310 ODOROGRAPHIA. 
the Antilles, Porto Rico, Jamaica, Brazil, ete. It was observed by 
Virey * that the word Ver in the Hindu language means “a long 
creeping root.” The roots of this grass closely resemble in 
appearance the roots of the “ Chien-dent-a-balai”’ (4. Ischemum, 
Linn.), roots which are used for making carpet-brooms—being 
long, thin, and creeping, with a bark of a pale yellowish brown or 
light tawny colour. The roots extend in a fibrous tangled mass. 
In the ‘Gazetteer of the Central Provinces’ this grass is described 
as “a nuisance to the agriculturalists, as it grows on the rich soil 
and is very difficult to eradicate ;”’ but the ‘Oudh Gazetteer,’ iil. 
p. 176, says “it is generally strictly preserved, as it takes time to 
spread, and proprietors are averse to its being dug up for Khas.” 
This seems to indicate a different value being put on it in the 
different localities within the wide range of its growth. This 
plant is alluded to on some copper-plate inscriptions discovered 
near Etawah, south-west of Agra, dated a.p. 1103 and 1174, as 
being one of the articles of commerce on which the Kings of 
Kananj levied taxest. The leaves are inodorous. ‘The roots 
have a strong peculiar odour, somewhat like myrrh combined 
with that of some flower of the mignonette type. This odour 
partly disappears when the root is dried, but immediately mani- 
fests itself on the application of moisture, and is retained so 
tenaciously as to be perceptible even after the root has been 
scalded cr insufficiently distiiled. The root contains a resin of 
a deep-brown colour having an acid taste and an odour like 
myrrh, a colouring-matter partly soluble in water, a free acid, 
a salt of lime, a considerable quantity of oxide of iron f, anda 
powerful volatile oil which is rather difficult to thoroughly 
extract in the ordinary way by reason of its high boiling-point 
and its association with the resin. This difficulty may be over- 
come by placing the root in a steam-jacketed still with just 
sufficient water to drench it, and allowing it to stand for a short 
time so that the water may penetrate into the tissues. Then 
by admitting steam of about 10 lbs. pressure into the jacket, 
the light oil (for there is a light oil of a lower boiling-point) 
will come over and may be collected separately, and a current 
of steam of 10 lbs. graduaity raised to 15 lbs. pressure afterwards 
* Journal de Pharmacie, xiii. p. 499. 
+ Proc. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, Aug. 1873, p. 161. 
¢ Vauquelin, ‘Annales de Chimie,’ lxxii. p. 302. 
