52 ACANTHACE^. 



Description. — A small tree or large slirub, flowering 

 in the cold season ; trunk straight ; bark pretty smooth, ash- 

 coloured ; branches sub-erect, with bark like that of the trunk, 

 but smoother ; leaves opposite, short petioled, broad lanceolar, 

 long, taper-pointed, smooth on both sides, about 5 to 6 inches 

 long and 1| broad; spikes from the exterior axils, solitary, 

 long-peduncled, the whole end of the branchlet forming a leafy 

 panicle, floTrer-bearing portion short, and covered with large 

 bracts; flowers opposite, large, white, with small ferruginous 

 dots, the lower part of both lips streaked with purple ; bracts 

 3-fold, opposite, 1-flowered, exterior one of the three, large, 

 dvate, obscurely 5 -nerved interior pair much smaller, end sub- 

 lanceolate, all are permanent ; calyx 5 -parted to the base, divi- 

 . sions nearly equal ; corolla ringent, tube short, throat ample, 

 tipper lip vaulted, eiriarginate, lower lip broad and deeply 

 3-parted, both streaked "with purple; filaments long, resting 

 tinder the vault of the upper lip; anthers twin. (Roxh.) 



Chemical composition. — The powdered leaA^es have a light 

 green colour with a strong peculiar odour and a bitter taste. 

 One of us has published the following report of a chemical 

 examination: ** Soaked in water and then boiled, the powder 

 afforded 34 per cent, of a reddish-brown extract having the 

 characteristic properties of the leaves. Incinerated at a low red 

 heat 17 per cent- of ash was left. A remarkable alkalinity per- 

 vaded the drug, which was noticeable in the cold aqueous infu- 

 sion, in the distillate obtained by boiling with water, and in the 

 fumes given off when burning ; the leaves when smoked in a 

 pipe produced no narcotic effect; the chief result of the smoking 

 was the evolution of much ammonlacal vapour among other 

 products of combustion, and to the inhalation of this vapour is 

 probably due the efiicacy of the leaves in the relief of asthma. 

 A well-defined alkaloid appears to be the most important con- 

 gtituent; it constitutes the bitter principle, and to all intents 

 and purposes is the active principle. It occurs in white trans- 

 parent crystals belonging to the square prismatic system,with- 

 out any odour, but with a decidedly bitter taste. It is soluble 

 in water with an alkaline reaction, and in ether, but more so io 



