FOREST PLANTS.
Male Fern.
Pharmacopoeial Name--Aspidium. Other Common Names: (1) Male
shield-fern, sweet brake, knotty brake, basket-fern, bear's-paw
root; (2) marginal-fruited shield-fern, evergreen wood-fern.
Habitat and Range--These ferns are found in rocky woods, the
male shield-fern inhabiting the region from Canada westward to the
Rocky Mountains and Arizona. It is widely distributed also through
Europe, northern Asia, northern Africa, and South America. The
marginal-fruited shield-fern, one of our most common ferns, occurs
from Canada southward to Alabama and Arkansas.
Description of Plants--Both of these species are tall, handsome
ferns, the long, erect fronds, or leaves, arising from a chaffy,
scaly base, and consisting of numerous crowded stemless leaflets,
which are variously divided and notched. There is but little
difference between these two species. The male shield-fern is perhaps
a trifle stouter, the leaves growing about 3 feet in length and
having a bright-green color, whereas the marginal-fruited shield-fern
has lighter green leaves, about 2 1/2 feet in length, and is of more
slender appearance. The principal difference, however, is found in
the arrangement of the "sori," or "fruit dots," These are the very
small, round, tawny dots that are found on the backs of fern leaves,
and in the male shield-fern these will be found arranged in short
rows near the midrib, while in the marginal-fruited shield-fern, as
this name indicates, the fruit dots are placed on the margins of the
fronds. Both plants are perennials and members of the fern family
(Polypodiaceae).
[Illustration: Marginal-Fruited Shield-Fern (Dryopteris
Marginalis).]
Description of the Rootstock--These ferns have stout ascending or
erect chaffy rootstocks, or rhizomes as they are technically known.
As taken from the ground the rootstock is from 6 to 12 inches in
length and 1 to 2 inches thick, covered with closely overlapping,
brown, slightly curved stipe bases or leaf bases and soft, brown,
chaffy scales. The inside of the rootstock is pale green. As found in
the stores, however, male-fern with the stipe bases and roots removed
measure about 3 to 6 inches in length and about one-half to 1 inch in
thickness, rough where the stipe bases have been removed, brown
outside, pale green and rather spongy inside.
The stipe bases remain green for a very long period, and these small,
claw-shaped furrowed portions, or "fingers" as they are called, form
a large proportion of the drug found on the American market and, in
fact, are said to have largely superseded the rootstock. Male-fern
has a disagreeable odor, and the taste is described as bitter-sweet,
astringent, acrid, and nauseous.
Collection, Prices and Uses--The best time for collecting Male-fern
root is from July to September. The root should be carefully cleaned,
but not washed, dried out of doors in the shade as quickly as
possible, and shipped to druggists at once. The United States
Pharmacopoeia directs that "the chaff, together with the dead
portions of the rhizome and stipes, should be removed, and only such
portions used as have retained their internal green color."
Great care is necessary in the preservation of this drug in order to
prevent it from deteriorating. If kept too long its activity will be
impaired, and it is said that it will retain its qualities much
longer if it is not peeled until required for use. The unreliability
sometimes attributed to this drug can in most instances be traced to
the presence of the rootstocks of other ferns with which it is often
adulterated, or it will be found to be due to improper storing or to
the length of time that it has been kept.
The prices paid for Male-fern root range from 5 to 10 cents a pound.
Male-fern, official in the United States Pharmacopoeia, has been used
since the remotest times as a remedy for worms.
Grave results are sometimes caused by overdoses.
Goldthread.
Coptis Trifolia (L.) Salisb.
Other Common Names--Coptis, cankerroot, mouthroot, yellowroot.
Habitat and Range--This pretty little perennial is native in damp,
mossy woods and bogs from Canada and Alaska south of Maryland and
Minnesota. It is most common in the New England States, northern New
York and Michigan, and in Canada, where it frequents the dark
sphagnum swamps, cold bogs and in the shade of dense forests of
cedars, pines and other evergreens.
[Illustration: Goldthread (Coptis Trifolia).]
Description of Plant--Any one familiar with this attractive little
plant will agree that it is well named. The roots of Goldthread,
running not far beneath the surface of the ground, are indeed like so
many tangled threads of gold. The plant in the general appearance of
its leaves and flowers very closely resembles the strawberry plant.
It is of low growth, only 3 to 6 inches in height, and belongs to the
crowfoot family (Ranunculaceae). The leaves are all basal, and are
borne on long, slender stems; they are evergreen, dark green and
shining on the upper surface and lighter green beneath, divided into
three parts, which are prominently veined and toothed. A single
small, white, star-shaped flower is borne at the ends of the
flowering stalks, appearing from May to August. The 5 to 7 sepals or
lobes of the calyx are white and like petals, and the petals of the
corolla, 5 to 7 in number, are smaller, club shaped, and yellow at
the base. The seed pods are stalked, oblong, compressed, spreading,
tipped with persistent style and containing small black seeds.
Description of Root--Goldthread has a long, slender, creeping root,
which is much branched and frequently matted. The color of these
roots is a bright golden yellow. As found in the stores, Goldthread
consists usually of tangled masses of these golden-yellow roots,
mixed with the leaves and stems of the plant, but the root is the
part prescribed for use. The root is bitter and has no odor.
Collection, Prices and Uses--The time for collecting Goldthread is in
autumn. After removing the covering of dead leaves and moss, the
creeping yellow roots of Goldthread will be seen very close to the
surface of the ground, from which they can be easily pulled. They
should, of course, be carefully dried. As already stated, altho the
roots and rootlets are the parts to be used, the commercial article
is freely mixed with the leaves and stems of the plant. Evidences of
the pine-woods home of this plant, in the form of pine needles and
bits of moss, are often seen in the Goldthread received for market.
Goldthread brings from 60 to 70 cents a pound.
The Indians and early white settlers used this little root as a
remedy for various forms of ulcerated and sore mouth, and it is still
used as a wash or gargle for affections of this sort. It is also
employed as a bitter tonic.
Goldthread was official in the United States Pharmacopoeia from 1820
to 1880.
Twinleaf.
Jeffersonia Diphylla (L.) Pers.
Other Common Names--Jeffersonia, rheumatism-root, helmetpod,
ground-squirrel pea, yellowroot.
Habitat and Range--Twinleaf inhabits rich, shady woods from New York
to Virginia and westward to Wisconsin.
Description of Plant--This native herbaceous perennial is only about
6 to 8 inches in height when in flower. At the fruiting stage it is
frequently 18 inches in height. It is one of our early spring plants,
and its white flower, resembling that of bloodroot, is produced as
early as April.
[Illustration: Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla), Plant and Seed
Capsule.]
The long-stemmed, smooth leaves, produced in pairs and arising from
the base of the plant, are rather oddly formed. They are about 3 to 6
inches long, 2 to 4 inches wide, heart shaped or kidney shaped, but
parted lengthwise into two lobes or divisions, really giving the
appearance of two leaves; hence the common name "Twinleaf." The
flower with its eight oblong, spreading white petals measures about 1
inch across, and is borne at the summit of a slender stalk arising
from the root. The many-seeded capsule is about 1 inch long,
leathery, somewhat pear shaped, and opening half way around near the
top, the upper part forming a sort of lid. Twinleaf belongs to the
barberry family. (Berberidaceae.)
Description of Rootstock--Twinleaf has a horizontal rootstock, with
many fibrous, much-matted roots, and is very similar to that of blue
cohosh, but not so long. It is thick, knotty, yellowish brown
externally, with a resinous bark, and internally yellowish. The inner
portion is nearly tasteless, but the bark has a bitter and acrid
taste.
Collection, Prices and Uses--The rootstock is collected in autumn and
is used as a diuretic, alterative, antispasmodic and a stimulating
diaphoretic. Large doses are said to be emetic and smaller doses
tonic and expectorant. The price paid for Twinleaf root ranges from
about 5 to 7 cents a pound.
Canada Moonseed.
Menispermum Canadense L.
Other Common Names--Menispermum, yellow parilla, Texas sarsaparilla,
yellow sarsarparilla, vine-maple.
Habitat and Range--Canada Moonseed is usually found along streams in
woods, climbing over bushes, its range extending from Canada to
Georgia and Arkansas.
[Illustration: Canada Moonseed (Menispermum Canadense).]
Description of Plant--This native perennial woody climber reaches a
length of from 6 to 12 feet, the round, rather slender stem bearing
very broad, slender-stalked leaves. These leaves are from 4 to 8
inches wide, smooth and green on the upper surface and paler beneath,
roundish in outline and entire, or sometimes lobed and resembling the
leaves of some of our maples, whence the common name "vine-maple" is
probably derived. The bases of the leaves are generally heart shaped
and the apex pointed or blunt. In July the loose clusters of small,
yellowish or greenish white flowers are produced, followed in
September by bunches of black one-seeded fruit, covered with a
"bloom" and very much resembling grapes. Canada Moonseed belongs to
the moonseed family (Menispermaceae.)
Description of Rootstock--The rootstock and roots are employed in
medicine. In the stores it will be found in long, straight pieces,
sometimes 3 feet in length, only about one-fourth of an inch in
thickness, yellowish brown or grayish brown, finely wrinkled
lengthwise, and giving off fine, hairlike, branched, brownish roots
from joints which occur every inch or so. The inside shows a distinct
white pith of variable thickness and a yellowish white wood with
broad, porous wood rays, the whole breaking with a tough, woody
fracture. It has practically no odor, but a bitter taste.
Collection, Prices and Uses--Canada Moonseed is collected in autumn
and brings from 4 to 8 cents a pound. It is used as a tonic,
alterative, and diuretic and was official in the United States
Pharmacopoeia for 1890.
Wild Turnip.
Synonym--Arum Triphyllum L.
Other Common Names--Arum, three-leaved arum, Indian turnip,
jack-in-the-pulpit, wake robin, wild pepper, dragon-turnip, brown
dragon, devil's-ear, marsh-turnip, swamp-turnip, meadow-turnip,
pepper-turnip, starch-wort, bog-onion, priest's-pintle and
lords-and-ladies.
Habitat and Range--Wild Turnip inhabits moist woods from Canada to
Florida and westward to Kansas and Minnesota.
Description of Plant--Early in April the quaint green and brownish
purple hooded flowers of the wild turnip may be seen in the shady
depths of the woods.
[Illustration: Wild Turnip (Arisaema Triphyllum).]
It is a perennial plant belonging to the arum family (Araceae), and
reaches a height of from 10 inches to 3 feet. The leaves, of which
there are only one or two, unfold with the flowers; they are borne on
long, erect, sheathing stalks, and consist of three smooth, oval
leaflets, the latter are 3 to 6 inches long, and from 1 1/2 to 3 1/2
inches wide, net veined, and with one vein running parallel with the
margins. The "flower" is curiously formed, somewhat like the calla
lily, consisting of what is known botanically as a spathe, within
which is inclosed the spadix. The spathe is an oval, leaflike part,
the lower portion of which, in the flower under consideration, is
rolled together so as to form a tube, while the upper, pointed part
is usually bent forward, thus forming a flap of hood over the tube
shaped part which contains the spadix. In fact it is very similar to
the familiar flower of the calla lily of the gardens, except that,
instead of being white, the wild turnip is either all green or
striped with very dark purple, sometimes seeming almost black, and in
the calla lily the "flap" is turned back, whereas in the wild turnip
it is bent forward over the tube. Inside of the spathe is the spadix,
also green or purple, which is club shaped, rounded at the summit,
and narrowly contracted at the base, where it is surrounded by either
the male or female flowers or both, in the latter case (the most
infrequent) the male flowers being placed below the female flowers.
In autumn the fruit ripens in the form of a bunch of bright scarlet,
shining berries. The entire plant is acrid, but the root more
especially so.
Description of the Root--The underground portion of this plant is
known botanically as a "corm," and is somewhat globular and shaped
like a turnip. The lower part of the corm is flat and wrinkled, while
the upper part is surrounded by coarse, wavy rootlets. The outside is
brownish gray and the inside white and mealy. It has no odor, but an
intensely acrid, burning taste, and to those who may have been
induced in their school days to taste of this root wild turnip will
be familiar chiefly on account of its never-to-be-forgotten acrid,
indeed, caustic, properties. The dried article of commerce consists
of round, white slices, with brown edges, only slightly shrunken, and
breaking with a starchy fracture.
Collection, Prices and Uses--The partially dried corm is used in
medicine. It is dug in summer, transversely sliced, and dried. When
first dug it is intensely acrid, but drying and heat diminish the
acridity. It loses its acridity rapidly with age. Wild Turnip brings
from 7 to 10 cents a pound.
The corm of Wild turnip, which was official in the United States
Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1870, is used as a stimulant, diaphoretic,
expectorant, and irritant.