THE MICROSCOPE. 



157 



BOLDO LEAVES. 



BY LOUISA REED STOWELL, M. S. 

 [from part II OF "MICROSCOPICAL DIAGNOSIS."] 



THE boldo leaves of commerce are gathered from the shrub 

 or tree, Boldoa fragraiis, which belongs to the natural order 

 Monimiaceae. This tree is a native of Chili, found growing luxuri- 

 antly on the hillsides of the central provinces and cultivated in 

 gardens. 



It is a tall, evergreen, diacious shrub or tree, with verdant foli- 

 age, fifteen to twenty feet high — though some authors give the 



Fig. 1. Boldo Leaves. — A, lower surface. B, upper surface. Natural size. 



height as only from five to si.\ feet. The flowers are sweet-scented 

 and of a greenish-yellow color. The fruit is small, about the size 

 of a pea, sweet, aromatic and of a yellow color, which the natives 

 used as a relish. It is used, though in small quantities, on account 

 of the sensation of heat left in the mouth and the almost sickening 

 sweetness of the fruit. 



The leaves are opposite and borne on short petioles. They are 

 oval, obtuse at both apex and base, coreaceous, strong and rough. 

 The lower surface of the leaf, Fig. i, a, is marked by prominent 



