158 SCIENTIFIC AND APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY 



furnish an article known as False Balm of Gilead Buds which are 

 very aromatic and resinous and contain besides tannin a bitter 

 glucoside, picein. 



POPULUS. Poplar. The bark of the White or Silver poplar, 

 also known as the Great Aspen or Abele (Populus alba). The drug 

 consists of quills or flat pieces, varying in length and from 0.5 to 3 

 mm. in thickness; outer surface greenish-white, smooth and with 

 numerous lenticels; inner surface light brown and longitudinally 

 striated; fracture short-fibrous; odor slight; taste bitter and 

 astringent. The bark contains in addition to salicin, the glucoside, 

 populin or benzoyl-salicin, which forms needle-shaped crystals, hav- 

 ing a somewhat sweetish and acid taste and yield upon hydrolysis 

 saligenin or salicylic alcohol and benzoic acid. 



MYRICACE^E, OR SWEET GALE FAMILY 



A family consisting of a single genus and of which the wax myrtle 

 or bayberry (Myrica cerifera) is best known. The latter is a small 

 shrub growing in sandy soil in North America, especially near the sea 

 coast, and produces diminutive clusters of small berries which are 

 covered with a wax, which is used when mixed with tallow to form 

 candles, hence it is sometimes known as Candleberry. As a matter 

 of fact, all of the species yield useful products, some furnishing 

 astringent barks while from the leaves of the sweet gale (M. Gale) is 

 derived a volatile oil. 



It is sometimes stated that none of the species contains 

 either bast fibers or stone cells, but in Myrica Gale there are isolated 

 bundles of primary bast fibers with intermediate groups of stone cells, 

 which, in other species, form a continuous ring. The tracheae have 

 scalariform thickenings. Stomata are found only on the lower sur- 

 face. The hairs are unicellular and in the form of peltate glands. 

 In Myrica Gale the non-glandular hairs are lignified. 



MYRICA. Myrica Bark or Bayberry Bark. The bark of the 

 root of Myrica cerifera (Fam. Myricacese), a common shrub grow- 

 ing on the borders of the sea coast from Maine to Florida. The roots 

 are gathered late in the fall, freed from dirt, the bark separated and 

 carefully dried. Sometimes the bark is prepared by contusing the 

 roots, separating the .bark, drying and powdering. Both the bark 

 and the powder should be kept in tightly closed containers and not 

 exposed to light. 



Description. In transversely curved strips, or quilled pieces; 

 from 2 to 15 cm. in length, 0.5 to 2 cm. in breadth and from 1 to 2 mm. 



