376 SCIENTIFIC AND APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY 



only in the peripheral region of the pith and are seldom found in the 

 cortex. The hairs are usually both unicellular, non-glandular and 

 multicellular, glandular. Calcium oxalate is usually secreted in the 

 form of rosette aggregates or solitary crystals; in some instances 

 styloids occur. 



QUASSIA. Quassia Wood. The wood of Picrasma excelsa 

 (Fam. Simarubaceae), a tree indigenous to Jamaica and other islands 

 of the West Indies. The trees are felled and cut into billets. The 

 latter are exported and afterward manufactured into " quassia cups," 

 the shavings constituting the drug known as Jamaica Quassia. 

 The market supply of this drug was at one time almost exclusively 

 obtained from Quassia amara (Fam. Simarubaceae), a small tree or 

 shrub indigenous to Brazil and cultivated in Colombia, Panama, West 

 Indies and other tropical countries. The wood of the latter is 

 exported from Surinam and is known as Surinam Quassia; this variety 

 is used in continental Europe and now quite largely in the United 

 States. 



Jamaica Quassia. Usually in raspings, light or bright yellow, 

 medullary rays two to five cells wide in transverse section, the cells 

 containing tetragonal prisms or sphenoidal microcrystals of calcium 

 oxalate; fracture fibrous; odor slight; taste bitter. 



Inner Structure. (Fig. 165.) Tracheae wide, single or in groups 

 of 2 to 5, having bordered pores and a yellowish content; medullary 

 rays mostly 1 to 5 cells wide and from 10 to 20 rows deep; crystal 

 fibers containing calcium oxalate in 4- to 6-sided prisms, from 0.006 

 to 0.030 mm. in length; wood fibers with thin walls and oblique 

 pores; starch grains few, spheroidal or ellipsoidal, 0.010 to 0.015 mm. 

 in diameter. 



Surinam Quassia usually occurs in small billets; the medullary 

 rays are 1 to 2 cells wide in transverse section, and calcium oxalate 

 crystals are wanting. 



Inner Structure. (Fig. 165.) Tracheae usually single or in pairs, 

 sometimes in groups of 3 or 4; medullary rays from 1 to 4 cells wide 

 and from 10 to 30 rows deep; calcium oxalate crystals few or entirely 

 wanting and distinguishing this variety from Jamaica Quassia. 



Powder. Light yellow; tracheae wide with bordered pores; 

 sclerenchymatous fibers long, thin-walled and with oblique simple 

 pores; medullary rays with calcium oxalate in monoclinic prisms 

 or in sphenoidal microcrystals, or with few spheroidal starch grains. 

 When bark of the wood is present a few stone cells and cork cells are 

 also present. In the bark of Surinam quassia stone cells are numerous. 



Constituents. Jamaica quassia contains from 0.05 to 0.75 per 



