J>0 D R A 
flandards were called draconcs. The Romans borrowed 
the cuilom from the Parthians; or, as Cafaubon informs 
us, from rite Dacae; or, as Codin, frOm the Afl'yrians. 
The foldier. who bore the dragon or ftandard was called 
by the Romans \draconarius ; and by the Greeks 
and cgax<jiT£io(pcgo<;. 
DRACONPTES (John), a learned German Lutheran 
divine and bifhop, born at Carlftadt in Franconia, in 1494. 
Ey his learning, abilities, and prudence, he acquired fo 
high a reputation, that he was employed in feveral eccle- 
fiaftical negociations of confiderable importance, and was 
fucceflively appointed to the bifhoprics of Marpurg and 
Roftoch, and Samelande in the Pruilian dominions. He 
was the author of Commentaries on fome of the prophets; 
and Commentaries on the Gofpels for Sundays, written 
in Latin, folio ; and other works, in which his erudition 
and critical (kill were advantageoufly difplayed. He alfo 
commenced the preparation of a grand work, being A 
Polyglot of the Bible, in five languages, in imitation of 
that of Origen, and of the Complutenfian edition, which 
he did not live to finifh. He died in 1566. 
DR ACON'TIC MONTH,/. The time of one revo¬ 
lution of the moon from her afeending node, called caput 
draccnis , to her return to the fame point, or place. 
DRACON'TIUM, /. [from ^cchuv, a dragon.] In bo¬ 
tany, a genus of the clafs gynandria, order polyandria, 
(heptandria monogynia, Schreber,) natural order piperitce, 
(aroideae, JuJJ.) The generic characters are—Calyx: 
fpathe boat-form, leathery, one-valved, very large; fpa- 
dix extremely limple, cylindric, very (hort, coated on all 
fides with fructifications difpofed into a head, of each of 
which the perianthium proper none, unlefs you call the 
corolla fo. Corolla : proper five-petalled, concave; 
petals ovate, obtufe, fomewhat equal, coloured. Sta¬ 
mina : in each filaments feven, linear, deprefled, upright, 
equal, longer than the corollet ; antherae four-cornered, 
twin, oblong, obtufe, upright. .Piftillum: germ fome¬ 
what ovate ; fiyle columnar, ftraight, length of the (ta- 
inen's; Itigma obfeure, three-fided. Pericarpium : in 
each a roundifh berry. Seeds: very many.— EJfcntial Cha- 
rabler. Spathe, boat-form; fpadix, covered; calyx, 
none ; petals, five ; berries, many-feeded. 
Species. 1. Dracontium poly.phyllum, or many-leaved 
dragon : fcape very (hort; petiole rooted, torn, leaflets 
three-parted ; divifions pinnatifid. This has a large 
knobbed irregular root, covered with a rugged brown 
ikin ; the (talk riles about a foot high, is fmooth, and of 
a purple colour, full of (harp protuberances of different 
colours, (Tuning like the (kin of a ferpent; it is naked to 
the top, where it has a tuft of leaves, which are divided 
into many parts. The flower-flalk rifes immediately 
from the root, and is feldom more than three inches high ; 
having an oblong [welling hood, or fpathe, at top, which 
opens lengthwife, flicwing the (hort thick pointed (lyle 
within, upon which the flowers are elofely ranged. It 
grows naturally in'feveral of the iflands of America ; alfo 
in Surinam, and Japan, where they prepare a medicine 
from the acrid roots, which-they call konjakf, and efteem 
as a great emmenagogue ; diffolute women ufe it there to 
procure abortion. In the Society ides, it is cultivated 
for the fake of the roots, which are eaten in a fcarcity of 
the bread-fruit, notwithftanding their extreme acrimony. 
2. Dracontium fpinofum, or prickly dragon : leaVes fa- 
gittate ; peduncles and petioles prickly. It grows natu¬ 
rally in the ifland of Ceylon, and in feveral parts of India. 
3. Dracontium feetidum, fetid dragon, or feunk-weed : 
leaves roundifh. The flowers appear firft ; after they 
are arrived to a (late of perfection, the leaves come out 
at a fmall diftance in a conic fprm, very elofely rolled to¬ 
gether; they are nearly ovate v. hen expanded, and pe- 
tioled; the plant has no (Jem ; the globe of flowers is 
nearly the colour of the fpathe, which is beautifully va¬ 
riegated with fcarlet and yellow ;‘ the corolla has four 
qi'edl, very thick, narrow, obtruncated, petals; the (ta¬ 
llica s have four flattifli filaments rifing from the recep- 
D R A 
tacle, longer than the corolla ; fiyle rather longer tliari 
the fiamens; ftigma bifid; feeds large, roundifh, fingle, 
inclofed within the receptacle. Native of North America, 
in fwamps and borders of meadows; fiovvers in April and 
May. The vulgar namesof feunk cabbage and feunkweed 
are taken from its rank fmell, nearly refembling that of a 
feunk or polecat. .The roots dried and powdered are an 
excellent remedy in afthmatic cafes. It may be given 
with fafety, to children, in dofes of four, five, or fix, 
grains, and to adults, in dofes of twenty .grains and up¬ 
wards. It appears to be antifpafmodic, and bids fair to 
be ufeful in many diforders. In collecting the roots, par¬ 
ticular care ought to be taken that the white hellebore, 
or poke-root, which fome call feunk weed, be not mif- 
takeh for this. There is an obvious diftinCtion, the for¬ 
mer has a (talk, but this has none. Cattle do not touch 
it during the fummer. The Swedes fettled in North 
America call it byorn-blad, or byorn-retter (bear’s leaf op 
bear’s root), becaufe the bears, when they leave their 
winter habitations in the fpring, are very fond of it. 
4. Dracontium Camfchatcenfe, or Kamtfcatka dragon : 
leaves lanceolate. This 1 ms roots like the common arum, 
and the leaves come out each on a feparate foot-ftalk, 
immediately from the root, as in that plant ; it has not 
flowered in England ; Siberia is its native country. 
5. Dracontium pertufum, or perforate-leaved dragon : 
leaves perforated ; ftem climbing. This has llender 
jointed (talks, which put out roots at every joint, that 
fallen to the trunks of trees, walls, or any fupport which 
is near them, and thereby rife to the height of twenty- 
five or thirty feet ; the leaves are placed alternately, 
(landing upon long foot-ftalks ; they are four or five inches 
long, and two and a half broad, having fevtral oblong 
holes in each, fo that on the firft.view they appear as if 
eaten by infects. The flowers are produced at the top 
of the.ftalk, which always fwells to a larger fize in that 
part than in any other ; thefe are covered with an oblong 
fpatha (or hood) of a whitifh green colour, which opens 
longitudinally on one fide, and (hews the fpadix elofely 
covered with flowers, of a pale yellow inclining to white. 
When this plant begins to flower, it feldom advances far¬ 
ther in height, fo that thefe feldom are more than feven 
or eight feet high ; but the leaves are much larger on 
thefe, than thofe of the plants which ramble much far¬ 
ther. It grows naturally in mod of the iflands in the 
Weft Indies, and in the ifland of Tanna in the South 
Seas; and was cultivated by Mr. Miller in 1752. 
Propagation and Culture. The firft and fecond forts being 
tender, require a w’arm (love to preferve them in England. 
The roots mud be planted in pots filled with light 
kitchen-garden earth, and plunged into the tan-bed in 
the (love, where they fhould conftantly remain ; in the 
winter they muft be watered very fparingly, but in warm 
weather, when the plants are in vigour, they mud be 
often refreflied, but it (hould not be given them in too 
great quantities ; with this management the plants will 
flower, but their roots do not increafe here. The fourth 
fpecies requires a fliady fituation, and will bear the great- 
eft cold of this country. The fifth is eafily propagated 
by cuttings, which, if planted in pots filled with poor 
fandy earth, and plunged into a hot-bed, will foon put 
out roots, if they had none before ; but there are few of 
the joints which have not roots : the plants being tender, 
will not live in the open air in England, therefore the 
pots (hould be placed near the walls of the hot-houfe, 
againft which the plants will climb, and fallen their roots 
into the wall, and thereby fupport the ftalks. They 
(hould have but little water given them in the winter, 
but in warm weather it muft be given them three or four 
times a-week, and in the fummer the free air (hould be 
admitted to them in plenty. The plants have no parti, 
cular feafon of flowering, for they fometimes flower in 
autumn, and at other times in the fpring, but they do not 
ripen their feeds in England. Thefe plants are preferved 
in the gardens of the curious in England and Holland, 
more 
