22O 



ROSACES 



out the tissue. Fracture tough and is fibrous, a transverse section showing 

 a checkered arrangement of pale brown bast fibers imbedded in the white 

 wood. Odorless; taste persistently acrid. The powder is sternutatory. 

 The powder of quillaja has been suspected as an adulterant of senega. It is 

 not at all difficult to detect its presence in such admixtures, as in quillaja 

 powder there are found elements not at all represented in senega. In quillaja 

 there is a considerable amount of sclerotic tissue, numerous bast fibers, and 

 prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate. Any and all of these clearly mark the 



FIG. 115. Quillaja saponaria Branch. 



powder of quillaja, and would at once betray its presence in the powder of 

 senega. 



Powder. Grayish. Inner parenchyma of cortex colorless (15 to 25 /z by 50 

 to 150 n in diam.), mostly with large, long prisms of calcium oxalate; parenchyma 

 of cortex with starch (3 to 10 /* in diam.); sclerenchyma with bast fibers (20 to 

 30 n in diam.), thick-walled, porous, occasionally branched; stone cells (50 to 150 p 

 in diam.). 



CONSTITUENTS. Its irritant property is due to the presence of saponin, CisHjoOio, 

 a mixture of the two glucosides, quillaiac acid and sapotoxin. 



Preparation of Saponin. Exhaust quillaja with hot alcohol, from which it 

 separates upon cooling. Saponin is regarded as a mixture of two glucosides, 

 quillaiac acid and sapotoxin. 



