526 BORAGINE 2. 
cordate-ovate, rugose, long-petioled ; petioles margined ; spikes 
terminal, solitary, simple; flowers like those of the garden 
Heliotrope, but smaller; fruit mitre-shaped.. The plant has a 
fetid odour like Stramonium ; taste a little bitter, 
Chemical composition.—The stems and leaves, besides con- 
taining a tannin soluble in ether, affording a dirty green colora- 
tion with ferric chloride, and an organic acid, non-crystalline, 
also soluble in ether, gave very marked evidence of the pre- 
sence of an alkaloidal Pantie soluble in ether, and yielding 
marked precipitates with the ordinary alkaloidal reagents: with 
potassic chromate it afforded no. precipitate, and it gave no 
special colour reactions. It was tasteless, 
Heliotropium Eichwaldi, Steud. Bichw. Itin. Casp- 
Caucas 10, t. 4, differs little from H. europeum, Linn. Its 
leaves, boiled in castor oil, are said by Murray to be used 
in Sind to relieve the pain of scorpion stings, and also 
for cleansing and and healing ulcers. 4H. brevifolium and H. 
undulatum are used for similar purposes in Northern India. 
The 7corpémov ro péeya of the Greeks (Theophr. H. P. vii., 
8, 9, 10; Diosc. iv., 195,) is supposed to have been H. euro- 
peum, the same plant was the Herba Solaris of the Romans, 
and was used by the ancients to expel bile and phlegm, and 
locally applied to scorpion stings. P. L. Simmonds (Amer. 
Journ. of Pharm. Feb. 1891) states that it contains a toxic 
alkaloid. It obtained its name from a myth which is related 
- by Ovid (Metamorph. Lib. iv., Fab. 6), in which the nymph 
oS Oe atun the Sun was turned into this plant, but still 
; ed her affection for her lover. 
** Membra ferunt hesisse solo: partemque coloris. 
Luridus exsangues pallor convertit in herbas, 
Est in parte rubor, violaque simillimus ora 
Flos tegit. Ila suum, quamvyis radice tenetur, 
Vertitur ms soles pareeque seryat amorem. ” 
“ey et Vaesiem # it Poy ae teaNeY 
- Stillthe lov'd aah the fond leaves hea 
Still move gee metas Di vial 4) Sire 
yinph is true.” 
retained, 
