Amoc^'i87h6!rm  }      Remarks  on  the  Quinine- Flower.  455 
woods,  in  a  moderately  dry  soil,  making  its  appearance  in  March  or 
April,  and  flowering  from  July  to  September.  The  specimens  fur- 
nished me  were  gathered  three  or  four  miles  south  of  Monticello,  in 
Jefferson  county.  In  the  lower  portions  of  the  county  it  is  very  abun- 
dant, and  is  successfully  employed  by  those  living  in  its  vicinity  for  the 
cure  of  different  types  of  malarious  fever,  the  whole  plant  being  used, 
either  in  the  form  of  decoction  or  extract,  and  given  ad  libitum,  or  un- 
til the  patient  feels  the  effects  of  quinine  in  his  head.  It  is  a  curious 
fact  that  persons  brought  under  the  influence  of  this  remedy  experi- 
ence similar  sensations — such  as  tension  or  fullness  in  the  head,  ringing 
in  the  ears  or  partial  deafness — as  when  under  the  influence  of  Quinia, 
and  hence  its  name.  Its  reputation  as  an  anti-periodic  was  established 
during  the  late  civil  war,  when,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  Quinia,  every 
opportunity  was  offered  for  testing  the  relative  value  of  various  substi- 
tutes. 
The  Ouinine-flower  is  intensely  and  permanently  bitter,  yielding  its 
properties  to  water  and  alcohol.  A  saturated  tincture  in  doses  of  one 
teaspoonful  every  two  hours  was  found  sufficient  to  break  the  paroxysm 
of  intermittent  fever.  Larger  quantities,  however,  may  be  given  in 
obstinate  cases,  or  in  the  remittent  form  of  the  disease. 
REMARKS  ON  THE  QUININE-FLOWER. 
BY  THE  EDITOR. 
At  our  request  Dr.  Palmer  has  sent  us  some  of  the  flowering  plants 
referred  to  in  the  preceding  paper.  The  plant  was  found  to  belong  to 
the  naturalorder  of  Gentianaceae,and  to  the  sub-order  Gentianeae, having 
the  corolla  lobes  twisted  (contorted)  in  the  bud;  the  distinct  style  being 
deciduous,  it  must  be  placed  into  the  section  to  which  Erythraea  and 
Sabbatia  belong.  Its  botanical  characters  agree  with  those  of  the  last- 
named  genus,  and  more  particularly  with  the  group  which  has  the 
white  or  purplish  flowers  scattered  on  alternate  peduncles,  and  the  co- 
rolla five-parted.  On  comparing  it  with  the  American  species  in  the 
College  herbarium  of  Dan.  B.  Smith,  it  was  found  to  correspond  with 
a  specimen  of  Sabbatia  Elliottiiy  Steud.,  which  is  marked  ex  herbar. 
Chapmani.  This  plant  is  described  in  "  Chapman's  Flora  of  the 
Southern  United  States  "  as  follows  : 
Stem  low,  terete,  paniculately  much  branched  from  near  the  base,  the  branches 
