LILIACEJE. 603 



10 



This root contained no alkaloid, but the alcoholic extract 

 contained a glucoside, and a colouring matter which gave an 

 olive- green tint with ferric chloride, hut no precipitate with 

 gelatine. With soda it afforded a deep red colour, and was pre- 

 cipitated from solution hy neutral plumhic acetate. The sugar 

 present abundantly reduced Fehling's test without previous 

 inversion. The amount of ash, consisting of alkaline salts is 

 very small. 



Professor Kobert has recently separated from true sarsa- 

 parilla three glucosides, smilacin, sarsasaponin, and parillin, 

 these compounds differ in physiological activity ,hut are members 

 of a homologous series to which has been assigned the general 

 formula C" H^"— «0 



Commerce.— YTom 16,000 to 17,000 peculs of 133 lbs. each are 

 annually produced in Southern China. The greater part is 

 consumed in China, but a very considerable portion must reach 

 India, as the drug is to be found in every bazar throughout the 

 country. 



Smilax ovalifolia, Boxh., Bheede, Sort Mai. viL, 1 31, 



Jangli-ushbah {Hind.), Malai-tamara {Tarn.), Konda-tamara 

 {Tel), Gutwel, Giltf {Bomb.), Kal-tdmara {Mai), is a climbing 

 shrub very common in the Concans. The roots are very 

 numerous, and have a general resemblance to sarsapariUa. A 

 section shows a dry, suberous, brown bark ; secondly, one row 

 of 5-sided yellow cells, which are more or less wedge-shaped, 

 their nuclei being situated towards the apices ; thirdly, a range 

 of numerous rows of ovoid cells, variable in size, with central 

 nuclei ; these extend as far as, and partially surround, the 

 vascular zone, which consists of large vessels with generally 

 two smaller ones in contact with them. Within the vascular 

 zone the central portion of the root is made up of large thm- 

 walled cells, filled with starch or red colouring matter; the 

 latter is most abundant in young roots. The drug is not .used 

 hy the natives, but in Goa it is kept in all the shops, and is the 

 country sarsapariUa of the Portuguese. 



