ON BLACK HELLEBORE. 
165 
are, the thickness and double-headed form, as well as the 
sponginess of the caudex of the genuine root, in contrast with 
the diffuse, jointed, ligneous, stem-like character of that of 
the false; the close set perpendicular position of the fibres 
of the former, compared with the straggling, separated and 
horizontal arrangement of those of the latter; and finally, the 
wrinkled appearance, soft texture and greyish-brown colour 
of the first, which differ from the fuller aspect, denser woody 
structure, and reddish-brown colour of the fibres of the 
second. Geiger says that the genuine root presents the 
medutillium of a soft, fleshy consistence. In the article just 
described, this portion is ligneous i r I decidedly fibrous. 
Pereira mentions, as a distinctive? mark of the A. spicata^ 
that, when cut transversely, the fibres present the form of a 
cross; this is most evident in the specimen before us, but it 
is not so much to be relied on as we at first supposed. The 
smaller central point of the true hellebore is more or less 
stellated, showing that the medutillium, when in the fresh 
state, was angulatcd. On examining the green hellebore 
(H. viridis) we have found the same structural formation, 
and have further traced it in Ciinicifuga racemosa (formerly 
Actsea.) It may belong to this order. Upon soaking the 
fibres in water, the rounded figure and smaller size of the 
centre of the black become apparent. 
Upon first examining the specimen of false hellebore, we 
were struck with its resemblance to the black snake root of 
our country, and from Guibourt we learn that Bergius, in 
his Materia Medica, has given to this root similar charac- 
ters to those of the false hellebore of Europe. From these 
comparisons, and the statements of Murray and Bergius, as 
well as the description of Guibourt of false hellebore, we 
are induced to suppose that his specimens and our own are 
the same, and that he has gone too far in supposing, from 
mere odour and taste, that the plant was unknown. 
Chemical Composition.- Feneulle and Capron analyz-ed. 
15* 
