BOTABiCAL Descritook. — Villous witt long silkeo hairs. S(em erect; in flower, very stort; ic fl'uit, eiglit to twelve incli.es liigh. Leaves long stalked, ternately (iivided, the lateral divisions two-parted, tlie middle one stalked and Uiree-parted, the segments once or twice-cloft Into narrowly linear and acute lobes. Twoeluoret below the stem, lobed like the leaves, sessile eabulately dissected, concave or cup-ah aped in position. Bepah five to seven, pnrplisli, spreading, about one inch long, silky outside. Flower single, appearing before the leaves, pale-pnrpie, c«p.sliaped. Carpels (fruit) 50 to 75, with long plumous tails, one to two inches in length, collected into a roundish head. BoTiuiciL History. — This plant when first discovered by Nnttall, was called by him tlie Anemone Litdovieiana. It was afterwards called A. pra- tensis, by Hooker. Gray, (Genera of plants of IT. 8.,) gives a minute description, illustrated by a beautiful plafe. He calls it the Pulsatilla pralemis. In tJie later editions of his Botany, he applies the name Pulsatilla Nuttalliana. Wood places it in the genus AnmnoTie, as the A. Nutfalliana. King (Dispensa- tory) calls it A. iMdovieiana. Although it is well that the botanist, Nuttall, should be honored, I sliould prefer the name Pulsatilla Americana as the fittest designation foi dbyGooglc 540 PULSATILLA tlie only species of the geniis growing in America. All botanists agree in giving it tlio common name of Pasq'ue-Jloteer, which is the populni name given tlie Pulsatilla in Europe, because the hlossoms appear at Easter. Nuttall states that this plant is to be found near the oonfluence of the Missouri and Platte rivers, and thence west to the Eocky Mountains. It is also met witli in considentble abundance in the States of Wisconsin and Minnesota, especially on tlio dry and sandy blaffs foi'ming the bod of the Mississippi. It has also been found in the most northern counties of the State of Illinois. Gray says it does not extend down the Mississippi as far as Louisiana, probably no farther than the lower boundary of Iowa. Along the Bocky Mountains, however, it does extend as far southward as latitude 35°, Mr. Fendler having gathered specimens at Santa Fe. It is a plant of peculiar appearance. The large cup-shaped flowers of a, purple hue, appear before the leaves, almost immediately after tlie melting of the snow has shown that the long and dreary winter of tlie north is approaching its close. Hence these blossoms are eagerly sought for as the first offerings of the long desired spring. The leaves and stalks of the plant are covered with long delicate silken Lairs. It is from this appearance that it gotthenameof "GosHn Flower," which probably originated with children. The odor of the dried plant is rather faint, being slightly camphoraceous, the taste of the dried flowers simply sweetish and herbaceous, that of the leaves being more astringent with very slight acrimony. The taste and, to some extent, the odor of the fresh plant are both acrid and irritating. When the seeds are ripe, each one is surmounted by a long silken tail, giving the plaBt, at a distance, an appeai'ance somewhat similar to the ripe Taraxacum. These seeds, with their comel-like tails, are borne by Ihe winds which sweep over oar prairies, to great distances, (here to propagate themselves in new situations. Gray is correct in staling that the American Pulsatilla is more like Pul- satilla Vulgaris, than the Pulsatilla Pratensis of Europe, as will be seen by a comparison given below. Jahr, in his Pharmacopeia, gives the following description of thePuf. tatUla nigHeani, or pratensis used in homceopathio practice. "Stems simple, erect, rounded, three to five inches high; leaves radical bipincatifled, downy; flowers solitary, terminal, having folioles of calyx campanulate, bent at the point, the odor of the herb bnt slightly evident, taste acrid and pungent. The fresh plant contains an acrid and vesicating principle, and furnishes a corrosive oil, as well as a kind of tannin which colors iron green; in the dry state It is entirely deprived of this acrid quality. Grows in sandy pasture grounds, on hills and declivities, exposed to tlie sun." Jahr further says ; " We must be careful not to mistake this plant for the common Pulsatilla. (Anemone Pulsatilla) " (Pulsatilla Vulgaris). " This laat plant, of which homceopatliy makes no use whatever, only grows on dry dbyGooglc PUL,?ATILLA NUTTALLIABA. 541 and Blffile hills, and flowers in the spring-time alone, whilst the hlacb- colored Pulsatilla flowers a second time again in the months of August and Septemher. Besides, tlie Anemone Pulsalilla, is in all its parfs, much less downy than the black-colored pulsatilla; its atem ais to twenty-four centremetres high; flowers of clear violet or pale red, straight and not lianging like those of tlie black-colored Pulsatilla; seeds surmounted bj n long ailky tail," From tills it would seem that the American Palsatilla partook of the character of both tlie European varieties. Since the following pathogen- esis was flril published, tlie American Ptthaiilla has been extensively used in this country, and its curative powers have been found equal to the foreign. I find no difference in their qualities. (Wale.) Officinal PHKpABATrous.— Tincture of the whole plant: dilutions. ANALoauES. — Aniiea, Ciematu, Cimieifaga, Cyclamen., Supkraaia, Fer rum, Igaatia, Mite/iella, Bupatorium purpwreum, Platiiia, Pulsatilla nig., Beneeio, Sepia. Mental Sphere. Gloom J state of mind, with eructations of sour air. She feels very irritable, " cross," could not bear to be spoken to; noise vexed her; she felt like weeping at trifling annoyances. Confusion of mind; impossihle to study.