452 miDE^. 



lotus,'* Pxisliakarasgam **sea lotus," and Kasmira "Caslime- 

 riau " : at the present time /- nepaknsis is called " blue lotus"* 

 in Kuniaon. The root is described as having properties similar 

 to costus, and appears to have been regarded by both Hindus 

 and Arabs as a kind of costus. In the Burhdn the plant is said 

 to be called Irsa, because its flowers are blue, yellow and white 

 like the rainbow ; it is also called in Persia Susan-i-asmanguni, 

 " sky-coloured lily." The Iris is mentioned by Theophrastus. 

 (H. p. iv., 7; ix. 7), Dioscoridcs (i., 1), and all the Grreek 

 medical writers which we have consulted. A celebrated 

 unguent^ the '!pivou ^vpov^ \Yas prepared from the root for which 

 Macedonia, Elis and Corinth were famous. Visiani {FL Dalmat.) 

 considers that the /. germanica is the lUyriaii iris of the 

 ancients, which is highly probable, seeing that throughout 

 Balmatia (the ancient lUyricum) that species is plentiful, and 

 /. florentina and J. pallida do not occur. According to Hooker, 

 /. germanica is cultivated in Cashmere, but we have ^ot heard 

 of its beinrr under cultivation in Peraia. The Persian name of 



this drug, Bikh-i-banafshah, is applied also to the root of Viola 

 odorata in Southern India. 



Iris root ia considered by Mahometan hakfms to be deobstru- 

 cnt, aperient, diuretic, especially useful in removing bilious, 

 obstructions. It is also \\sed externally as an application to 

 small sores and pimples. From the largo number of diseases 

 in which this drug is recommended, it would appear to be 

 regarded as a panac^. 



Description, — Eastern orris root differs from the Euro- 

 pean drug, inasmuch as the bark of the rhizome has not been 

 removed ; it is also smaller and of a darker colour. 



Microscopic stnicfiire.-~ThG rliizomos of d^l^Vrc^t species 

 of Iria taidly differ iu struoturc. They consist of a brown 

 epidermis composed of compressed and nearly empty cells, 

 covering a white cortical cellular tissue containing starch ; this 

 is separated by a layer of brownish compressed empty cells 

 from the ceutnd ^yoody yellowish tissue of the rhizome. The 

 latter is built up u£ large thick-wulU.l, spherical, porous cells, 



