452 SCIENTIFIC AND APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY 



a number of the species. In the leaves several well-marked charac- 

 teristics occur: (a) the epidermal layer is frequently modified to 

 mucilage and occasionally is papillose; (b) the cells of the mesophyll 

 may contain spicular cells or crystal idioblasts. 



PASSIFLORA. Wild Passion Flower or Passion Vine. The 

 leaves and flowering tops of Passiflora incarnata (Fam. Passifloracese), 

 a perennial climbing herb, producing axillary tendrils, having alternate 

 palmately lobed leaves and large showy flowers, which are supposed 

 to typify the passion of Jesus and hence the popular name of these 

 plants as given to them by the early Spanish settlers. The plants 

 are indigenous to the southern United States, being found as far 

 west as Missouri and Texas. They produce an abundance of flowers 

 from May to July, and the drug is collected usually after some of the 

 berry-like fruits have developed, being carefully dried and preserved. 



Description. Stems nearly cylindrical, yellowish- to purplish- 

 brown, longitudinally striate, somewhat glabrous or slightly pubes- 

 cent, internally with a thin bark, porous wood and hollow pith. 

 Leaves more or less broken, when entire, 3- to 5-cleft, long petiolate, 

 the lobes lanceolate-ovate, summit acute, margin serrate; light 

 greenish-brown to dark purplish-brown, somewhat coriaceous, and 

 either glabrous or slightly pubescent; petioles somewhat flattened, 

 from 1 to 6 cm. in length, light or purplish-brown, pubescent, and 

 having 2 large nectarial glands in the upper portion, these being 

 somewhat ellipsoidal from 1 to 2 mm. in length and of a blackish color. 

 Flowers solitary, on long peduncles, from 2 to 5 cm. in breadth, 

 the 5 sepals slightly united at the base and having at the crown several 

 rows of purplish filaments, known as the corona; petals 4 to 5, inserted 

 on the calyx and of a yellowish-white color; stamens 5, monadel- 

 phous; ovary superior, unilocular, becoming in fruit a berry, from 4 

 to 5 cm. in length, having 3 or 4 parietal placenta, and numerous 

 ovoid, flattened seeds having a yellowish or brown aril. The drug 

 has a slight odor and a somewhat acrid taste. 



Constituents. Nothing is known in regard to the constituents 

 of Passiflora; it is said, however, to possess traces of an alkaloid. 



Allied Drugs. The rhizome and roots of Passiflora incarnata 

 and P. lutea are sometimes used in medicine. They occur in cylin- 

 drical pieces from 3 to 6 mm. in diameter, light yellowish-brown and 

 finely striate. The leaves alone are sometimes collected and a prep- 

 aration sometimes is made from the freshly expressed juice of the 

 plant. 



