RAMALINA. 



137 



islands and shores of the Levant ; and their capability of 

 yielding, by maceration in ammonia, a purple dye, was ac- 

 cidentally discovered by a Florentine merchant travelling 

 there, who noticed that putrid urine tinged the plants red 

 or purpleo Returning home, he founded on the hint thus 

 obtained the manufacture of Orchill, which he long carried 

 on with great secrecy under the name of " Tournesol/' and 

 by which he realized a handsome fortune. 



R. tinctoria possesses emollient or demulcent proper- 

 ties, and hence has been used to allay the tickling cough 

 of phthisis and in other chest affections ; these qualities 

 depend on the presence of a certain amount of starchy and 

 gummy matters. It contains, moreover, according to Nees 

 von Esenbeck, resin, wax, and glutinous matter, tartrate 

 and oxalate of lime, and chloride of sodium, the latter pro- 

 bably due to adherent sea- water. Its ash contains lime, 

 soda, magnesia, alumina, silica, and peroxide of iron, in com- 

 bination with carbonic, sulphuric, and phosphoric acids. 



Genus III. RAMALINA, Ach. 

 Gen. Char. Thallus fruticulose, segments arising from a com- 



