48 MEDICAL BOTANY. 
ALOE SOCOTRINA, 
LAMARCK. DE CANDOLLE. : 
Sex. Syst.—Hexandria, Monogynia. 
- Gen. Cuar.—Ut supra. 
Specir. Cuar.—The stem of this species is woody, straight, one and a half feet high or more, naked below, where 
it is marked with the scars of the leaves. The leaves are amplexicaul, ascending, ensiform, green, curved inward at 
the point, convex below, rather concave above, marked with numerous small white margitudinal serratures; the paren- 
chyma abounding in a bright brownish-yellow juice. .Raceme cylindrical, unbranched. Flowers scarlet at the base, 
pale in the middle, green at the point. Stamens unequal, three of them longer than the flowers. (Lindley. ) 
The Aloe Socotrina is stated to be a native of the island of Socotora, and other portions, as Melinda, of the pos- 
sessions of the Imaum of Muscat. It is probably not confined to these districts, however, but extends to neighbouring 
countries. It affords the finest kinds of Alves, as the Socotrine and Hepatic. Wellstead states, that the leaves are 
plucked at any period, and by any one who chooses to take the trouble, and, after being placed in a skin, the juice is » 
allowed to exude from them. He further informs us, that the hills on the western side of the island mentioned, are 
covered to the extent of many miles with the aloe plants, and that it is not likely, at any future period, that the whole 
quantity of the drug will be collected. 
The juice which, by inspissation, yields aloes, is lodged in vessels which run longitudinally beneath the epider- 
mis ; when exposed to the air, it becomes violet and ultimately brown. 
The best account of Socotrine Aloes is given by Pereira, from whose work we extract it. ‘It comes over in 
skins, contained in casks, (holding from 11 to 15 ewt.,) kegs, or chests. Its consistence and colour are liable to consider- 
able variation. The exterior portion of each skinful is usually hard, but the internal portion is frequently soft and 
even semi-liquid. ‘The hardened portions vary in colour in different parts of the same mass; sometimes they are garnet 
red, at other times much paler, and when quite dry, are golden-red, and yield a golden-yellow powder. By exposure 
to the air, the colour is deepened. The fracture of fine selected pieces is smooth, glassy, and conchoidal; but Soco- 
trine Aloes of excellent quality, often breaks with a roughish fracture. The finest kind of Socotrine Aloes which I 
have met with, had the semi-transparent red colour, observed when we break a fine tear of myrrh. Thin filras of pure 
and hardened aloes are usually translucent, or nearly transparent. The odour of fresh broken pieces (especially when 
breathed on), is very fragrant, and is much stronger in recent and soft specimens. The same odour is obtained by 
heating the aloes on the point of a knife in a candle.” 
Hepatic Aloes from the East Indies is a variety of the Socotrine, and frequently comes mixed with such as has 
been described. In the skins veins of the latter of fine quality run through the hepatic. The importation by the 
Muscat ship “Sultanee,” which visited this country several years ago, confirmed the opinion that socotrine and hepatic 
have a like source. “e 
Socotrine Aloes has the highest reputation as a medicine of all the varieties. Pereira thinks, however, that ed 
not superior to Barbadoes. 
Pirate XCII—Represents the plant in flower, and the cleft expanded flower. 
