. A manual of the medical botany of North America [microform]. Botany, Medical; Botany; Botanique médicale; Botanique. 136 ROSACEiE. w& Prunus Virginlana Linnu {Prunus Canadensis Marshall, Primus serutlna Poir, Ccrusus Vinjiuiaaa Loiseleur, Cerasus seroUna Hooker).— Choke-Cher r I/. Description.—Petals roundish. Fruit about the size of a pea, dark red when fully ripe, and of an extremely astringent taste. A shrub or small tree, Avilh a grayish bark. Leaves thin and mem- branous, 2 to 3 inches long, broadly ovjd, oblong or ovate, abruptly pomted, ver}' sharijl}- and often doubly serrate. Fl
. A manual of the medical botany of North America [microform]. Botany, Medical; Botany; Botanique médicale; Botanique. 136 ROSACEiE. w& Prunus Virginlana Linnu {Prunus Canadensis Marshall, Primus serutlna Poir, Ccrusus Vinjiuiaaa Loiseleur, Cerasus seroUna Hooker).— Choke-Cher r I/. Description.—Petals roundish. Fruit about the size of a pea, dark red when fully ripe, and of an extremely astringent taste. A shrub or small tree, Avilh a grayish bark. Leaves thin and mem- branous, 2 to 3 inches long, broadly ovjd, oblong or ovate, abruptly pomted, ver}' sharijl}- and often doubly serrate. Flowers in loose, short ra- cemes terminating the branches, ap- pearing in May after the leaves are considerably developed. Habitat.—From Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and westward; everywhere common. I'art used.—The bark of Prunus serotina Ehrhart—official name, Pru- nus Virghiiaua—wild cherry—Cniled t-jlates Pliarmacopcviu. The bark of the other species is said to be fully as ef- ficient. As will be seen by reference to the synonomy of the two species, theiu has been groat confusion among botanists in their nomenclature ; hence the wild cherry of the Pharmr'- copoeia bears as its official name the projier, and at present generally ac- cepted, title belonging to choke- cherrj'. Gonstitui nts.—Wild cherry bark contains tarn'ic and gallic acids, resin, starch, and other common vegetable principles, and by distillation j-ields a peculiar volatile oil resembling the volatile oil of bitter almonds, con- taining hydrocyanic acid. The acid does not pre-exist in the bark, but is formed by the action of a proteid upon amygdalin, an amorphous or crystidliue principle present in all plants of this sub-order. Amyg- dalin is not poisonous itself, nor is the proteid substance. Moreover, the latter is, coagulated by heat and thus rendered inert; hence ii order to obtain hydrocyanic acid from wild cherry, the biu'k nmst first I (. subjected to the action of cold water. A peculia
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, booksubjectbotany, booksubjectbotanymedical
