ON ARISTOLOCHIA. 
119 
number, (4 or 5,) given off from the lower joints of the stem, 
are hairy, jointed, and support at the joints small leaffy villous 
bracts, (tomentose when young,) and several flowers, on short 1 
sub-peduncles. The flowers are small, purplish, and densely 
pubescent, especially at their base, and on the germ. The 
hexangular deeply sulcate capsule, which may be sometimes 
seen on the same general peduncle with unexpanded flower, 
is sprinkled with scattered hairs, and bears at its apex the 
decayed corolla. 
This root, as found in the drug market, is in appearance of 
a coarser character than the common kind. From a knotty 
caudex it sends off numerous long fibres, two or three times 
the thickness of those from the A. serpenturia, of a yellow- 
ish color. Its smell is aromatic, its taste warm, aromatic, and 
very bitter ; appearing in these respects fully equal to the or- 
dinary article. The whole of this parcel is derived from the 
same species, all the stems and leaves collected from the bale 
presenting similar characters. It is in all probability de- 
rived from a locality in which it is the only species ; perhaps 
the only known locality, west of the Mississippi river, in the 
States of Louisiana and Arkansas. Had its source been Vir~ 
ginia, from whence it was received by us, it would have pro- 
bably been mixed with the other species, A. hirsula ; the 
ascertained locality of which is from the northern part of 
Georgia, up to Virginia. A new locality for this article, of 
such a quality as the above, is of some importance, Serpenta- 
ria of late years being scarce in the market, and consequently 
of a high price. 
The A. hirsuta of Muhlenberg, has been mentioned as 
distinct from A. tomentosa of Sims. These two names be- 
ing, by the highest authority, considered as synonymes, it 
becomes necessary to state why they should be attributed to 
two distinct species. In the year 1813 Mr. Muhlenberg pub- 
lished a catalogue of the hitherto known and naturalized 
plants of North America, in the 81st page of which he enu- 
merated five species of Aristolochia. 
This was, as its name imports, a mere catalogue, and being 
