56 ACANTHAGEJjJ. 



Hindu writers to a kind of Jasmine. Latterly, under the name 

 of Tong-jmng-chony^ Rliinacantlius lias found considerable favour 

 in Europe as a remedy for chronic eczema and some other stan 

 affections of a similar character. An extract of the plant 

 appears to be the best preparation. 



Description. — A thin shrub, about 5 feet in height. 

 Root woody, ramous ; stems many, erect, ramous, the old woody 

 parts round, and covered with pretty smooth, ash- coloured bark, 

 the tender branches and young shoots jointed, smooth, and 

 obscurely 6-sided ; leaves opposite, petioled, broad-lanceolate, 

 point obtuse, above smooth, below a little downy, entire, from 

 2 to 4 inches long and from 1 to 2 broad ; panicles corymbiform 





axillary, and terminal, always 3-clef t, as also the sub-divisions ; 

 peduncles and pedicels short, round, a little downy ; bracts 

 minute ; flowers small, white ; corol with a long, slender com- 

 pressed tube, under lip broad, 3-cleftj upper lip erect, linear 

 sides reflected, apex bifid ; nectary, a fleshy ring surrounding 

 the base of the germ; anthers without the tube, twin. [Boxo.) 

 The leaves when chewed have a pungent taste something like 

 cassia bark ; their odour when crushed is disagreeable. 



Chemical composition. — Liborlus has analysed the root m ta© 

 Dorpat Laboratory, finding in it 13'51 per cent, of ash and Vol 

 per cent, of Rhinacanthin, a quinone-like body, besides the 

 ordinary constituents of plants. 



. Rhinacanthin is a dull cherry-red resinous substance, whicfl 

 contains no nitrogen, and does not reduce copper solution, 

 seems to be related to chrysophanic and frangulic acids. Two 

 idtimate analyses gave a mean of carbon 67' 5 5 per cent., hydro- 

 gen 7-36 per cent. The formula C**H'^0* corresponds with 

 67-20 C and 7-20 H. Its presence in the plant is said to be 

 limited to certain intercellular spaces occurring in the bark, 

 the cellular tissue of this part appearing to be filled with an 

 intensely red substance, supposed to consist of a compound of 

 rhinacanthin with an alkali. It is obtained by exhaustion of the 

 powdered root fibres with absolute alcohol. Rhinacanthin has 

 the peculiarity of forming with bases beautiful red compounds 



