Flora Medica

IPOM^A.appears certain that this plant furnishes the jalap of commerce. It ishowever equallycertain from the information furnished by the lattergentleman that the following species is considered by the traders injalap to be extremely similar in quality, and as " it is the more abundantand larger of the two, at least in some districts," the probability is thatit also forms a part of the imported samples of this drug.810. I. orizabensis Pelletan Journ. chim. med. vol. x. p.1.Jalapa Macho of the Mexicans. In temperate parts of the stateof Oaxaca.Root tuberous, fleshy, with numerous oblong tubercles. Stem twining,green, hairy. Leaves cordate acuminate mucronate, hairy, the earliestones hastate. Peduncles 2-3-flowered, twisted, 3 times as long as thecorolla. Sepals oblong, obtuse, mucronate, hairy. Corolla purple,campanulate, with a regular tube inflated in the middle, and a wavylimb with 5 plaits. Stamens shorter than the tube ; hairy at the base.Capsule 2-celled ; cells 2-seeded. This description, as well as the last,is taken from Don Juan de Orbegozo's letter. I presume that thissecond sort of jalap is the Convolvulus Orizabensis of Pelletan, asquoted by Mr. Pereira in the Med. Gaz. xx. p. 932. Dr. Schiede hadheard of it under its Spanish name of Jalapa Macho or Purga Macho,or Male Jalap, but he had only seen the root, which appears very likethat of I. Purga.811. The slightly purgative Mechoacan root of Mexico is possiblyproduced by some species of this genus; but the ConvolvulusMechoacannus of Willdenow or the Ipomaea Mechoacannaof Nees and Ebermaier is too little known to be described.Wood and Bache refer it to I. macrorhiza No. 807.812. I. operculata Martins (Jeticucu Piso bras. 93.) is said byGuibourt to furnish a part of the Mechoacan of commerce, butI do not find it described.813. I. tuberosa Linn. sp. pi. 227. Lunan Hort. Jam. i. 400.Sloane nat. hist.jam. i. t. 96. f. 2. Jamaica, where it iscalled Seven-eared or Spanish arbour vine.Root tuberous, as large as the human head.Stems 200 or 300 feetlong, purplish at the extremities. Leaves smooth, downy beneath,palmate, or 7-lobed ;the lobes much smaller at the side than in themiddle, narrow-lanceolate, acuminate. Peduncles many-flowered.Flowers pale yellow, sweet-scented. Capsule as large as a walnut,membranous, shining, brown, 2-celled, with 2 black or dark brownshaggy triangular seeds in each cell. All the parts purgative. Dr.Barham thinks scammony might be obtained from it.814. I. cathartica Poiret encycl. meth. suppl.iv. 633. Convolv.africanus Kicols. nat. hist, of St. Domingo 260. Moistin St.places Domingo.Stems twining, smooth, herbaceous. Leaves large, distant, longstalked,broad, oval, cordate, smooth, 3-lobed; the 2 lateral lobes oval,shorter, acute ;the terminal oval-lanceolate, acuminate. Pedunclesaxillary, usually 1-flowered. Flowers large, bright deep red. Tube ofthe corolla thick, inflated, contracted and cylindricalat the base, an inchand more long, pale green ;the limb broad, 5-lobed. Stamens shorter397