. The drug plants of Illinois. Botany, Medical; Botany. Tehon THE DRUG PLANTS OF ILLINOIS 89 POLYGALA SENEGA L. Seneca snakeroot, senega snakeroot, rattle- snake-root. Polygalaceae.—An erect, bushy, unbranched, smooth herb 6 to 12 inches tall, perennial; rootstock horizontal, woody, with a knotty crown and tortuous branches; stems 15 to 20 or more in a clump, slender, sometimes reddish; leaves lanceolate, 1 to 2 inches long, thin, alter- nate, sessile; flowers white, small, in dense spikes 1 to 2 inches long at the ends of the stems; fruit a small, membranous capsule. The rootstock collected i
. The drug plants of Illinois. Botany, Medical; Botany. Tehon THE DRUG PLANTS OF ILLINOIS 89 POLYGALA SENEGA L. Seneca snakeroot, senega snakeroot, rattle- snake-root. Polygalaceae.—An erect, bushy, unbranched, smooth herb 6 to 12 inches tall, perennial; rootstock horizontal, woody, with a knotty crown and tortuous branches; stems 15 to 20 or more in a clump, slender, sometimes reddish; leaves lanceolate, 1 to 2 inches long, thin, alter- nate, sessile; flowers white, small, in dense spikes 1 to 2 inches long at the ends of the stems; fruit a small, membranous capsule. The rootstock collected in the fall; the knotty crown must be removed. Infre- quent in rich, dry woods, especially along streams and about lakes, in the northern half of the state. Contains an acrid principle, senegin, and a sternutatory one, polygalic acid. Used as a diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, and POLYGONATUM BIFLORUM (Walt.) Ell. Solomon's seal, sealwort, conquer-John. Liliaceae.—An ascend- ing, arched, unbranched, smooth herb 1 to 3 feet tall, perennial; rootstocks thick, knotted, horizontal, bearing scars, or seals; stems leafy above, leafless below; leaves ovate-oblong, 2 to 4 inches long, nearly sessile, alternate but appearing in 2 oppo- site ranks, entire, parallel-veined; flowers greenish, tubular, about Yi inch long, 1 to 4, usually 2, at the tip of the drooping, axillary peduncle; fruit a blue-black, glau- cous, pulpy berry. The rhizome and roots collected. Fre- quent to common in moist woods and, in the open, growing along fences and road- sides throughout the state. The medicinally active constituents un- known; contains mucilage. Used to allay irritation of mucous surfaces. iPolygonatum commutatum (R. &: S.) Dietr., smooth or giant Solomon's seal, similar to the species above but reaching a height of 8 feet, is collected without discrimination.]. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readabi
Size: 1463px × 1709px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, booksubjectbotany, booksubjectbotanymedical
