Part 4 (1/2)

These plants, which are mostly natives of mild climates of the old world, are characterized by having square stems; opposite, simple leaves and branches; and more or less two-lipped flowers which appear in the axils of the leaves, occasionally alone, but usually several together, forming little whorls, which often compose loose or compact spikes or racemes. Each fertile blossom is followed by four little seedlike fruits in the bottom of the calyx, which remains attached to the plant. The foliage is generally plentifully dotted with minute glands that contain a volatile oil, upon which depends the aroma and piquancy peculiar to the individual species.

The leading species of the Umbelliferae are:

Parsley (_Carum Petroselinum_, Benth. and Hook.).

Dill (_Anethum graveolens_, Linn.).

Fennel (_Foeniculum officinale_, Linn.).

Angelica (_Archangelica officinalis_, Hoofm.).

Anise (_Pimpinella anisum_, Linn.).

Caraway (_Carum Carui_, Linn.).

Coriander (_Coriandrum sativum_, Linn.).

Chervil (_Scandix Cerefolium_, Linn.).

c.u.min or c.u.mmin (_c.u.minum Cyminum_, Linn.).

Lovage (_Levistic.u.m officinale_, Koch.).

Samphire (_Crithmum maritimum_, Linn.).

[Ill.u.s.tration: Hand Plow]

Like the members of the preceding group, the species of the Umbelliferae are princ.i.p.ally natives of mild climates of the old world, but many of them extend farther north into the cold parts of the continent, even beyond the Arctic Circle in some cases. They have cylindrical, usually hollow stems; alternate, generally compound leaves the basis of whose stalks ensheath the branches or stems; and small flowers almost always arranged in compound terminal umbels. The fruits are composed of two seedlike dry carpels, each containing a single seed, and usually separating when ripe. Each carpel bears five longitudinal prominent ribs and several, often four, lesser intermediate ones, in the intervals between which numerous oil ducts have their openings from the interior of the fruit. The oil is generally found in more or less abundance also in other parts of the plant, but is usually most plentiful in the fruits.

The members of the Compositae used as sweet herbs are, with the exception of tarragon, comparatively unimportant, and except for having their flowers in close heads ”on a common receptacle, surrounded by an involucre,” have few conspicuous characters in common. No further s.p.a.ce except that required for their enumeration need here be devoted to them.

And this remark will apply also to the other two herbs mentioned further below.

COMPOSITae

Marigold, Pot (_Calendula officinalis_, Linn.). Tansy (_Tanacetum vulgaris_, Linn.). Tarragon (_Artemisia Dracunculus_, Linn.).

Southernwood (_Artemisia Abrotanum_, Linn.).

RUTACEae

Rue (_Ruta graveolens_, Linn.).

BORAGINACEae

Borage (_Borago officinalis_, Linn.).

RANUNCULACEae

Fennel-flower (_Nigella sativa_, Linn.).

Before dismissing this section of the subject, it may be interesting to glance over the list of names once more. Seven of these plants were formerly so prominent in medicine that they were designated ”official”

and nearly all the others were extensively used by physicians. At the present day there are very few that have not pa.s.sed entirely out of official medicine and even out of domestic practice, at least so far as their intrinsic qualities are concerned. Some, to be sure, are still employed because of their pleasant flavors, which disguise the disagreeable taste of other drugs. But this is a very different matter.

One of the most notable of these is fennel. What wonders could that plant not perform 300 years ago! In Parkinson's ”Theatric.u.m Botanic.u.m”