106 



SCIENTIFIC AND APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY 



as well as pith. The amount varies in different lots of the same 

 commercial varieties, sometimes being present only in the cortex 

 and occasionally is wanting entirely. Even the quantity of starch 

 may vary, sometimes being present in the central parenchyma only 

 and sometimes being wanting entirely throughout the root. 



Powder. (Fig. 43.) Light to dark grayish-brown; consisting 

 mostly of starch-bearing parenchyma and separate starch grains, 



FIG. 43. Powdered Sarsaparilla. Sc, sclerenchymatous fibers; St, stone 

 cells which are present in portions of the stems or "butts;" S, starch grains 

 from 0.003 to 0.023 mm. in diameter; Ca, raphides of calcium oxalate from 

 0.006 to 0.100 mm. in length; P, parenchyma cells containing starch; Ta, 

 close annular tracheae; Tc, reticulate tracheae; Td, tracheae with simple and 

 bordered pores. Drawing by Hogstad. 



the latter from 0.003 to 0.023 mm. in diameter, spheroidal, or biconvex 

 or spheroidal-tetrahedral, single, or 2- to 4-compound, and frequently 

 with a central elliptical cleft; calcium oxalate in raphides, 0.006mm. 

 in length, also attaining a length of 0.150 mm. occurring singly or in 

 groups; cells of the hypodermis and endodermis with lemon-yellow 

 or reddish-yellow porous walls and in the case of Mexican Sarsaparilla 

 showing an uneven or irregular thickening, the individual cells, 0.080 

 to 0.500 mm. in length; fragments of tracheae with simple and 



