732 LYCOPODIACE^. 



Description— Lj^cojiodium is a fine, mobile, inodorous, tasteless 

 powder of pale yellow hue, having at 1G° C. a sp. gr. of r062. It floats 

 on water and is wetted with difficulty, yet sinks in that fluid after 

 boilmg. By strong titration it coheres, assumes a grey tint, and leaves 

 an oily stain on paper ; it may then be mixed with water. It is imme- 

 diately moistened by oily and alcoholic liquids, chlorofoi-m, or ether. It 

 loses only 4 per cent, of moisture when dried at 100° C. When slowly 

 heated, it burns away quietly, but when projected into flame, it ignites 

 instantly and explosively, burning with much light, an effect exhibited 

 by some other pulverulent bodies having a peculiar structure; as fern 

 spores and kamala. 



Microscopic Structure— Under the microscope lycopodium is seen 

 to be composed of uniform cells or granules, 25 mkm. in diameter, each 

 bounded by four faces, one of which (the base) is convex, while the 

 others terminate in a triangular pyramid, the three furrowed edges of 

 wnich do not reach quite to the base. These tetrahedral granules are 

 marked by minute ridges, forming by their intersections, regular five- or 

 six-sided meshes. At the points of intersection, small elevations are 

 produced, which, under a low magnifying power, give the granules a 

 speckled appearance. Below this network lies a yellow, coherent, thin, 

 but compact membrane, which exhibits considerable power of resistance, 

 not being ruptured either by boiling water or by potash lye. Oil of 

 vitriol does not act upon it in the cold, even after several days ; but it 

 nstantly penetrates the grains and renders them transparent, while at 

 tue same time numerous drops of oil make their appearance and quickly 



Chemical Composition— One of the most remarkable constituents 

 ot lycopodium spores is a fixed oil, which they contain to the astonishing 

 amount of 47 per cent. Buchok pointed out its existence in 1807, but 

 obtained It only to the extent of 6 per cent. Yet if the spores are 

 thoroughly comminuted by prolonged trituration with sand, and are 

 tlien exhausted with chloroform or ether, we find that the larger pro- 

 portion above mentioned can be obtained. The oil is a bland liquid, 

 which does not solidify even at - 15° C. 



v^if^-^ f'"^-^'*"^,*;'"?- i3'Pocodium or its extract to distillation with or 

 witnout an alkali, Stenbouse obtained volatile bases, the presence of 



rnrSj^'r ?^.?°'''^™' ^"* they occur in exceedingly small pro- 

 portion._ i he ash of lycopodium amounts to 4 per cent. ; it is not alkaline ; 



li W, T ^^T'''^' ^""'^ °^^ P^^ ceiit. of phosphoric acid, constituents 

 likewise found m the green parts of the plant. 



t1.o^f°'!"'^*'°".^"^,^°'"™^'"'=e— To obtain lycopodium, the tops of 

 r,n!J V^f ^"^^ ^^ ^^^ ^P'^*^s approach maturity, taken home, and the 

 Tnl Ta "" T^ ^?.^ separated by a sieve. It is collected chiefly in 

 obf ni. 1 •^"'*' '"^ ^"''^^' Germany and Switzerland. The quantity 

 the iknt''''"'' ^''''*^^ ^^ '''''°" "^ frequent failures in the growth of 



chiefllT'' ™P°^"t'^'i in 1870, 7262 kilo. (16,017 lb.) of lycopodium, 

 much^i.T ^T'T'c^- ^^"^ consumption in England is probably very 

 much smaller, but there are no data to consult. 



virt,^!^f n^^-^'^'^Pi"'^'"™ '^ "^* °°^ regarded as possessing any medicinal 

 Mrtues, and is only used externally for dusting excoriated surfaces and 



