COMMON COW-ITCH.
1141
Much na pru'riens, Dccandolle, L. E.— Common Coivhage or Cow-itch.
Hi
Dol'ichos pru'riens, Linn. D. —Stizolo'bium pru'riens, Persoon.
Sex. Syst. Diadelphia, Decandria.
(Legurainum Pubes, L .—Hairs from the Pod, E .—Pubes Leg-uminis, D.)
,|!ist°]>v.—O ne of the earliest writers who mentions this plant is Ray^<Jok ^ an ^' v °b P‘ 887). It was long confounded with the M.prurita,
1iim°- T ^ NY ' Gen. Char. — Calyx campannlate, two-lipped; the lower])’ ^“<1, with acute segments, the middle one the longest; the upper lipI'eel ^ ea *-* ro > obtuse. Vexillurn ascending, shorter than the ala; and"ten ’ U - M ' "blong, as long as the keel; keel oblong, straight, acute. Sta-0v * diadelplious ; anthers ten, of which five are oblong-linear and fiveliti C> ^‘ rs,a e. Legume oblong, knotted, two-valved, with cellular par-C?. Seeds roundish, surrounded by a circularly linear hiluin.—llln g herbs or shrubs. Leaves pinnately trifoliate. Racemes axillary.
L
Sp 1 J, cadi1 .'' penetrate the skin (D. C.
yvines usually hispid and stinging, by the innumerable very brittle hairs
^ed^^-ft ’—Flowers in racemes. Legumes stinging, with somewhat
)Q i(lal
lerfi
alves. Leaflets hairy beneath, acuminate; the middle one rhom-bic lateral ones dilated externally (D. C.)— Root perennial. Stem
U^eous. Flowers with a disagreeable alliaceous odour ; vexillurn>'Coloured; aloe purple or violet; keel greenish-wliite.
K^^Pmriia, Hooker (Hot. Miscell.it. 348).—A native of the East Indies ; hasconfounded vvitlj the American M. pruriens; but is distinguished by its! rul >rh eaVe ?’ its more obtuse (not acuminated) leaflets , the middle one being morek r() «<ler° mb °* t,a *> its flowers more constantly in threes,and byits legumes being greatlyCleric* Com P re ^ed, tree iVom any raised line on the back of the valve; whilst in thean pruriens the pods are much narrower, terete, and keeled on the valves.
of ^Option.- Cow huge or Cow-itch (siliqua hirsuta) is the legume6 ^ Ucuila pruriens (legumen mucunte, stizolobii, vel dolichos pruri-
0r It is of a brownish colour, is shaped like the letter^ about four
st rol) e juches long, contains from four to six seeds, and is clothed witha®’ a '°wn, bristly, stinging hairs {pubes leguminis; setce siliqua; hir-St g v hich, examined by the microscope, appear like porcupines’ quills,
are «r i f- J .......
kughtly notched or serrated towards the point.
P 1i J p ° sit i°n.—T he hairs contain tannin (Martius, Pharmakogn.)is s;ii(] Sl ° I ' 0GICAL Effects.—A decoction of the root or of the legumes! )- '9p t0 k, e diuretic, and was formerly used in dropsy (Browne, Jamaica ,*U the seta; applied to the skin produce intolerable itching, andefii e ~
e n s ,
Persons pain, redness, swelling, and even an eruption. These".ureh are increased by rubbing, but diminished by the applica-f) SEs ^.ar e referrible to the mechanical properties of the setae.
• e ir a f . e setae bave been celebrated for their anthelmintic properties.Wercg 1 ? U * s supposed to be mechanical; that is, they are supposed toibeir" 1 } l foment intestinal worms, and thereby to oblige them to letlo d - _ In support of this explanation, Mr. Chamberlaino ( Tract.
Stizolobium or Cowhage, p. 57, 9th edit. 1801) tells us hesome of the hairs in a calabash lull of very large round worms
b'jn