Important: Safety Warning
This page states that certain wild plants are safe to eat. Its identifications and edibility claims are more than a century old and in some cases simply wrong, and deadly look-alikes exist for many edible species. Never eat a wild plant on the strength of this text.
This page prescribes plants as medicine according to pre-modern medical theory. Several of the plants named are toxic, correct identification is difficult, and the doses given have no scientific basis. Do not ingest or apply any preparation described here.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Order Cii
ASCLEPIADEE. 572 Apócynum R. Br. 573 Melodínus Forst. 299? Monétia W.
These differ from the last only in having the stamens united into a sort of fleshy crown, and the pollen coherent in masses of a waxy substance like that of Orchideæ; their properties, habit and geographical range, are much the same. Periplóca is a singular instance of an asclepiadeous plant being a hardy shrub, every other frutescent species of the order being natives of countries where frost is unknown. Hoya comprehends climbing plants, with waxen, clustered, odoriferous flowers distilling honey. Pergulária is valued for its fragrance, Ceropégia for its singularity, and Asclépias for beauty and hardiness. But the most extraordinary genera of the order are Stapélia, Piaránthus, and Huérnia, in which the place of leaves is supplied by fleshy short stems of various forms, and whose flowers are not less singular for their curious and complex organization, than they are remarkable for their strange coloring and spotting, and offensive for their fœtor. The root of Gymnéma vomitórium, Asclépias curassávica, Calótropis prócera, and some others, is employed in different countries for ipecacuanha. An infusion of the root of Asclépias decúmbens has the singular property of exciting general perspiration; whence it is successfully used in Virginia for pleurisy. It is very singular that, in a tribe of plants so generally poisonous as these are, the young shoots of some species should be an article of food: of this nature are Pergulária édulis, Periplóca esculénta, Apócynum índicum, and several more. 574 Periplóca R. Br. 575 Cryptostégia R. Br. 576 Hemidésmus R. Br. 577 Secamóne R. Br. 578 Microlóma R. Br. 579 Sarcostémma R. Br. 580 Dæ'mia R. Br. 581 Cynánchum R. Br. 582 Oxystélma R. Br. 583 Gymnéma R. Br. 584 Calótropis R. Br. 585 Dischídia R. Br. 587 Gomphocárpus R. Br. 593 Ceropégia Roxb. 588 Asclépias R. Br. 594 Stapélia R. Br. 589 Gonólobus R. Br. 595 Piaránthus R. Br. 590 Pergulária R. Br. 596 Huérnia R. Br. 591 Marsdénia R. Br. 597 Brachystélma R. Br 598 Carallúma R. Br. 586 Xysmalóbium R. Br. 592 Hoýa R. Br.
ORDER CIII.
GENTIANEÆ.
An order in some degree intermediate between Polemoniaceæ and Scrophularineæ, from both which it is distinguished both by habit and fruit; some of the genera border closely upon Apocyneæ. The species are natives of cool or mountainous regions or pools in all parts of the world. The Gentians are mostly dwarf herbaceous plants, with deep blue flowers; the latter color, and different shades of orange, being the prevailing hues. They are all pretty, and many beautiful in the highest degree; but, with a few exceptions, they are impatient of cultivation. The medicinal properties of the root of Gentiana lútea, rúbra, and purpúrea, are eminently tonic, stomachic, and febrifugal; their bitterness is second only to Quássia. Similar, but more feeble virtues, are found in most of the order, especially in Villársia ováta, Gentiána peruviána, Chirayíta, Fraséra Wálteri, &c. Spigélia anthélmia is used as a vermifuge; and the root of Spigélia marylándica infused in water as anthelmintic, and in wine as febrifuge. of spirit is distilled in Switzerland from the roots of Gentiána, macerated in water. Potália amára is used in Guiana as an emetic. A kind 600 Gentiána W. 599 Swértia W. 281 Sebæ'a R. Br. 282 Fraséra Walt. 280 E'xacum W. 364 Chirónia L. 365 Eústoma P. L. 366 Erythræ'a P. S. 367 Sabbatia P. L. 894 Chlóra W. 368 Logánia R. Br. 379 Spigélia W. 378 Lisianthus W. 362 Menyánthes W. 363 Villársia R. Br.
ORDER CIV.