35 



most other products, and the more attention it receives, the quicker it 



grows, and if such cultivation is well carried out a crop may be 



reaped in a very few years. 



Seed may be had gratis in March of each year, and plants are 



always on hand at the Gardens at low rates ; the seed must be sown as 



soon as ripe, for it quickly loses its vitality. 



J. H. HART. 

 January 5th, 1895. 



106.-PIPER OVATUM, Vahl. 



" Putt" or " Poutt." 



From the Chemist and Druggist of the 29th December, 1894, it is 

 ■noted that joint papers were presented to the Chemical Society at its 

 December meeting by Prof. Dunstan and Mr. H. Garnett. The sub- 

 jects were — " The Chemical Constituents of Piper ovatum, Vahl," and 

 " The Pellitory of Medicine," the latter paper having arisen out the 

 work of the former. 



Some interesting discoveries have been made, the full text of 

 ■which will be published later,'-' but without anticipating it may be 

 stated that a crystalline substance has been extx*acted from Piper 

 ovatum "which possesses certain characters corresponding with 

 ■piperine, to which it is proposed to apply the name of " Piperovatine." 

 The physiological action is being studied by Prof. Cash of Alterdten, 

 and one of its properties has been found to be the production of 

 spasmodic movements similar to those set up by the injection of 

 rstrychnine. From the leaves a volatile oil was obtained containing a 

 sesqui-terpene. The indefinite character of the active principle of 

 pellitory, Anacyclus pi/rethrmn, D.C., induced the authors to re-examine 

 that drug in view of the results they had obtained from Piper ovatum; 

 with thei-result that they also separated from this plant a crystalline 

 body to which it is proposed the name of " Pellitorine" should be 

 given, forming the subject of the second paper. 



Our interest in the investigation arises from the fact that the 



specimens of Piper ovatum were sent from the Royal Botanic 



■Gardens, Trinidad, for special examination to W. T. Thistleton- 



.Dyer, Esqre., C.M.G., Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, by 



whom it was handed over to Prof. Dunstan. 



In the Annual Report of the Department for 1890 I wrote the 

 following : — 



Piper ovatuvi has for many years the •reputation of being possessed of 

 .medicinal properties, while to this day the hunters in the Trinidad forest use a 



* Published March, 1895^ 



