CLASSIFICATION OF ANGIOSPERMS. 3S7 



cm. in diameter, smooth, greenish and mottled (Fig. 254). The 

 fruit deprived of the epicarp (Fig. 254) is official (p. 583). 



Cucurbita Pepo (pumpkin-vine) is an extensively trailing 

 hispid vine, with large, nearly entire, cordate leaves with long 

 petioles. The tendrils are branching. The flowers are large, 

 deep yellow and monoecious ; the staminate ones being in groups 

 and the pistillate single. The fruit is a large, yellowish berry, 

 sometimes weighing from 10 to 72 K. The seeds are numerous 

 and are official as Pepo (p. 429). 



EchalUum Elatcrinm (Squirting cucumber) is a bristly-hairy, 

 trailing perennial herb with thick, rough-hairy, cordate, some- 

 what undulate leaves. The flowers are yellow, monoecious. The 

 fruit is ellipsoidal, about 4 cm. long, rough-hairy or prickly, pend- 

 ulous, and at maturity separates from the stalk, when the seeds 

 are discharged upward through a basal pore. The plant is indig- 

 enous to the European countries bordering the Mediterranean, 

 the Caucasus region. Northern Africa and the Azores. The juice 

 of the fruit yields the drug Elaterium, which is official in the 

 British Pharmacopoeia. Elaterium yields 30 per cent, of the 

 ELATERiN of the Pharmacopoeias. From the latter by fractional 

 crystallization from 60 to 80 per cent, of a-elaterin. a Isevo-rota- 

 tory crystalline substance is separated, which is completely devoid 

 of purgative action ; and varying amounts of j8-elaterin, a dextro- 

 rotatory crystalline compound which possesses a very high degree 

 of physiological activity. (Power and Moore. Ph. Jour., 29, Oct. 

 23, 1909, p. 501 ; and Proc. Chem. Soc, No. 362, 1909, p. 1985). 



Bryonia or bryony is the dried root of Bryonia alba (White 

 bryony), a climbing herb indigenous to Southern Sweden, East- 

 ern and Central Europe, including Southern Russia, and North- 

 ern Persia (Fig. 66). Bryony occurs in the market in nearly 

 circular disks, which are 2 to 10 cm. in diameter, 5 to 10 mm. 

 thick, white or yellowish-white, with concentric zones of collateral 

 fibrovascular bundles ; short, mealy fracture ; slight odor, and 

 bitter, nauseous taste. The drug contains two bitter glucosides. 

 bryonin and bryonidin ; two resinous principles and considerable 

 starch. Bryonia dioica (Red bryony) also has medicinal prop- 

 erties and is a source of the drug. B. dioica has red berries, while 

 the fruit of B. alba is black. The latter plant is sometimes known 



