LAURINE^. 213 



Commerce, — The bark is largely collected in the Central 

 Provinces, and comes to market in large half quills from one 

 to two feet in length and two to three inches in diameter. As 

 met with in the retail shops, it is generally broken into small 

 pieces a few inches in length. Value, Es. 6 per maund of 

 41 pounds. 



Litsaea Stocksii, Hook.f.y in Marathi Pm, is a tree of 

 the hilly districts of the Concan and Canara ; when in fruit 

 its scarlet berries make it a conspicuous object. A cold infusion 

 of the leaves is mucilaginous, and is used in irritation of the 

 bladder and urethra. The oil of the seeds, P^sa- if ae/a, is used 

 as an application to sprains and itch. 



Description.— Leaves 4 to 6 inches, penninerved, coria- 

 ceous, oblong'lanceolate or oblanceolate, rarely obovoid acute 

 or acuminate, glaucous beneath, greenish above with impressed 

 nerves, petiole | to i inch. Berries apiculate, scarlet, about 

 the size and shape of a small acorn, pulp yellow, seed brown, 

 polished, oblong, testa thin, brittle ; kernel oily, white, the cut 

 surface turning red on exposure to the air ; taste aromatic, 

 pungent like cubebs ; the expressed oil solidifies into a white 

 solid fat ; as prepared by the natives it has a reddish colour, 

 due to admixture of resinous matter. The bark and leaves are 

 mucilaginous and not aromatic, 



■* Chemical composition. — The dried and powdered red fruits of 

 this tree yielded to ether 31'6 per cent, of extract consisting 

 mainly of crystalline fats. Petroleum ether separated this 

 extract into a soluble fatty portion, and an insoluble neutral 

 reddish resin. The petroleum ether solution left on eva- 

 poration some fatty acids melting at 39° and solidifying 

 at 35^, but which, on crystillization from boiling alcohol 

 and pressure between filtering paper, afforded some purely 

 white crystals melting at 42'5. The fatty acids would 

 appear to consist of lauric acid with a small admixture of 

 oleic acid. 



The resin in the fruits was associated with a volatile oil to 

 which the fragrance is due. The alkaloid detected in the 



