JEQUIRITY 347 



and salicylic acids, with apparently a trace of P-coumaric acid, partol, 

 quercetin, and a new glucoside, designated incarnatrin, an alcohol, 

 hentriacontane, a phytosterol, a phytosterol glucoside and a mixture 

 of fatty acids. Power, Journ. Chem. Soc., 1910, p. 1004. 



Abrus. ABRI SEMINA, SEMEN JEQUIRITY, JEQUIRITY, WILD 

 LIQUORICE SEED. The seeds of Abrus precatorious (Fam. Legu- 

 minosae, sub-fam. Papilionaceae), a climbing shrub common to tropical 

 and sub-tropical countries of both hemispheres. The roots are 

 known as Wild or Indian liquorice and contain 1.5 per cent of a sub- 

 stance resembling glycyrrhizin. They also contain 8 per cent of an 

 acrid resin and a small quantity of an alkaloid, abrine, which pre- 

 cludes the root being substituted for glycyrrhiza. The leaves yield 

 about 10 per cent of glycyrrhizin. The seeds have been employed in 

 the making of rosaries and are known as prayer beads. Owing to 

 their toxic properties, care should be exercised when they are used by 

 children. 



Description. Ovoid, globular, from 5 to 9 mm. in length, hard, 

 smooth and shining, of two distinct colors, the lower or hilum por- 

 tion scarlet red and with a large lenticular scar; the upper portion 

 purplish-black; testa, shell-like and enclosing a light yellowish- 

 brown embryo having two large cotyledons and an incurved radicle. 



Inner Structure. Epidermis of palisade-like stone cells having 

 characteristic thickened walls and containing either a reddish pig- 

 ment, colored orange-red upon the addition of solutions of the alkalies, 

 or a violet pigment in the blackish layers; a layer of peculiarly thick- 

 ened cells having large intercellular spaces; a broad strand of paren- 

 chyma; perisperm of thin-walled mucilage cells; cotyledons of poly- 

 hedral parenchyma cells with thick porous walls, and containing 

 a granular content which is apparently neither starch nor aleurone. 



Constituents. Abrin (jequiritin), an agglutinating phytalbu- 

 mose, resembling in its physiological action ricin. It is very toxic, 

 is soluble in a solution of sodium chloride and decomposed upon heat- 

 ing to 85 C. Recent researches show it to be composed of abrusal- 

 bumin (a-phytalbumose) and abrusglobin. It also contains an en- 

 zyme, abric acid and a coloring principle. 



PHASEOLUS MULTIFLORUS. Scarlet Runner Bean. A well- 

 known, largely used vegetable (Fam. Leguminosae, sub-fam. Papilion- 

 acese). It has been stated that the roots of this plant are narcotic 

 and poisonous. A chemical examination was made of a quantity 

 of roots which were obtained from plants cultivated at Dartford, 

 Kent, and the following products were isolated: an enzyme which 

 hydrolyzed amygdalin; a small amount of an essential oil; furan- 



