Part 20

Description of plant.—Like most of the other members of the mint family (Menthaceæ), stoneroot is aromatic also, the fresh flowering plant possessing a very pleasant, lemon-like odor. It is a tall, perennial herb, growing as high as 5 feet. The stem is stout, erect, branched, smooth, or the upper part hairy.

The leaves are opposite, about 3 to 8 inches long, thin, ovate, pointed at the apex, narrowed or sometimes heart shaped at the base, and coarsely toothed; the lower leaves are largest and are borne on slender stems, while the upper ones are smaller and almost stemless. Stoneroot is in flower from July to October, producing large, loose, open terminal panicles or heads of small, pale-yellow lemon-scented flowers. The flowers have a funnel-shaped 2-lipped corolla, the lower lip larger, pendent, and fringed, with two very much protruding stamens. (Pl. VII, fig. 1.)

Description of root.—Even the fresh root of this plant is very hard. It is horizontal, large, thick, and woody, and the upper side is rough and knotty and branched irregularly. (Pl. VII, fig. 1.) The odor of the root is rather disagreeable, and the taste pungent and spicy. In the fresh state, as well as when dry, the root is extremely hard, whence the common name “stoneroot.” The dried root is grayish brown externally, irregularly knotty on the upper surface from the remains of branches and the scars left by former stems, and the lower surface showing a few thin roots. The inside of the root is hard and whitish.

Collection, prices, and uses.—Stoneroot, which is collected in autumn, is employed for its tonic, astringent, diuretic, and diaphoretic effects. The price of the root ranges from 2 to 3½ cents a pound.

The leaves are used by country people as an application to bruises.

CULVER’S-ROOT.

Veronica virginica L.

Synonym.—Leptandra virginica (L.) Nutt.

Pharmacopœial name.—Leptandra.

Other common names.—Culver’s-physic, blackroot, bowman’s-root, Beaumont-root, Brinton-root, tall speedwell, tall veronica, physic-root, whorlywort.

Habitat and range.—This common indigenous herb is found abundantly in moist, rich woods, mountain valleys, meadows, and thickets from British Columbia south to Alabama, Missouri, and Nebraska.

Description of plant.—Culver’s-root is a tall, slender-stemmed perennial belonging to the figwort family (Scrophulariaceæ). It is from 3 to 7 feet in height, with the leaves arranged around the simple stems in whorls of three to nine. The leaves are borne on very short stems, are lance shaped, long pointed at the apex, narrowed at the base, and sharply toothed, 3 to 6 inches in length, and 1 inch or less in width. The white tube-shaped flowers, with two long protruding stamens, are produced from June to September and are borne in several terminal, densely crowded, slender, spikelike heads from 3 to 9 inches long. (Fig. 23.) The flowers, as stated, are usually white, though the color may vary from a pink to bluish or purple, and on account of its graceful spikes of pretty flowers it is often cultivated in gardens as an ornamental plant. The fruits are small, oblong, compressed, many-seeded capsules.

Description of rootstock.—After they are dried the rootstocks have a grayish brown appearance on the outside, and the inside is hard and yellowish, either with a hollow center or a brownish or purplish pith. When broken the fracture is tough and woody. The rootstock measures from 4 to 6 inches in length, is rather thick and bent, with branches resembling the main rootstock. The upper surface has a few stem scars, and from the sides and underneath numerous coarse, brittle roots are produced, which have the appearance of having been artificially inserted into the rootstock. (Fig. 23.) Culver’s-root has a bitter and acrid taste, but no odor.

Collection, prices, and uses.—The rootstock and roots should be collected in the fall of the second year. When fresh these have a faint odor, resembling somewhat that of almonds, which is lost in drying. The bitter, acrid taste of Culver’s-root also becomes less the longer it is kept, and it is said that it should be kept at least a year before being used. The price paid to collectors ranges from 6 to 10 cents a pound.

Culver’s-root, which is official in the United States Pharmacopœia, is used as an alterative, cathartic, and in disorders of the liver.

DANDELION.

Taraxacum officinale Weber.

Synonyms.—Taraxacum taraxacum (L.) Karst.; Taraxacum dens-leonis Desf.

Pharmacopœial name.—Taraxacum.

Other common names.—Blow-ball, cankerwort, doon-head-clock, fortune-teller, horse gowan, Irish daisy, yellow gowan, one-o’clock. (Fig. 24.)

Habitat and range.—With the exception, possibly, of a few localities in the South, the dandelion is at home almost everywhere in the United States, being a familiar weed in meadows and waste places, and especially in lawns. It has been naturalized in this country from Europe and is distributed as a weed in all civilized parts of the world.

Description of plant.—It is hardly necessary to give a description of the dandelion, as almost everyone is familiar with the coarsely toothed, smooth, shining green leaves, the golden-yellow flowers which open in the morning and only in fair weather, and the round, fluffy seed heads of this only too plentiful weed of the lawns. In spring the young, tender leaves are much sought after by the colored market women about Washington, who collect them by the basketful and sell them for greens or salad.

Dandelion is a perennial belonging to the chicory family (Cichoriaceæ), and is in flower practically throughout the year. The entire plant contains a white milky juice.

Description of root.—The dandelion has a large, thick, and fleshy taproot, sometimes measuring 20 inches in length. In commerce, dandelion root is usually found in pieces 3 to 6 inches long, dark brown on the outside and strongly wrinkled lengthwise. It breaks with a short fracture and shows the thick whitish bark marked with circles of milk ducts and a thin woody center, which is yellow and porous. It is practically without odor and has a bitter taste.

Collection and uses.—Late in summer and in fall the milky juice becomes thicker and the bitterness increases, and this is the time to collect dandelion root. It should be carefully washed and thoroughly dried. Dandelion roots lose considerably in drying, weighing less than half as much as the fresh roots. The dried root should not be kept too long, as drying diminishes its medicinal activity. It is official in the United States Pharmacopœia.

Dandelion is used as a tonic in diseases of the liver and in dyspepsia.

Imports and prices.—Most of the dandelion root found on the market is collected in central Europe. There has been an unusually large demand for dandelion root during the season of 1907, and according to the weekly records contained in the “Oil, Paint, and Drug Reporter,” the imports entered at the port of New York from January 1, 1907, to the end of May amounted to about 47,000 pounds. The price ranges from 4 to 10 cents a pound.

QUEEN-OF-THE-MEADOW.