346 CELASTRINEZ.. 
is a very strong astringent, possessing scarcely any other sensible 
quality.” In the Calcutta Exhibition Catalogue of 1883-84, it 
is stated that the root is a specific against snakebite, and the bark 
is used in native medicine and said to bea virulent poison, From 
experiments we have made there would appear to be no grounds 
whatever for the statement that the plant is poisonous: as 
stated by Roxburgh its most remarkable property is astringency. 
Description.—Leaves opposite, sharp-petioled, oblong 
and cuneate-oblong, sometimes very acutely, and. sometimes 
obtusely serrate; texture hard, with both surfaces polished, the 
upper shining ; apex rather obtuse, and always bent down, from 
3 to 4 inches long, and about 2 broad. The root bark is compact 
and brittle, and has a granular fracture; it occurs in small 
irregular fragments, is of a dull reddish colour, and is covered 
_by a scabrous brittle suber, the external surface of which is 
brown or sometimes yellowish, and the substance and internal 
surface of a bright brick red. Some pieces of the bark show 
small warty prominences which are usually fissured exposing — 
the brick red colour of the suber. : 
Both leaves and bark are astringent to the taste and slightly 
_ bitter. The microscope shows that the bark is loaded with 
large rhomboid crystals, which are chiefly deposited along the 
course of-the vascular canals; the red colouring matter is 
mostly contained in separate cells, only a few stone cells are 
present, the friable nature of the bark is therefore due to the 
large crystalline deposit. 
Chemical composition.—Eleodendron bark contains an alka- 
loid separable by lime and chloroform, which gives a purplish 
colour with sulphuric acid, and yellow with nitric acid. The 
alkaloid was in the bark in combination soluble in water, 
forming a crystalline salt when evaporated. Two resins were 
found, one soluble in ether and warm amylic alcohol, the other 
in rectified spirit. The bark afforded 8 per cent. of tannin, 
giving a dark green colour with ferric salts, and 5°25 per cent. 
of glucose. The air-dried bark had 6-98 per cent. of moisture, 
and gave as much as 18°15 per cent, of white ash when burnt. _ 
