to the people in sections where it is found, who call it itch-weed, Indianpoke, poke-root,* or American hellebore, swamp hellebore, etc. Theearliest travelers made mention of it. Josselyn (345) records that itwas used as an ordeal test by the American Indians, somewhat on thesame order as the ordeals by the negroes of Africa at the present day.He supposed it was the same as Veratrum album of Europe, and notesits abundance, stating "that you may in a small compass gather wholecart-loads of it."

Peter Kalm (350) states that it is very common in marshy placesand frequently causes the death of stock which eat the young leavesin spring; also that the settlers employed a decoction of the root topoison the seed-corn, to prevent the birds from eating it ;f and alsothat the root was used as an insecticide.

According to Loudon the plant was introduced into Europe in1742, though most authorities ascribe to Peter Collinson its in-troduction in 1763 (8). It was named and described in the firstedition of Aiton's Hortus Kewensis (vol. 3, p. 422, 1789) as Veratrumviride, and Aiton by most writers is given as the author of the name.In justice, however, the credit should be given to William Solander,an English botanist and illustrious pupil of Linnseus, who (althoughno mention of the fact is made in the publication) furnished the de-scriptions and nomenclature of the new species described in Aiton'swork.J

Veratrum viride is conceded by all modern botanists to be a dis-tinct species; it is so close, however, to Veratrum album of Europethat the early explorers of America and some of the earlier botanistsand travelers—Michaux (433) (Flor. bor. am., Vol. II, p. 249), Josse-lyn (345), Kalm (350), David Schöpf (582)—thought it was the samespecies. Certainly the rhizomes of both plants bear a close resemblanceto each other, even in their microscopical aspects. (E. S. Baslin, Am.Jour. Phar.. 1895, p. 196.)

VIBURNUM OPULUS

High cranberry, Viburnum opulus, known also as cramp bark,is a shrub growing in swamps and damp localities of the NorthernUnited States. The bark of this shrub was used by the Indians asa diuretic, a decoction being freely employed. According to Rafinesque(535), pills and plasters were also devised from this plant, and thebark was smoked, instead of tobacco, by some of the Western Indiantribes. The leaves of Viburnum opulus and other species were usedby the Indians as a tea, and also by the settlers of the Southern Statesin early Colonial days. The domestic use of viburnum did not impressthe medical profession to any extent until the day of ßeach (49), asis evidenced by the fact that such conspicuous authorities as Zollick-offer (706), and even the United States Dispensatory, 1833 edition,neglected to mention either the plant or its uses.

* A name universally employed for phytolacca decandra.

t The Statement being that the marauding birds were sickened and did not return.

tOictionary of National Biography. "Aiton, Wm." New York, 1885 to date.

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