COEIAXDER. 129 



Indian coriander is a more elongated shaped fruit, about twice 

 the size of the European kinds, and of little value to the distiller 

 by reason of its small yield gf oil. As a cultivated plant, it has 

 spread over most of the warm countries of the globe, Egypt, Xubia, 

 Abyssinia (where it is much used), Xorth India, China, Japan and 

 both Xorth and South America. 



In distilling the recent fruit it is necessary to be sure that it is 

 all mature, as in the unripe state it has, like the whole plant 

 generally when fresh, a very oftensive odour, which has been 

 compared to that of bugs. 



It is estimated that the yield of oil from — 



Thuringian seed is 0'6 to 0'8 per cent. 



Moravian 0'8 „ 



Eussian O'S to 1 „ 



Dutch 0-6 



East Indian 0-2 



Morocco 0*2 to 0-3 per cent. 



Italian O'o „ 



French 0*4 „ 



Mogodor 0-6 „ 



The seeds also contain 13 per cent, of fixed oil. 



The very pleasant odour of the ripe fruit is intensified in the 

 essential oil. In a dilute state the odour is not very unlike that 

 of orange flowers ; possibly on this account a colourless oil of 

 sweet orange is often used as an adulterant : this is detected by 

 the adulterated specimen being less soluble in alcohol of 90 per 

 cent.* 



An excellent indication of its purity is the fact that the pure 

 oil affords a perfectly clear solution with three times its volume 

 of 70 per cent, alcohol. The sp. gr. of pure oil of coriander 

 appears to vary according to its origin between the limits of 

 0'874 and 0"882 at 15^ C. Its optical rotation also varies from 

 + 4^ to + 13^t- 



* See 1st Series, p. 76. 



t Sehimmel, Bevicht, October, 1893. 

 K 



