34 



AMERICAN MEDICINAL BARKS. 



Wafer-ash bark possesses tonic properties, and is employed in fevers, 

 also said to be useful as an anthelmintic. 



It is 



BLACK ALDER. 



Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray. 



Synonym. — Prinos verticillata L. 



Other common names. — Prinos, winterberry, common winterberry, Virginia 

 winterberry, false alder, white alder, feverbush. 



Habitat and range. — The black alder is native in swamps, moist woods, and 

 along banks of streams, in Canada and the eastern United States, and west- 

 ward to Wisconsin and Missouri. 



Description of shrub. — The fruits of the black alder are a familiar sight in 

 the Christmas markets, the bare branches with the persistent, shining, bright 



red berries being much used for decora- 



tive purposes during the holiday sea- 

 son. Black alder is a shrub usually 

 from 6 to 8 feet high (sometimes 25 

 feet), with grayish bark and smooth 

 twigs. The leaves are oval or oblong 

 lanceolate, pointed at the apex, about 2 

 to 3 inches long, and about an inch 

 in width. They are rather thick and 

 leathery in texture, dark green and 

 smoothish on the upper surface, hairy 

 on the lower surface, especially along 

 the veins, and sharply toothed. In 

 autumn the leaves turn black. 



The flowers, which appear from about 

 May to July, are small and white, the 

 male clusters consisting of 2 to 10 

 flowers, and the female of only 1 to 3. 

 The fruits are bright red and shining, 

 about the size of a pea, clustered 

 around the stem, and each contain- 

 ing six seeds' (fig. 29). Black alder 

 belongs to the holly family (Aqui- 

 foliacere). 



Description of bark. — The bark, which 

 was official in the United States Pharma- 

 copoeia from 1820 to 1890, occurs in 

 commerce in somewhat quilled strips or 

 pieces of an ashy brown color outside, 

 with whitish patches and round black 

 spots and lines. The inner surface 

 is greenish or yellowish, and marked 



with short lines. The fracture is short, showing a greenish tinge. It has a 



faint, peculiar odor and a bitter, astringent taste. 



Collection, prices, and uses. — Black alder bark is collected in autumn. The 



amount paid to collectors ranges from 2 to about 5 cents a pound. 



It is used in medicine as a tonic and astringent. The berries are employed 



for similar purposes as the bark. 

 139 



Fig. 2i 



Black 



alder (Ilex 

 fruits. 



verticiUatu i. 



