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Fig. 214. Powdered ginger containing foreign tissues. The following are the typical 

 elements of ginger: F, sclerenchyntatous fibers which vary from 0.3 to 1.3 mm. long and from 

 20 to 30 ft. in diameter, the walls being somewhat undulate, about 3 n thick, slightly yel- 

 lowish, non-lignified and having slender, oblique, simple pores; T, reticulate trachecF varying 

 from 30 to 60 M in diameter, the walls consisting mostly of cellulose, and with phloroglucin 

 giving but a faint reaction for lignin: SC . secretion cells, the walls of which are suberized and 

 the contents of which in the fresh rhizome are oily and of a light yellow color, changing to 

 golden yellow with sulphuric acid, whereas in the older commercial specimens the contents 

 are yellowish, or reddish-brown, balsam-like or resinous, becoming of a deep brownish- 

 black on treatment with sulphuric acid; K, cork cells which on an average are about 60 n long 

 and 25 n. wide; S, starch grains which vary from 20 to 60 ij. in length, the largest being found 

 in Jamaica ginger, have indistinct lamellae, and do not polarize well unless mounted in a 

 fixed oil, as almond or olive; W, swollen starch grains; L, small, swollen, altered starch 

 grains; P, parenchyma cells; H, F, hyphae and spores of a fungus, which are usually present 

 in African ginger and easily detected in mounts prepared with sulphuric acid. In Calcutta 

 ginger occur a large number of spherical starch grains resembling those of wheat, whereas 

 in Japan ginger there are numerous compound grains. Adulterated ginger may contain 

 fragments of tissues of Capsienm (Y), stone cells of endocarp of olive (N), or tissues of soap 

 bark (Fig. 315;. 



