A 



42 



stem is grooved, usually much branched and leafy, the leaves oblong 

 or oblong lance-shaped, somewhat acute at the apex, the lower ones 

 1 to 3 inches long and wavy-toothed, the numerous upper leaves much 

 smaller and usually entire. From .July to September the flowers are 

 produced, followed throughout the autumn by the fruits, both of 

 which are green and borne in crowded leaf}^ spikes. The whole plant 

 has a powerful, disagreeable odor, due to the essential oil which it 

 contains. 



Part used. — The entire leafy part of the plant is sometimes employed 

 for the distillation of the oil, although the fruit alone is listed in the 

 Pharmacopoeia of the United States. The fruit is distilled for the oil, 

 which it contains in large quantities. 



The fruits are in the form of small grains, about the size of a pin 

 head, globular but slightly flattened, greenish, and inclosing the small 

 shining black seeds. They have the same powerful odor as the plant, 

 which does not diminish when the fruit is dried, and the taste is bitter 

 and pungent. American wormseed is an anthelmintic, that is, it has 

 the property of expelling worms. 



The fruits of ( 'henopodium anthelmintieum, another species of worm- 

 seed, arc collected with those of the species just described. This plant 

 is very similar to the American wormseed, the fruits being alike, and 

 the only differences being that in Chenopodmm anthehn inticum, the stem 

 is slightly tailor, from 2-.V to 3£ feet high, the leaves are more coarsely 

 toothed, the flowers arc borne in more elongated, usually leafless 

 spikes, the odor is more pronounced and disagreeable, and the range 

 and distribution of the plant are more limited. 



Wormseed is cultivated to a considerable extent in parts of Mary- 

 land, where the distillation of the plant for the oil is carried on. 



Price. In ordinary seasons the price paid for chenopodium or worm- 

 seed ranges from 6 to 8 cents per pound. The oil distilled from 

 wormseed is at present selling at $1.50 per pound. 



BLACK MUSTARD. 

 Brassica nigra i L. i Koch. (Sinapvs nigra L. ) 



Other common names. — Brown mustard, red mustard. (Fig. 30.) 

 Range and habitat. — Black mustard, introduced from Europe, is a 

 troublesome weed in many parts of the United States. It is common 

 in almost every State in the Union along roadsides, in cultivated 

 ground, and in waste places, being especially troublesome in grain 

 fields and pastures. Both black and white mustards are cultivated in 

 California. 



This plant is a great pest in southern California, covering thousands 

 of acres and forming dense, impenetrable thickets over »i feet in 



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