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 Lxi
SALICARIÆ.
Most of these are very showy plants, in particular the genera Lýthrum and Lagerstræ mia, which are the representatives of the order. They are chiefly natives of temperate climates, on mountains and among bushes. Little chiefly natives of temperate climates, on mountains and among bushes. Glaux and Péplis are common shore plants in England. Heímia is remarkable for its yellow flowers. plants in England. Heimia is remarkable for its yellow flowers. Little is known of the properties of Salicariæ; they are mostly astringent the common Salicária is used in inveterate which is are mostly astringent; the common Salicária is used in inveterate diarrhœas; a species of Lýthrum is used in Mexico as a vulnerary and astringent, and Lawsonia, which is used by the Turkish women to stain their nails, is also supposed to possess similar properties. There is a plant of is also supposed to possess similar properties. There is a plant of this order called Hanchinol in Mexico, which is said to possess much more remarkable powers than any of the preceding; its expressed juice, taken in doses of four ounces, excites violent perspiration and secretion of urine, and is said to cure venereal disorders in an incredibly short space of time. 877 Gríslea W. 1097 Cúphea Jacq. 1195 Lagerstræʼmia W. 1094 Lýthrum W. 1095 Nesæ'a Kunth. 1096 Heímia Lk.
ORDER LXII. 302 Ammánnia W. 568 Glaux W. 836 Péplis W.
MELASTOMACEÆ. 898 Lawsónia W. 1031 Acisanthéra J.
All these are remarkable as handsome tropical shrubs or trees, with large purple or white flowers, and leaves with several costæ, or nerves as they are incorrectly termed. The genera admitted in the body of the work are those received by the greater part of previous writers; they have been much increased, and apparently with great propriety, by Mr. D. Don. The species are generally ill treated in collections, where they are not unfrequently to be found under the form of sickly stunted plants, instead of noble broad-leaved spreading the of sickly stunted plants, instead of noble broad-leaved spreading shrubs, with masses of brilliant flowers. To be grown well they require much heat, much moisture during the summer, and much pit-room and head-room . The fruit of true Melastomas is a fleshy insipid juicy berry, which is for the most part eatable, and is often so deep a black as to dye the teeth and mouths of those who eat it. They are nearly related to Myrtaceæ, from which they differ in the want of essential oil, and used a , from which they differ in the want of essential oil, and of the dot.like reservoirs of the leaves which contain it. The juice of the leaves of M. succósa and aláta is as contain it. The juice of the leaves of M. succósa and aláta is used as a lotion for recent wounds by the inhabitants of Guiana. 899 Osbéckia W. 900 Rhéxia W. 1029 Melástoma W. 1030 Petalóma W.