COMMON DANDELION.

963

Fig. 188 .

Other Officinal Cynarea.

The flowers of the Car'thamus tincto'rius are imported, forthe use of timers, in flaky masses, from the East Todiesand other places, under the name of Safflower, or BastardSaffron. They contain two colouring matters—one yellow,soluble in water, the other red (cartliamin or carthamicacid), soluble in alkaline solutions. Safflower is used toadulterate hay-saffron, and in the manufacture of cake-saffron (see p. (174-5). The mode of detecting' the fraud has.... been already pointed out.

arlham «« tinctorius.

Tribe V. Cichoracem.

Tar ax'acum Dens-Leo'nis, Desf . E. —Common Dandelion.

Leon'todon Tarax'acum, Linn. L. D.

Sex. Syst. Syngenesia, Polygamia aequalis.

(Radix, L. —Root, E. —Herba et Radix, D.)

ii. —As this plant is a native of Greece (see Prodr. FI. Gratcm,

iiej it” A must have been known to the ancients. Sprengel thinks (Hist.

1^0) that it is the aipartj of Theophrastus (Hist. Plant, vii. 8).e Xte rri V' Y ‘ Gen. Char. — Head many-flowered. Involucre double ;°Hes ■ Sca ' es small, closely pressed, spreading, or reflexed; internalCe Pta T ° Ue r(nv > erect; all frequently callous-horned at the apex. Re-Spj,, ?, e naked. Achene oblong, striated, muricate near the small ribs orhi an ° Se at the apex, terminating in a long beak. Pappose hairy, inS'p r p Vs ’ vei 7 white (D. C.)

tli e j \ ^Har .—Quite smooth. Leaves unequally and acutely runcinate ;th e e j s ^angular, toothed inwardly. Scales of the involucre hornless,Ho^ . erna l ones reflexed. Achenes muricate at the apex (D. C.)

°r )t j perennial. Leaves numerous, bright shining green. Scapes one' Vfc atl? re ’ erect » brittle. Heads expanded in the morning and in fineer only. Florets golden yellow.

fit,

*4B.~

: SUl nmer.

Indigenous ; meadows and pastures every where. Flowers all

Hv'T 11 ™. — H 1C fresh root ( radix taraxaci ) is tap-shaped, branched,jdq bounding in milky juice. Externally it is dull-yellow or brown-ih y ternally white. It is without odour : its taste is bitter (especiallyCept f Unitner )' If dug up in the winter the root loses on drying 75 per;lirt v ' vator - The cold watery infusion of the dried root'deposits ahop k ra y flocculent precipitate on the addition of sesquichloride of

■I°hn !V |p 0siTI °.\.—The milky juice of the root has been analyzed by^Ut tr ' Jln elin, Handb. d. Chem. ii. 1287), who found in it caoutchouc,l J ltQt e J n °^ er > traces of resin, sugar, and gum, free acid, phosphates, sul-c°p ta .’ an< I hydrochlorates of potash and lime, and water. The root alsoMeg * ls f 2 per cent, of inulin. Mr. Squire (Brande’s Diet , of Mat.qi Tharm. p. 532) says, the expressed juice contains gum, albu-bit/ 1 * 671 ’ an odorous principle, extractive, and a peculiar crystalliza-er Principle, soluble in alcohol and water.