EVPEOBBIAGE^. 265 



great size, climliing to tlie tops of the liigTiest trees. {Bomb. 

 Flora.) The flowers have a peculiar and disagreeable smell. 

 The bark is dark-brown externally, and thickly studded with 

 little elliptic warty rings ; beneath the suber is a deposit of 

 chlorophyll, but the substance of the bark is of a dull-red 

 colour. Taste sweet and astringent. Microscopically there is 

 little to remark beyond masses of deep purple pigmentary 

 matter and groups of large stone cells. 



Chemical comjwsition. — The leaves contained a tannic acid 

 similar to that separated from other species of this genus, 

 but no alkaloid. A crystalline principle soluble in ether was 

 removed from the aqueous solution of the alcoholic extract ; it 

 gave a yellowish-brown colour with sulphuric acid, a brown 

 colour with Frohde^s reagent, and a yellow solution with alkalies. 

 The powdered air-dried leaves afforded 7*83 per cent, of ash, 

 and when mixed with water became very mucilaginous, and it 

 was very difficult to filter this mixture through paper. 



Phyllanthus madraspatensis, Linn., Wight Ic, 



1895,/. 3, yields the Kanocha seed of the bazars. The seeds are 

 polished, triangular, of a grey colour^ prettily marked with 

 delicate dark-brown lines like basket-work; length -^q of an 

 inch ; breadth somewhat less ; one side is arched, the other 

 presents two sloping surfaces united to form a longitudinal 

 ridge, at the pointed end is a small scar marking the attachment 

 to the ovary; the testa is hard and brittle. When soaked 

 in water thev immediatelv become thicklv coated with a semi- 



mucila 



which they afEord. 



medicinally on account of the mucila 



6 



PHYLLANTHUS NIRURI, Li 



inn. 



Fig.— JFight Ic, t. 1894; lihcede, Sort. Mai x., t. 15. 



PHYLLANTHUS URINARIA, Unn. 



Fig.-~Wirjhf Ic, i. 1895,/. 4 ; Rheede, Eort. Mai x., U 16 

 Hab. — Throughout India. The herbs. 



UI.-S4 



