BAYBERRY 159 



in thickness; outer surface reddish-brown, nearly smooth, sometimes 

 wrinkled, with occasional silver gray patches of the epidermal layer; 

 inner surface very dark brown and finely striate; fracture short, 

 mealy, emitting a dust which is sternutatory; fractured surface light 

 brown in the outer portion and yellowish-brown in the inner layer; 

 odor distinct, aromatic; taste slightly bitter and astringent, becoming 

 pungent and acrid. 



Powder. Light reddish-brown; sternutatory; starch grains 

 numerous, single or 2- to 4-compound, the individual grains from 

 0.003 to 0.012 mm. in length; calcium oxalate in monoclinic prisms 

 or rosette aggregates, from 0.015 to 0.045 mm. in diameter; bast 

 fibers with strongly lignified, porous walls and often accompanied 

 with crystal fibers; stone cells with thick lignified, finely lamellated, 

 porous walls; cork cells with thick lignified or brownish walls and 

 filled with a reddish amorphous substance; occasional woody frag- 

 ments showing tracheae having bordered pores. 



Constituents. A small quantity of a volatile oil; two resins, the 

 one soluble in alcohol and ether, the other insoluble in ether and 

 astringent; myricinic acid; from 2.5 to 3.5 per cent of tannic acid; 

 a trace of gallic acid; 4 per cent of sugar and 0.6 per cent of mucilage. 



Allied Plants. The leaves of Myrica cerifera yield about 3 per 

 cent of a greenish, aromatic volatile oil. The fruits of this same plant 

 contain 32 per cent of a solid fat consisting of palmitin, palmitic acid 

 and lauric acid; and 5 per cent of resin and 45 per cent of starch. 



The rhizome and leaves of the Sweet Fern (Myrica asplenifolia), a 

 common low shrub, growing with Ericaceous plants in northeastern 

 United States and Canada, have been used in medicine. The leaves 

 contain 0.08 per cent of a volatile oil; 7 to 10 per cent of tannic acid; 

 resin and a saponin-like substance. The rhizomes yield 6 per cent 

 of tannic acid and 8 per cent of starch. 



The leaves of the Sweet Gale (Myrica Gale) contain 0.03 per cent 

 of a volatile oil. The leaves and branches are strongly aromatic and 

 have an astringent and bitter taste. 



Literature Hambright, Amer. Jour. Pharm., 1863, p. 193; 

 Peacock, Ibid., 1892, p. 303. Beringer, Ibid., 1894, p. 220; Manger, 

 Ibid., 1894, p. 211; Krembs and Denniston, Proc. A. Ph. A., 1901, 

 p. 414; Youngken, Bot. Lab. U. of Penn. IV, No. 2. 



JUGLANDACE^I, OR WALNUT FAMILY 



A small family of six genera, the most important of which are 

 Juglans and Carya. They yield useful woods, the barks are used in 

 tanning and dyeing and the fruits are edible. The inner morphology 



