3i6 BOTANY AND PHARMACOGNOSY. 



Mallotus philippinensis is a shrub or small tree found in trop- 

 ical countries of the Eastern Hemisphere. The leaves are alter- 

 nate, petiolate, ovate, acuminate, coriaceous and evergreen; the 

 flowers are small, dioecious, and in racemes ; the fruit is a 3-locular, 

 glandular-hairy capsule. The hairs of the capsule are ofhcial in a 

 number of pharmacopoeias under the name of Kamala and occur 

 as a reddish-brown, granular powder, consisting of two kinds of 

 hairs, the one colorless and occurring in branching clusters 

 (Fig. 284, B) and the other with yellowish-red, multicellular, 

 glandular heads. The important constituent is about 80 per cent, 

 of a dark brownish-red resin composed of a crystalline principle 

 rottlerin ; isorottlerin ; two reddish-yellow resins ; a coloring prin- 

 ciple and wax. It also contains a trace of volatile oil, starch, 

 sugar, tannin, oxalic and citric acids. 



A red coloring principle is found in the bark of Aleiirites 

 triloba of the Polynesian Islands, Euphorbia parviflora of Ceylon, 

 E. pnlcherrima of Mexico and Brazil and the other species of 

 Euphorbia. 



Cascarilla bark is obtained from Croton elntcria and other 

 species of Croton growing in the Bahama Islands and other parts 

 of the West Indies and Florida. Cascarilla bark is official in a 

 number of pharmacopoeias. It occurs in small curved pieces or 

 quills, I to 3 mm. thick, externally brownish-gray ; inner surface is 

 reddish-brown, the fracture short, resinous ; odor aromatic ; partic- 

 ularly on burning; taste aromatic and bitter. Cascarilla contains 

 I to 1.5 per cent, of a volatile oil, containing eugenol, limonene, an 

 oxygenated portion, and some other constituents; 15 per cent, of 

 resin ; a bitter principle, cascarillin ; tannin and vanillin. 



CoPALCHi bark or Quina blanca which is derived from Croton 

 niveus of Mexico contains a bitter principle, copalchin, which is 

 also found in other species of Croton. Malambo bark is derived 

 from Croton Malambo of Venezuela, the latter two barks being 

 sometimes substituted for Cascarilla bark. 



Elastica or India Rubber (Caoutchouc) is the prepared milk- 

 juice obtained from one or more species of the following genera : 

 Hevea, Mabea, Euphorbia and Excoecaria. The fresh latex of a 

 number of species is a powerful irritant, as that of the Sand-box 

 tree {Hura crepitans) of tropical America, which contains 



