ASTERACE.E. 



399 



Description. — Root pe- 

 rennial, fibrous. Stems se- 

 veral, one to three feet high, 

 angular, branched, minute- 

 ly pubescent. Leaves glau- 

 cous, alternate, sessile, de- 

 current, lanceolate, acumi- 

 nate, unequally serrate, 

 punctate. Flowers co- 

 rymbose, of a bright yellow 

 colour. Peduncles axillary, 

 one-flowered, thicker above. 

 Involucre with linear-acute 

 scales. Disk semi-globose. 

 Rays flat, cuneate, three to 

 five-lobed. Pappus of five 

 membranous, subulate, and 

 awned scales. 



The Sneezewort is 

 found in damp grounds 

 in most parts of the 

 United States, flowering 

 in September and Octo- 

 ber. It is ornamental, 

 and usually grows in 

 profusion when occur- 

 ring. It has scarcely 

 any smell, but a bitter, 

 somewhat pungent, or 

 acrid taste. No analy- 

 sis has been made of it. 



Medical Uses, fyc. — h. autumnaie. 



It appears to be tonic 



and diaphoretic, and also is powerfully errhine. It is noticed by Clayton and 

 Schoepf as useful in intermittents, but does not seem to be generally employed 

 in domestic practice, but is very celebrated for its errhine properties. The 

 whole plant acts as such, but the flowers, and especially the central florets, 

 are the most active. Rafinesque states that Dr. B. S. Barton esteemed it 

 highljr as a substitute for the more acrid articles of the class. It is not equal 

 in power to the Asarum, or the brown powder of the leaves of the Kalmia, 

 but may be useful where these cannot be procured, in cases where such 

 agents are required, which but seldom occur. 



M aruta . — Cassini. 



Heads many-flowered ; the rays neutral, continuous with the sterile ovary. Scales of 

 the hemispherical involucre imbricated in few series, shorter than the disk. Receptacle 

 conical, chaffy throughout, or only at the summit. Achenia obovoid or ob-pyramidal, 

 ribbed, glabrous, destitute of pappus. 



A small genus separated by Cassini from Anthemis, and consisting of annual 

 fetid herbs, with pinnately-divided leaves, and solitary heads terminating the 

 branches. The flowers are yellow at the disk, with white rays. 



M. cotula, De Candolle. — Scales of the involucre with whitish, scarious margins. Re- 

 ceptacle conical, chaffy at the summit, chaff subulate. 



Linn. (AntJiemis), Sp. PI. 894; Barton, Veg. Mat. Med. i. 161 ; Rati- 



