IPOMEA JALAPA. 
gular, twining, twisted stems, which extend upwards of ten 
feet, with smooth petiolated leaves, of a bright-green color, 
varying in shape, some being cordate, others angular, and a 
few oblong and pointed. The flowers are on short, axillary 
peduncles, that send off two pedicels, each bearing a large 
bell-shaped, entire, plaited flower, of a reddish color exter- 
nally, and a dark purple within, with a calyx composed of 
five oval, concave, pale-green leaves, somewhat indented at 
their points. The anthers are of a yellow color, large, on 
slender, short filaments; the style is shorter than the fila- 
ments, and the germen oval. The seeds are bristled. 
The dried roots found in commerce rarely exceed a pound 
each in weight. They vary in size from that of the fist to 
that of a nut. When entire, they are usually more or less 
oval and pointed at the two opposite extremities. The larger 
roots are frequently incised, apparently to facilitate desicca- 
tion. They are covered with a thin brown, wrinkled cuticle. 
They should be heavy, hard, and difficult to powder. When 
broken, good jalap roots should present a deep yellowish-gray 
color, interspersed with deep brown concentric circles. The 
slices vary in their shape, color, and other properties. Those 
of inferior quality are light, whitish, and friable. The sliced 
tubers are liable to be adulterated, which is sometimes done 
with slices of briony root; but the fraud is easily discovered 
by the spongy texture and whiter color of the latter, and its 
burning less readily when applied to the flame of a candle. ee 
CHEMICAL AND MEDICAL PROPERTIES AND USES. 
Good Jaap roor has a sweetish, heavy odor when broken, 
and a sweetish, slightly pungent taste. It is heavy, compact, 
hard, brittle, with a shining, undulated fracture, exhibiting 
numerous resinous points distinctly visible with the micro- 
scope. It is always kept in the shops in the state of powder, 
which is of a yellowish-gray color, and when inhaled irritates 
the nostrils and throat, and provokes sneezing and conghing. 
It yields its active properties partly to water, partly to alco- 
hol, and completely to diluted alcohol. M. Cadet de Gassi- 
court obtained from five hundred parts of jalap twenty-four 
of water, fifty of resin, two hundred and twenty of gummy 
extract, twelve and a half of fecula, twelve and a half of albu- 
* men, one hundred and forty-five of lignin, sixteen and three 
tenths of saline matters, two and seven tenths of silica, with 
a loss of seventeen parts. The resin of jalap consists of two 
