284 Materia Medica. — Dianthus Caryophyllus. part ii.

preserve it through the winter, so as to enable it to perfect its.seed.

Qualities. — Stavesacre seeds have very little odour, butthat little is disagreeable ; their taste is bitter, acrid, and hot.

They are yellowish within, and covered with a rough blackishcuticle. Their virtues are partially extracted by water, andcompletely by alcohol. M. M. Lassaigne and Feneulle dis-covered that their active properties depend on a peculiar alka-line principle, which they named Delphine, or Delphinia.

Medical properties and uses. — These seeds are emetic andcathartic, but their operation is so violent that they are neverinternally administered. Owing to their stimulating powerfullythe salivary gland, when chewed, they have been used as a mas-ticatory in toothach; but they are chiefly employed in powder, /mixed with hair powder for destroying pediculi of the head.' p-e /*/<,

DIANTHUS.'' Spec. Plant. Willd. ii. 671.CI. 10. Ord. 2. Decandria Digynia. Nat. ord. Caryophyllei, Linn.

Caryophylleae, Juss.G. 893. Calyx cylindrical, one-leafed, with four scales at the base..

Petals five, with claws. Capsule cylindrical, one-celled.* * Flowers solitary, many on the same stem.Species 9. D. Caryophyllus. Clove Pink, or Gillyflower. Med.Bot.

2d edit. 579. /. C J05. Smith Flor. Brit. 461. Eng. Bot. 214.Officinal. Dianthi Caryophyllj flores, Edin. Cahyophyl-

lum rvbrvm ; flores, Dub. Flowers of the Clove Pink.

Syn. Giroflee musquee (F.), Gewurzhaft riechende, Gartennelke (G.), Garo-t'-mo (I.), Clavel (S.).

This is a perennial plant, a native of Italy, but found grow-ing wild on ruined walls, as those of Rochester, Deal, and otherold castles in England, flowering in July. 3 It is cultivated ingardens for medicinal use: in which case the flowers becomefull, and improve their native odour. The root is firm, andfibrous. The stems, which rise from among tufts of channelledlinear glaucous leaves, that are finely toothed a little abovethe base, but entire and smooth towards the apex,, are erect,branched, and panicled, bearing many solitary flowers. Thewhole herb is glaucous. The calyx is striated, tubular five-cleft, of a pale green colour, with four rhomboid pointed scalesat its base, about one-fourth of its length: the petals vary incolour from a pale flesh red to the deepest carnation; are un-equally crenated, smooth at the orifice, with long narrow whit-

1 Iltlphinia, in a separate state, exerts violent poisonous properties, in very smalldoses; acting chiefly on the nervous system. To procure it, hoii the powdered seeds indistilled water, anil press through a cloth. Filter the decoction, and boil it for a lewminutes with pure magnesia : re-filter, and boil the residuum left on the filter withalcohol; and, lastly, cautiously evaporate the solution. A white powder is obtained,which is Delphinia.

' Trom Aids avBos, the flower of Jove ; yet it was unknown to the ancients.

3 Ray and Hudson suppose it to bean outcast pi'gardens, and not an indigenousplant of England,