338 
THE PRINCIPLES OF BOTANY. 
the world, but uncommon in tropical countries ; one species 
occurs in St. Domingo, and another in New Holland. Two 
are described from equinoctial America.” 
The uses of Typha as medicines have been more or less 
extolled. The rhizomata are full of starch, and are said to 
be astringent and diuretic, and to have been employed in the 
east of Asia in dysentery, gonorrhoea, and the measles. The 
fact is that rhizomata have always more or less of astringency 
or of some flavour, and hence this portion of sarsaparilla, and 
the kindred structure in other plants, have ever had their 
advocates for some fancied medicinal uses. 
To the sportsman both our English species are well known. 
They are often mixed in the marsh, and form a covert for 
water-birds, which he seldom fails to visit. 
The bullrush, catstail, or reed-mace — all common names 
given to these plants — according to Dr. Syme, “ are very 
ornamental on the margins of lakes and pieces of water, and 
they afford favourable shelter to wild-fowl; but as they 
increase rapidly, they must be cautiously introduced when 
the pool is small. This is the plant chosen generally by the 
early painters to represent the reed which was placed in our 
Saviour’s right hand during His mockery by the Roman 
soldiers. In England the leaves are sometimes woven into 
mats and baskets, and occasionally cottages are thatched with 
them.” 
The Arads are represented by our common Arum macu - 
latum , the lords and ladies of our childhood, the “ cuckoo- 
pint ” of the poets, as it comes “ ere the swallow dares,” and 
its lords and ladies usher in the cuckoo ; this plant, and the 
still more stately Arum italicum of the conservatory, are well 
known to all. The curious structure, and the evolution of 
heat from the spathes, will ever render them interesting to 
the botanist. 
The root tubers of these plants contain a fecula, which is 
known to be nutritious. Dr. Syme says that “ large quan- 
tities of it are collected in Portland Island, and on the dry 
and sunburnt districts on the banks of the British Channel, 
and sold under the name of Portland sago. It is largely used 
to adulterate arrowroot.” 
This notion seems to have been copied from one author to 
another, but we never could find it authenticated, and it 
seems hardly likely that it can be used to any great extent, 
as it would take weeks to collect enough for a few pounds of 
starch, and this product can therefore be more readily and 
more cheaply obtained from potatoes. 
Some of the exotic allies which possess larger corms are 
