580 ' PIPERACEiE. 



black pepper exhibits a soft yellowish epidermis, covering the outer 

 pericarp. -This is formed of a closely-packed yellow layer of large, 

 mostly radially arranged, thick-walled cells, each containing in its 

 small cavity a mass of dark-brown resin. The middle layer oi the 

 pericarp consists of soft, tangentially-extended parenchyme, containing 

 an abundance of extremely small starch granules and drops of oil. The 

 shrinking of this loose middle layer is the chief cause of the deep 

 wrinkles" on the surface of the berry. The next inner layer of the 

 pericarp exhibits tow-ards its circumference tangentially-arranged, soft 

 parenchyme, the cells of which possess either spiral striation or spiral 

 fibres, but towards the interior loose parenchyme, free from starch, 

 and containing very large oil-cells. 



The testa is formed in the first place of a row of small yellow 

 thick- walled cells. Next to them follows the true testa, as a dense, 



the 



undistinguishable. 



The albumen of the seeds consists of angular, radially-arranged, 

 large-celled parenchyme. Most of its cells are colourless and loaded 

 with starch ; others contain a soft yellow amorphous mass. If thin 

 slices are kept under glycerin for some time, these masses are slowly 

 transformed into needle-shaped crystals of pipcrin. 



Chemical Composition— Pepper contains resin and essential oil, 

 to the former of which its sharp pungent taste is due. The essential 

 oil has more of the smell than of the taste of pepper.^ The drug yields 

 from 1-6 to 22 per cent, of this volatile oil, which agrees with oU o^ 

 turpentine in composition as well as in specific gravity and boiling 

 point. We find it, in a column 50 mm. long, to deviate the ray oi 

 polarized light l°-2 to 3°-4 to the left. 



The most interesting constituent of pepper, PijJerhi, which pepper 

 yields to the extent of 2 to 8 per cent., agrees in composition with tne 

 formula C^'ff''NO^ like morphine. Piperin has no action on Htm^ 

 paper ; it is not capable of combining directly with an acid, yet "|" ^.^ 

 with hydrochloric acid in the presence of mercuric and other me a 

 chlorides, formiuo- crystallizable compounds. It is insoluble in wa e , 



H 



cnioriaes, lormiug crystallizable compounus. it, is lubuiuk^xv. ^^ 

 when perfectly pure, its crystals are devoid of colour, taste and^ sm • 

 Its alcoholic solution is without action on polarized light. .}-^J,I^^«q\ 

 be resolved, as found bv Anderson in 1850, into Piperic Acid, <^ ' 



' ~ ± The latter is a liquid colourless alkajow, 



boiling at 106° C, having the odour of pepper and ammonia, and airt j 

 yielding crystaUizable salts. ^ , ^:^i in 



Besides these constituents, pepper also contains some *'^jy ^^.^j^ 

 the mesocarp. Of inorganic matter, it yields upon incineration 

 4-1 to 57 per cent. . , 



Commerce— Singapore is the great emporium for pepper. ^ ^ 

 197,478 peculs (26^ million lb.) were imported there inlS77. -^'V./the 

 part of it finds its way to England. The import of FPf ^." 3 97O. 

 United Kingdom during 1872, was 27,576,710 lb. valued at i/ - 



1 As noticed by Rheede ill 1688: "... ever oUaincd long ^J^fore by ^^.^ ^j 



oleum ex pipere destilhitum levem pipcris Cordus, Guintherus Ancieni ^.^^^^^Qjah 



odorem spirans, saporis paruin acria."— Porta (see our article tont- 



Jlort. Malah. vu. 24.— The oil was how- page 52C). 



