8 
ON  CHELIDONIUM  MAJUS. 
to  the  size  of  a  finger,  frequentlj  hollow  or  channelled  by  the 
rotting  away  of  one  side,  when  growing  in  rather  moist  places  ; 
it  is  but  slightly  branched,  except  at  the  lower  end,  where  it  is 
divided  into  numerous  fibres,  J  to  2  lines  thick,  and  frequently 
6  to  8  inches  in  length.  When  the  root  has  been  dried,  it  is 
fragile,  longitudinally  rugose,  the  caudex  of  a  dirty  brown,  in- 
ternally bright  red  and  white,  the  fibres  of  a  brownish  orange, 
and  internally  of  a  whitish  color.  It  is  inodorous,  and  possesses 
a  taste,  which  is  at  first  bitter  and  slightly  mucilaginous,  after- 
wards persistently  acrid  and  biting.  The  stem  is  erect,  about 
two  feet  high,  dichotomously  branched  above,  somewhat  pilose^ 
The  alternate  leaves  grow  from  four  to  five  inches  in  length,  are 
glaucous  beneath,  slightly  pilose,  and  pseudopinnate  ;  the  late- 
ral segments — usually  four  in  number — are  ovate,  obtuse,  un- 
equally and  obtusely  incised-serrate,  and  mostly  confluent  at  the 
principal  midrib;  the  terminal  segment  is  cuneate-obovate  and 
frequently  three-lobed,  with  the  lobes  obtusely  incised.  The 
flowers  occur  in  umbels  of  4  to  8,  terminating  the  solitary 
peduncles,  which  grow  in  the  axils  of,  or  opposite  to  the  leaves  ; 
the  pedicels  are  bracteate  at  the  base.  The  calyx  consists  of 
two  caducous  sepals,  which  are  nearly  ovate  and  pilose  exter- 
nall3^  The  four  petals  are  elliptic,  entire  and  yellow.  The 
capsule  resembles  a  pod,  is  about  an  inch  long  and  one-tenth  of 
an  inch  broad,  sublinear,  swelling  somewhat  into  ridges,  one- 
celled,  and  opens  at  maturity  by  two  valves  from  the  base.  The 
numerous  roundish-oblong  seeds  are  of  a  brown  or  brownish 
black  color,  shining,  bear  an  elevated  ridge  and  are  afiixed  to 
tvv'o  marginal  placentas. 
Celandine  begins  to  flower  in  May  and  to  ripen  the  first  fruit 
about  July,  but  continues  to  bear  fruit  and  flowers  until  October. 
The  whole  plant  abounds  in  an  orange  colored  juice,  which 
exudes  from  it  when  wounded.  The  herb  requires  some  careful 
attention  while  drying,  to  prevent  it  from  turning  black ;  when 
fresh  it  possesses  a  nauseous  odor,  but  is  inodorous  after  drying ; 
it  resembles  the  root  in  taste,  which  is  first  bitterish  and  some- 
what mucilaginous,  afterwards  acrid  and  biting.  The  seeds  pos- 
sess an  oily  taste,  free  from  acrimony. 
In  this  plant  we  meet  with  some  of  the  same  constituents  that 
are  found  in  one  of  our  own  American  plants,  which  is  held  in  con. 
