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ON THE BEAKED HAZEL. 
ART. XLI.-ON THE BEAKED HAZEL. 
By Augustine Duhamel. 
C Read before the Pharmaceutical Society. J 
As this plant has served a useful purpose in medicine as a 
substitute for cowhage, its botanical description, with a brief 
notice of its character, may not be without some interest. 
CoRYLFS ROSTRATA, (Aiton.) 
The beaked hazel is a shrub two or three feet high, belong- 
ing to the natural order Amentacese, suborder Cupuliferse ; 
Moncecia polyandria of the artificial system of Linnaeus. 
The leaves are on short petioles, oblong-ovate, acuminate, 
slightly cordate. 
Sterile Flower. — Ament cylindrical, scales three cleft, 
stamens eight. 
Fertile Flower. — Ovaries several, stigmas two, nut 
ovate, surrounded with a coriaceous and scaly involucre or 
cupula, terminating in a tube an inch and a half long, covered 
with short and thick bristles, very similar to those of the 
Mucuna (Dolichos) pruriens. This shrub grows in the 
mountainous regions of North America. These short and 
stiff bristles have been found to possess anthelmintic properties 
equal to cowhage, in mechanically injuring and expelling the 
worm without injuring the intestines. Dr. Heubener, of Beth- 
lehem, Pennsylvania, from whom this specimen was obtained, 
has made an essay of its virtues and was highly pleased with 
its efficiency. Like the cowhage, it may be administered in 
some consistent vehicle, and in like doses. 
