Spec. Plant Willd. iii. 810.

Cl. 5. Ord. 1. Pentandria Monogynia. Nat ord. Gentianaceae.

G. 229. Corolla hirsute. Stigma cloven. Capsule one-celled.

Sp. 4. M. trifoliata.2 Buckbean. Med. Pot 3d edit, t 97. Smith, Flor. Brit 225. Eng. Bot 405. Bigelow, Amer, Med. Bot iii. 55.

Officinal. Menyanthes, Lond. Menyanthis trifoliatae folia, Edin. Dub. The leaves of Buckbean.

Syn. Menianthe (F.), Bitterklce (G.), Water-drieblad (Dutch), Vandk lever (Dan.), Vattenklofver (Swed.), Troylist (Pol.), Trifolio fibrino (I.), Menyanthes de tres en rama (S.), Trevo d'agua (Port.).

This is one of the most beautiful of our indigenous plants; found also in the north of Europe and in North America. It is a perennial not uncommon in watery situations, in a black, boggy soil, flowering in June and July. The root is long, round, fibrous, and of a black colour; the stems are spreading, branched, and clothed with sheathing foot-stalks, each of which supports a ternate leaf, formed of three obovate smooth, bluntly-toothed leaflets of a beautiful green on the upper surface, and pale beneath: the flower-stalk, which springs from within the sheath of a leaf, is longer than the leaves, erect, smooth, round, bearing a thyrsus of about ten flowers, accompanied by small ovate entire bractes : the calyx is obtusely five-toothed: the corolla a funnel-shaped petal, cleft into five deep segments, which are white, tipped with rose-colour, and closed within with long, fleshy, shaggy fibres on their upper side: the anthers are sagittate, and of a red colour: the germen round; and the stigma cloven and notched, on a slender style twice the length of the stamens.

1 "1 cwt. of fresh pennyroyal affords an average produce of 1 lb. of essential oil."-Brande's Manual, p. 146.

Theophrasti.

Qualities.-The leaves of buckbean have a faint, disagreeable odour, and an intensely bitter, nauseous taste, which is extracted by infusion with water. It contains much tannin.

Medical properties and uses.-Buckbean is tonic, diuretic, and purgative. It has been used with seeming benefit in remittent and intermittent fevers, rheumatism, arthritic affections, and in cachectic and cutaneous diseases. In large doses it is apt to excite vomiting. The dose of the dried leaves powdered is from Эj. to 3j.; or of an infusion made with ss. of the dried leaves and boiling water Oss., from f j. to f jss. may be taken three or four times a day. It is advisable to unite some aromatic with either of these forms.