0 '^Ministration.—T he dose of the powder is jss. to 3 b The infusion“e coclion (prepared with ji. of the bark, and Oj. of water) may beVen in doses of from fji. to fSiii.
Order 24. Cupulif'er^:, Richard .— The Oak Tribe.
Si
t>
CoRYLAChE, Mirbel.
En tial Character. —Flowers unisexual; males, amentaceous ; females, aggre-“f te or amentaceous. Aiales:—Stamens five to twenty, inserted into the base of thebv i*’ or °f a membranous calyx, generally distinct. Females : — Ovaries crownedf )he rudiments of a superior calyx, seated within a coriaceous involucre [eupule )ofar| °Us figure, and with several cells and several ovules, the greatest part of whichf abortive; ovules twin or solitary, pendulous; stigmas several, subsessile, distinct.if 1 ! a bony or coriaceous, one-celled nut, more or less inclosed in the involucre.!jsolitary, one, two, or three, pendulous; embryo large, with plano-convex,cotyledons, and a minute superior radicle. Trees or shrubs. Leaves witht i'l JU les, alternate, simple, often with veins proceeding straight from the midrib toC mar & in (Lindley). .... .
fi RTiEs—The prevailing quality of this order is astringency, owing to the pre-** Ce °f tannic acid.
Que r'cus peduncula'ta, Willd. L. E.— The Common British Oak.
Sex. Syst. Moncecia, Polyandria.
(Cortex, L. D. Tlie Bark, E.)
(s ^istory.—T he oaks (Quercus of botanists) were held sacred by the'p e * Cs > Romans, Gauls , and Britons. They are mentioned in the Old4( , Client ( Isaiah , ch. i. v. 29, 30). Both Dioscorides and Galen werejy ldointed with their astringent qualities. “ Every part of the oak,” saysScor *des (lib. i. cap. 142), “ but especially the liber, possesses an■j^dgent property.”
„ ° t any.— Gen. Char. Monoecious. Male flowers :—Catkins lax
r lG.
Uo.
and pendidous. Perianth lacerated. Stamens five to ten.Female flowers:—Involucre scaly; the stales numerous, im-bricated ; combined with a coriaceous, hemispherical cup.Perianth six-lobed, adnate to the ovary. Ovary three-celled ; two of the cells abortive. Stigmas three. Nut( glans or acorn) one-celled, one-seeded, surrounded at thebase by the eupule ( acorn-cup) (Bot. Gall.)
Sp. Char. — Leaves deciduous, shortly-stalked, oblong-obovate, deeply sinuate; their sinuses rather acute, lobesobtuse. Fruits two to three upon a long peduncle {Hooker)., A large and handsome tree, remarkable for its longevity.
H-i/* round, smooth, grayisli-brown. Leaves bright green, furnished’ , l jt single midrib sending off veins into the lobes. Male flowers yel-jj ; females greenish, tinged with brown.
—Indigenous, growing in woods and hedges. Flowers in April.P *°und in most European countries.
H 4 tt 4&KlXG -—In the spring, the barks of trees contain more astringentfo r , er > and are more readily separated from the wood. The usual time^rking the oak is from the beginning of May to the middle of July,si, barkers make a longitudinal incision with a mallet furnished with aI‘ e dge, and a circular incision by means of a barking bill. The
the
doom.