Reprinted from The Journal or Biological Chemistry, vol. v, no. 4, 1908. 



SOME NOTES ON THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND 

 TOXICITY OF IBERVILLEA SONORAE. 



(Plates IV and V) 



By JULIA T. EMERSON and WILLIAM H. WELKER.' 



(From the Laboratories of the New York Botanical Garden and tJte Labora- 

 tory of Biological Chemistry of Columbia University, at the College of 

 Physicians and Surgeons, New York.) 



(Received for publication, September 2, 1908.) 



Page 



I. Introduction 339 



II. Historical 340 



III. General description of the species Sonorae 340 



IV. General quantitative composition 341 



V. General qualitative composition 342 



VI. Toxicological notes 345 



VII. General conclusions 350 



I. INTRODUCTION. 



Among the many plants about which we know little or nothing 

 chemically is Ibervillea SonorcB. Some of the largest tubers of 

 this species were collected by Dr. D. T. MacDougal in Sonora, 

 N. M., in 1902. At the suggestion of Dr. MacDougal, and under 

 the direction and with the assistance of Dr. William J. Gies, this 

 study of the stem^ ("root") was undertaken. An effort was 

 made to ascertain its general chemical composition. We also 

 endeavored to determine the nature of the substance or sub- 

 stances in it which account for the poisonous qualities attributed 

 to it by the inhabitants of the regions in which it is found. 



' The work on chemical composition was done by Miss Emerson at the 

 New York Botanical Garden. The experiments on the toxicity of the root 

 were carried out by Mr. Welker in the Laboratory of Biological Chemistry 

 of Columbia University, at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New 

 York. 



^ Knox: Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, xxxiv, p. 329, 1907. See 

 the second footnote on p, 341 



339 



