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Materia Medica. — Triticifarina.

PART II.

and an austere styptic taste. It is knotty: externally blackish,and internally reddish. To boiling water it yields its activematter, which appears to be chiefly tannin as the infusion iscopiously precipitated by solution of isinglass, and strikes adeep black with sulphate of iron. Except galls and catechu, itcontains more tannin than any other vegetable.

Medical properties and uses. — Tormentil root is a powerfulastringent. It has been employed with success in intermit-tents, but more efficaciously in diarrhoeas; particularly thoseattendant on phthisis, as it produces its astringent effects with-out increasing the general excitement. As a local remedy itmay be advantageously used in the form of gargle and lotion inulcerations of the tongue and mouth, against spongy gums,and as an application to foetid ill-conditioned sores: but it isseldom used. It may be given in substance, or in the form ofdecoction. The dose of the powdered root is from jss. to £j.

TRITICUM. Spec. Plant. Willd. i. 476.CI. 3. Orel. 2. Triandria Monogynia. Nat. ord.G. 152. Calyx two-valved, solitary, subtriflorous.

obtuse.* Annual.Species % Triticum hybemum ', Winter Wheat.

tibus.Officinal. Farina. Amyl'um, Loud. Edin. Triticum ;

farina ; amylum, Dub. Wheat Flour. Starch.

Syn. Farine du froment; Amidon (F.), Weitzcnmehl; Kraftmohl, Staerhe (G.),Farina di Frumento 1' Amido (I.), Acemite ; almidon (S.).

The country whence this valuable grain originally came isunknown; but it is certain that Sicily was the part of Europe■where it was first cultivated. It will not vegetate beyond the62° degree of northern latitude. It has two sets of roots; oneset proceeding directly from the seed, and the other from whatis denominated the corona of the plant, about two inches abovethe first: the coronal roots do not shoot till spring-time, andcollect more nutriment than the seminal roots 5 ; the ears orspikes are long, with the grain lodged in four rows, and imbri-cate : the chaff smooth, bellied, and terminated by very shortawns, distinguishing it from spring wheat {Triticum cestivum),which has awns three inches long. Many varieties of wheatare cultivated in this country, of which the ivhite Dantzic isconsidered the best. The grain is small and translucent, andyeilds flour which makes more bread in proportion to the quan-tity of flour than that of any other variety of wheat. After theoperation of grinding, the farinaceous part of the seed is sepa-rated, by means of cloth sieves, into several distinct portions ofvarious degrees of fineness ; but the whole may be resolved in-

Gramina.Flower somewhat

Gartner de Fruc-

SEMTNUM

Tlvpbs X il h°s topippxvos Dioscoridis. * Hunter's Georgkal Essays, Essay v.