EUPHORBIA 397 



an orange or brownish-red tannin-like substance or crystals of cal- 

 cium oxalate. The laticiferous cells do not occur in this part of the 

 bark. The periderm often consists of a number of broad layers of 

 cork cells, which sometimes penetrates through to the inner bark. 



Powder. Reddish-brown, having a somewhat clove-like odor; 

 fragments of parenchyma containing starch grains or tannin, and 

 among which occur the yellowish- or reddish-brown laticiferous 

 cells; starch grams mostly single, occasionally 2- to 3-compound, the 

 individual grains nearly spheroidal, from 0.003 to 0.013 mm. in 

 diameter; calcium oxalate in monoclinic prisms and rosette aggre- 

 gates from 0.015 to 0.025 mm. in diameter; characteristic some- 

 what lignified cork cells, in surface view, polygonal in outline, about 

 0.040 mm. in diameter, showing unevenly thickened and lamellated 

 walls, having irregular lumina, and containing small crystals of 

 calcium oxalate; bast fibers, with strongly thickened, somewhat lig- 

 nified walls; tracheae, from adhering wood, having bordered pores, 

 very few or wanting. 



Constituents. Cascarilla contains 1 to 1.5 per cent of a volatile 

 oil, containing eugenol, limonene, an oxygenated portion, and some 

 other constituents; 15 per cent of resin; a bitter principle, cascarillin; 

 tannin and vanillin. 



Literature. Zornig, Arzneidrogen. 



Euphorbia Pilulif era. HERBA EUPHORBIA PILULIFER^E, 

 EUPHORBIA HERBA. The over-ground portions of Euphorbia 

 pilulifera (Fam. Euphorbiacese), an annual herb common in tropical 

 and sub-tropical countries, being found in the United States from 

 Texas to Arizona. The plant is gathered at the time of flowering 

 or fruiting, the adhering roots removed, and carefully dried. Most 

 of our commercial supplies are obtained from plants collected in 

 India. 



Description. Usually in broken fragments; stems cylindrical, 

 branching, light reddish-brown and covered with coarse bristly hairs ; 

 leaves opposite, short petiolate, from 15 to 40 mm. in length and 

 from 4 to 12 mm. in breadth, nearly smooth and slightly pubescent 

 on the veins, ovate or lanceolate, inequilateral, summit acute, base 

 obtuse or somewhat rounded, minutely serrate, upper surface dark 

 greenish-brown, lower surface light yellowish-brown, very brittle and 

 usually very much broken in the commercial article; flowers appear 

 to be axillary, but are really lateral (and often umbellate clustered), 

 monoecious, having the fertile flowers in the middle of the cluster, 

 both fertile and sterile flowers included in a cup-shaped 4- to 5-lobed 

 involucre, resembling a calyx or corolla and having large, thick 



