22 



AMERICAN MEDICINAL BARKS. 



Descriptions of trees. — Magnolia acuminata, which is native in this coun- 

 try, reaches a height of from 60 to 80 feet, the trunk straight, from 4 to 5 feet in 

 diameter, and with a rough, dark gray bark. The leaves are 6 to 10 inches 

 long and about 3 inches wide, oval and thin, pointed at the apex, and generally 

 rounded at the base ; they are pale green underneath and somewhat hairy, 

 especially along the veins (fig. 15). The numerous, slightly fragrant flowers, 

 which appear from May to June, are rather large, measuring 5 to 6 inches 

 across, oblong bell shaped, greenish yellow with a bluish tinge, and having 6 

 to 9 obovate petals. The cylindrical, fleshy fruit cone, about 3 inches in length, 

 turns rose colored as it matures. In form it resembles a small cucumber, whence 

 the name " cucumber-tree " is derived. When ripe, the several capsules compos- 

 ing these cones burst open, disclosing bright scarlet, shining seeds about the size 

 of a pea, which after a while are suspended from the cone by means of a slen- 

 der, elastic thread for some time be- 

 fore falling to the ground. All of the 

 species of Magnolia here mentioned, 

 and which belong to the magnolia 

 family (Magnoliacere), bear these 

 scarlet seeds, and the method of sep- 

 arating from the cone is the same. 

 The soft heartwood is yellowish brown, 

 while the sapwood is lighter. 



Magnolia tripetala is a smaller tree, 

 not exceeding 40 feet in height, also 

 native ; the smooth, gray, slender trunk 

 measures from 4 to 18 inches in diame- 

 ter. Its leaves are clustered at the 

 ends of the flowering branches, and 

 are from 12 to 18 inches long and about 

 4 to 8 inches wide, obovate, pointed 

 at both ends, the upper surface dark 

 green and smooth, the lower light green 

 and more or less pubescent (fig. 1G). 

 The flowers are white, faintly odorous, 

 produced in May, and are 7 to 8 inches 

 in diameter, with 5 to 12 narrow, lance- 

 shaped petals. The mature fruit cone is rose colored, conical, 4 to 6 inches 

 long, and contains numerous scarlet seeds. 



Magnolia glavca averages about 25 feet in height, with a smooth whitish gray 

 trunk from a few inches to about a foot in diameter. The leaves, which are 

 scattered along the flowering branches, are thick and leathery, smooth, dark 

 green above, and on the lower surface pale green and glaucous or somewhat 

 hairy (fig. 17). The solitary flowers are large, terminal, of a creamy white 

 color, somewhat globular in shape, with obovate, rounded petals, and a very 

 fragrant odor ; they measure about 2 to 3 inches in diameter. The fruit cone 

 is 1* to 2 inches in height, oblong, and pink, with numerous scarlet seeds 

 (fig. 17). 



Description of bark. — Magnolia bark, as found in commerce, sometimes varies 

 considerably, on account of the different species from which it is collected. 

 They all possess similar properties, however, and the barks of the three species 

 herein described were official from 1820 to 1890. 



The last edition of the National Standard Dispensatory (1905) contains the 

 following paragraph regarding the description of the bark : 

 139 



Fig. 16. — Umbrella-tree (Magnolia tripetala), 

 leaves. 



