96 SCIENTIFIC AND APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY 



taken for some gum. It is distinguished by the characteristic crystals 

 of calcium oxalate and the few spiral or reticulate tracheae. 



Constituents. Squill contains a number of active principles, 

 of which the most important are the amorphous glucoside scillitoxin, 

 which resembles digitoxin physiologically, and scillipicrin, an amor- 

 phous, bitter principle, which is employed as a diuretic. It also 

 contains a yellow crystalline glucoside scillin; an amorphous bitter 

 glucoside, scillain; a little volatile oil; sugar, about 22 per cent; 

 considerable calcium oxalate in the form of raphides, which is asso- 

 ciated in the parenchyma cells with a peculiar mucilage sinistrin, 

 which yields levulose on hydrolysis. 



Allied Plants. The bulbs of several species, of Crinum (Fam. 

 Amaryllidacea?) found growing in Brazil, China, Southern Asia and 

 the East Indies are used as substitutes for squill. 



Literature. Hartwich, Arch, der Pharm., 1889, p. 583. 



CONVALLARIA. Lily of the Valley. The dried rhizome and 

 roots of Convallaria majalis (Fam. Liliacese), a low-growing perennial 

 herb indigenous to Europe, Asia and the higher mountains of Vir- 

 ginia, North Carolina and South Carolina and extensively cultivated 

 for its flowers. The rhizome and roots should be collected late in 

 summer and carefully dried. The leaves and flowers have also been 

 used in medicine. 



Description. Rhizome horizontal, cylindrical, and sometimes 

 branched, jointed, in pieces from 3 to 17 cm. long, internodes 10 

 to 50 mm. long, 1 to 3 mm. in diameter, nodes with a circular scar, 

 not much thickened; externally light or dark brown, 'longitudinally 

 wrinkled, somewhat annulate from scars of bud-scales, mostly smooth 

 between the nodes, upper surface of nodes marked by stem-scars, 

 side and under surface with root-scars, or usually with three to five 

 roots; fracture short or fibrous; internally light or dark brown, cortex 

 0.5 mm. thick, separable from the central cylinder; odor faint; 

 taste bitter, slightly acrid. 



Roots somewhat tortuous, 5 to 6 cm. long, about 0.3 to 0.5 mm. 

 in diameter, rootlets few. 



Inner Structure. See Fig. 37. 



Powder. Dark brown; calcium oxalate in raphides from 0.020 to 

 0.045 mm. long; starch grains somewhat spheroidal, 0.003 to 0.012 

 mm. in diameter, single or 2- to 4-compound; trachea with spiral 

 or scalariform thickenings or porous walls; sclerenchymatous fibers 

 long, thin-walled, with simple pores; endodermis with inner walls 

 much thickened. 



