A Yay  l  iP8H72RM- }         Properties  of  the  Geraniece.  217 
decided  odor  to  a  large  volume  of  that  fluid.  The  large  quantity  of 
resin  is  worthy  of  attention,  as  it  is  probably  derived  in  large  part 
from  the  oxidation  of  the  volatile  oil ;  and  it  suggests  that  aroma  and 
medicinal  properties  of  the  tea  might  be  improved  by  a  more  careful 
preparation  of  the  leaves. 
The  amount  of  caffein  is  small,  ordinary  tea  containing  2*5  to  6  per 
cent.  Stenhouse  found  0-13  per  cent,  in  Paraguay  tea,  (Ilex  Para- 
guayensis,)  which  agrees  very  closely  with  the  amount  found  in  Yau- 
pon.  A  trace  of  caffein  was  found  in  the  distillate,  with  the  volatile 
oil,  proving  that  this  alkaloid  is  carried  off  mechanically  when  tea  or 
coffee  is  boiled. 
The  percentage  of  tannic  acid  does  not  include  that  rendered  in- 
soluble by  combination  with  legumin,  etc. 
The  large  amount  of  woody  matter  shows  that  the  tea  might  be  im- 
proved by  more  careful  picking  and  manipulation  of  the  leaves. 
Yaupon  is  largely  used  in  the  South  as  a  substitute  for  tea,  coffee, 
and  other  stimulants  ;  and  it  is  reported  to  be  very  beneficial  to  in- 
ebriates who  wish  to  cure  themselves  of  their  love  of  liquor. — Scientific 
American,  1872,  March  30. 
NOTES  ON  THE  PROPERTIES  OF  THE  GERANIEiE. 
By  John  R.  Jackson,  A.  L.  S., 
Curator  of  the  Museums,  Kew. 
Geraniums,  or  more  properly  pelargoniums,  are  with  us  the  most 
popular  and  best  known  garden  plants.  The  order  to  which  they  be- 
long, including  the  tribes  Oxalidece  and  Balsarninece,  number  about 
750  species.  It  is  represented  with  us  by  the  crane's  bill  (Geranium), 
the  stork's  bill  (Erodium),  the  wood  sorrel  (Oxalis),  and  the  balsam 
(Impatiens).  It  is,  however,  more  particularly  of  the  tribe  Geraniece 
that  we  have  now  to  speak.  It  is  widely  distributed  in  various  parts 
of  the  world,  the  plants  often  assuming  very  different  forms  from  those 
we  are  accustomed  to  recognize  as  members  of  the  tribe  amongst  our 
native  or  cultivated  garden  plants.  The  family  is  certainly  not  valu- 
able, either  in  a  medicinal  or  economic  point  of  view,  yet  its  charac- 
teristic properties  are  astringent  and  aromatic,  many  having  a  fragrant 
and  some  a  musky  odor.  None  of  the  British  species  are  used  in  any 
way  by  us ;  but  in  North  America  Geranium  maculatum,  L.,  known 
as  the  crane's  bill,  crowfoot,  or  alum  root,  is  considered  a  medicinal 
