P.4RTII.

Materia Meihca.

213

matter: and to contain malic acid, as their infusion strikes a

brown colour with sulphate of iron.

Medical properties and uses. — The fresh root is cathartic,

and lias been recommended in dropsies; the dry is nearly in-ert : but in neither state does it merit a place in the list of

materia medica.

JUNIPERUS. Spec. Plant. Willd. iv. 851,

CI. 22. Ord. 13. Dicecia Monadelpliia. Nat. ord. Conifers.

G. 1841. Male. Amentum orate. Calyx a scale. Corolla 0. Sta-mens 3. Female. Calyx three-parted. Petals 3. Styles 3. Berrythree-sided, irregular, with the 3 tubercles of the calyx.

Species 6. J- Sabina. Savine. Med. Bot. 2(7 edit. 10. t. 5.

Species 10. Si'communis. Common Juniper. Med. Bot. 2d cd. 13.t. 6. Smith Flora Brit. 1085. Eng. Bot. 1130.1. Juniperus Sabina. 1

Officinal. Sabinje folia. Lond. Jvnipf.ri Sabinve folia. Edin.Sabina ; folia. Dub. Savine leaves.

Syti. Sdbinne (F.J Sa4ebaum (G.) S;ibin3 (J.) Sabina (S.)

This shrub is a native of the south of Europe and the Le-vant; but has been long cultivated in our gardens, floweringin May and June. It seldom rises above three feet in height;is covered with a brown bark, and divided into numerous sub-divided branches; which are completely invested with verysmall, erect, firm, opposite, pointed leaves, of a bright greencolour, that lie over each other, and terminate the branches insharp points; giving the whole shrub a very lively aspect. Themale and female flowers are on different plants. The malecatkin consists of three opposite flowers placed in a triple row,and a tenth flower at the end: and at the base of each floweris a broad scale fixed laterally to a columnar pedicel. Thereare filaments in the terminal flower only; tapering and unitedat the base, with simple anthers, which are sessile in the late-ral flowers. In the female flowers, the calyx is three perma-nent scales; the petals are stiff, sharp, and also permanent;and the germen supports three styles with simple stigmas. Thefruit is a spurious fleshy berry of a blackish purple colour;marked with tubercles the vestiges of the calyx and petals,and containing three small hard seeds.

Qiialities. — The leaves and tops of savine have a strong,heavy, disagreeable odour, and a bitter hot taste, with a con-siderable degree of acrimony. These qualities depend on anessential oil, which is obtained in considerable quantity by dis-tillation with water. Both water and alcohol extract its ac-tive principles; and Lewis found that " on inspissating thespiritous tincture, there remains an extract consisting of twodistinct substances, of which one is yellow, unctuous or oily,

1 Boitfot Dioscoridis.

There are two varieties of Savine ; the variety /3 is our plant.

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