THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
MARCH,  18Q2. 
NORTHERN  SENEGA. 
By  L.  E.  Sayre,  University  of  Kansas. 
The  geographical  distribution  of  senega  has  been  a  subject  of  a 
good  deal  of  interest  to  the  members  of  the  pharmaceutical  pro- 
fession and  the  drug  trade  for  a  number  of  years.  Chief  among  the 
contributors  to  our  present  knowledge  of  the  drug  in  this  particular 
have  been  Prof.  J.  M.  Maisch  and  Prof.  J.  U.  Lloyd,  as  will  be  seen 
by  glancing  over  the  back  numbers  of  the  American  Journal  of 
Pharmacy,  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Asso- 
ciation, and  other  pharmaceutical  publications. 
Reference  has  been  made  to  senega  growing  in  Wisconsin  and 
Minnesota,  but  there  has  not  been  very  definite  information  given, 
I  believe,  as  to  its  collection  or  the  exact  district  of  country  from 
which  it  is  collected  in  these  States.  "Northern  Senega"  has  been  a 
current  term  meaning  a  variety  of  senega  having  certain  physical 
characteristics  very  unlike  the  original  Polygala  Senega.  Prof. 
Lloyd  (Proc.  Amer.  Pharm.  Asso.,  1881),  describing  this  variety — 
which  he  says  is  derived  from  the  Northwest  from  the  States  of 
Wisconsin  and  Minnesota — says  it  is  very  large  and  fleshy,  some- 
times white,  again  rather  dark  brown,  the  knotty  crown  meas- 
uring often  from  two  to  three  inches  in  diameter,  even  of  the  dried 
plant.  The  root  just  below  the  knotty  head  is  (when  dry)  from  the 
size  of  the  little  finger  to  that  of  the  thumb  of  a  man ;  six  to  ten 
inches  in  length  and  generally  destitute  of  keel ;  not  so  contorted 
and  branched  as  the  «  Southern  "  senega. 
L.  L.  Dyche,  Professor  of  Zoology  and  Taxidermy,  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Kansas,  some  months  ago  made  an  extensive  hunting 
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