fl. 

 N. A. i. 578, H. accrifolia ; Raflnesque, Med. Flor. i. 241, f. 49. 



Description. — Root perennial, yellow- 

 ish, horizontal. Radical leaves on long, 

 slender, somewhat villous petioles ; 

 shaped like those of the maple, base 

 cordate ; sharply five to seven-lobed ; the 

 segments acute, unequally toothed ; the 

 teeth short and acute ; hispidly ciliate. 

 Flowers in a loose panicle; the peduncles 

 many-flowered, with linear or subulate 

 bracts. Calyx with five acute teeth. 

 Petals linear-spatulate, about the length 

 of the exserted stamens. Capsule with 

 two beaks, two-celled, many-seeded. 



This species is found in high 

 situations in many parts of the 

 United States, and is identical in its 

 properties with the H. americana, 

 and therefore may always be em- 

 ployed in the same cases. 



Medical Properties. — The roots 

 of all the species are extremely 

 astringent, and were used by the 

 aborigines as styptics, and as appli- 

 cations to ulcers, and are domestic 

 remedies of some repute for the 

 same purposes in many parts of 

 the country. They are also said 

 to form the basis of some of the 

 cancer powders of empirics. They 

 have been found useful in aphthous 

 sore mouth, and may be employed 

 wherever the powerful astringents 

 are indicated. From some expe- 

 riments I have made with them, 

 it seems probable that an extract 

 might be used as a substitute for 

 Rhatany or Catechu. 



Fig. 153. 



H. caulescens. 



