"OSHA"  AND  "YERBA  MANSA  "  OF  NEW  MEXICO.  205 
so.  The  structure  of  the  root  is  but  slightly  fibrous,  a  cross  sec- 
tion exhibiting  the  cellular  open  structure  of  water  plants.  Some 
of  the  roots  have  remains  of  the  narrow  leaf  stalk,  but  no  leaves 
could  be  found.  The  top  of  the  rhizome  has  a  purplish  color  in 
many  of  the  specimens,  and  exhibits  the  attachments  of  the 
leaves  ;  the  plant  is  evidently  perennial,  and  the  age  may  be 
comparatively  indicated  by  the  length  of  the  rhizome.  Whori 
the  latter  is  broken  transversely  it  exhibits  a  yellowish  ring  of 
what  appear  to  be  longitudinal  fibres,  but  on  closer  examination 
have  not  a  fibious  structure.    A  single  seed  vessel  was  found. 
A  decoction  of  the  mansa  root  is  colored  greenish-black  by 
chloride  of  iron  ;  the  decoction  has  no  acid  reaction.  The  fil- 
tered liquid  is  precipitated  abundantly  by  sub-acetate  of  lead, 
and  the  presence  of  gummy  matter  in  the  root  is  evinced  by  its 
consistence  when  boiled.  Nevertheless,  the  root  is  not  very 
astringent,  and  must  owe  its  virtues  in  dysentery  to  other  ingre- 
dients than  tannin.  The  tincture  in  alcohol  e816  is  brownish- 
yellow,  and  when  added  to  water  an  opalescent  liquid  is  pro- 
duced which  is  strongly  fluorescent.  As  the  author  promises 
the  plants,  it  will  be  time  enough  to  push  the  investigation  of 
the  properties  of  these  roots  when  their  identity  is  finally  de- 
termined, but  knowing  that  my  friend  Elias  Durand  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  botany  of  that  region,  and  might  be  able  to 
get  a  clue  to  the  plants  from  their  roots,  I  submitted  them  to 
him  and  elicited  the  following  reply  : 
"  My  Dear  Procter  : — It  is  almost  impossible  to  designate 
a  plant  from  the  roots  only,  unless  very  peculiarly  characterized. 
I  will,  however,  hazard  an  opinion  upon  the  two  which  you  have 
submitted  to  me. 
"  Yerba  mansa : — A  spicate  fleshy  fruit,  with  its  floral  en- 
velopes at  the  base  mixed  up  with  the  roots;  somewhat  resembles 
that  of  the  Anamopsis  calif ornica,  Nuttall,  in  Tayl.  Ann.  Nat. 
History,  (which  I  have  not  to  compare  the  character  of  the  fruit.) 
The  floral  envelopes  at  the  base  of  the  fruit ;  the  fleshy  roots 
with  fusiform  rootlets,  are  also  very  much  like  those  of  the  A, 
calif  ornica,  and  the  flowers  are  yellow,  like  those  of  that  plant. 
"  If  the  roots  of  Osha  belong  really  to  the  order  Umbelliferce, 
it  must  be  to  the  subclasses  Mulineai  or  Sarriculeo3}  which  have 
