30 THE MEDICINAL PLANTS OF THE PHILIPPINES 



tained acetic, valerianic, butyric and benzoic acids. Charbon- 

 nier claims to have found morphine in its leaves and capsules, 

 Dragendorf has isolated from the seeds an alkaloid which pre 

 seuts the principal characters of morphine. It is, then, prob 

 able that morphine is the narcotic principle possessed by thi 

 plant, which is not hard to believe when one considers th' 

 family to which it belongs. 



Botanical Description. — A plant of American origin 

 nowadays acclimated in almost all warm countries. Its stem is 

 green, pubescent, 30—40 centimeters high. Leaves alternate, 

 thin, sessile, lanceolate, covered with rigid green thorns. 

 Flowers hermaphrodite, terminal, yellow. Calyx, 3 sepals 

 with conical points. Corolla, 6 rounded petals. Stamens in- 

 definite, free, hypogynous. Ovary free, triangular. Capsule 

 expanded, oblong, angular, thickly set with prickles : it opens 

 iuferiorly by 5 valves. 



CRUCIFER^I. 



Mustard Family. 

 Brassica juncea, Hook. & Thorn. (Sinapis juncea, L.) 



Nom. Vulg. — Mostaza, Sp.; Mustard, Eng. 



Uses. — The seeds are used in the same way as those of white 

 or black mustard (Sinapis alba and 8. nigra, L.). 



Botanical Description. — Plant with a glabrous stem, 

 leaves sessile, glabrous, lanceolate, the upper ones serrate, the 

 lower ones almost entire. Flowers in racemes. Calyx, 4 sepals. 

 Corolla, 4 rounded, unguiculate petals. Stamens 6, two of 

 them short and the other four longer and united in pairs. 

 Ovary flattened. Seed vessel quadrangular, nodular, glabrous, 

 containing many oval seeds. 



Raphanus sativus, L. 

 Nom. Vulg. — R&bano, Sp.; Radish, Eng. 

 Uses. — Used principally as food ; it possesses the antiscor- 

 butic properties common to the greater part of the Cruciferae. 



