SASSAFEAS. 37 



religiosum, the false " Star Anise " of Japan, a tree belonging to 

 the Order of Magnoliacece and locally known as " Shikimino-Ki " 

 (the chief constituent of the oil of true Star Anise, Illicium verum, 

 is anethol C j^ Q 1I^„ 0). The hydrocarbon C^q H-^g named by 

 Eijkmann Shikimene is probably analogous with safrene. (Its 

 boiling point, according to Eijkmann, is 170^ C. ; that of safrene 

 is 156°). 



The odour of sassafras observable in the essential oils of 

 several other plants is doubtless referable to safrol, although 

 the proofs may not be on record. 



Illicium ^9a?^2;z^or?<??i, Michaux Flora l^oreali Americani, i., 

 p. 326 :* a shrub of about three feet in height, belonging to the 

 Natural Order 3Iagnoliacccc, native of "Western Florida, near Lake 

 George. The bark has exactly the odour and flavour of sassafras 

 root, and the leaves are odorous. 



The odour of sassafras has been observed in the bark of 

 Mesijnlodaphne sassafras, Meissne, a native of Brazil belonging to 

 the Natural Order Lauracece. This genus also furnishes another 

 aromatic, M. pretiosa Nees " Laurin." 237 (Syn. Laurus Quixos 

 Lam. Enc. iii., p. 455). This tree is found in the woods near Para. 

 It is called by the Portugese Pc4o or Casca pretoisa ; its inner bark 

 is of very sweet odour, resembling cinnamon mixed with orange 

 flowers or bergamot. Its medicinal action is said to resemble that 

 of Sassafras-bark. 



Messrs. Schimmel & Co. state,* having received samples of this 

 bark from Brazil, in curved pieces about a yard long, 2J inches to 

 3 J inches wide and up to half an inch thick. By distillation, the 

 bark yields 1-16 per cent, of an essential oil of strong cinnamic 

 odour and of a sp. gr. of 1-118 at 15°C. This oil does not seem to 

 contain cinnamic aldehyde, no crystals separating from it w^hen 

 shaken with solution of sodium bisulphite, although its presence 

 seemed indicated by its odour. The taste of the oil may be 

 described as pungent aromatic, and the sw^eetness, that was 

 expected from its odour, w^as wanting. 



"Sassafras Nuts," called "Puchury" or "Puchury Beans" by 

 the Brazilians are the seeds, or rather cotyledons produced by the 

 JSfectandra Puchury major also by the X. Puchury minor of Nees 



* Ventenat, *' Jardin de Cels." t. 22 ; Loiseleur des Longchamps, " Herbier 

 de I'amateur," t. 330. 



t Bericht, April, 1893. 



