538 SCIENTIFIC AND APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY 



herb belonging to the Gentian family, indigenous to Europe and 

 naturalized in Canada and from Massachusetts to Indiana, growing 

 commonly in waste places. The plant is gathered at the time of 

 flowering in July, when some of the fruits have partially matured. 

 The roots are separated, and the plants are tied into small bundles, 

 from 3 to 6 cm. in diameter, and dried. The drug is official in a 

 number of the foreign Pharmacopoeias, and the name Centaurium 

 was applied to it by the old herbalist, in allusion to its supposed 

 priceless medicinal value. 



Description. Stems obscurely 4-angled, or cylindrical and some- 

 what winged, from 20 to 30 cm. in length, corymbosely branched 

 above; externally light green, light yellowish-brown or dark brown, 

 finely longitudinally striate, and glabrous, having narrow mem- 

 branous light brown wing-like ridges which are caused by an extra 

 development of collenchyma; fracture fibrous, pith hollow. Leaves 

 opposite, sessile, linear, oblong or elliptical, the latter from 2 to 3.5 

 cm. in length and from 2 to 10 mm. in width; summit acute, margin 

 entire; greenish -brown and glabrous. Flowers, in dense terminal 

 cymes, calyx tubular having long linear segments; corolla salver- 

 shaped, rose pink, when fresh or carefully dried, otherwise light brown; 

 stamens 5, yellow, inserted on the corolla tube, the anthers becoming 

 more or less spirally twisted; ovary unilocular, style filiform. Fruit 

 an ovoid capsule, 2-valved containing numerous small reticulated 

 seeds; odor distinct; taste persistently bitter. 



Inner Structure. Stems having a layer of epidermal cells with 

 strongly thickened outer walls; cortex of several rows of cells; zone 

 of leptome, small ; xylem consisting of a closed ring of trachea, wood 

 fibers and thick-walled parenchyma. The leaves consist of an upper 

 epidermal layer made up of cells which are developed to short papillae, 

 the walls being strongly thickened and the cuticle finely wrinkled; 

 palisade layer with 2 rows of cells; mesophyll consisting of several 

 layers of thin-walled cells; lower epidermis resembling those of the 

 upper surface but showing more numerous stomata; epidermal 

 layer of calyx made up of thick-walled cells developed to short papillae, 

 and in which the lumina is very small. Pollen grains spheroidal, 

 yellow, nearly smooth and having 3 pores. 



Constituents. A bitter principle; a volatile oil; a resin; ery- 

 taurin, a colorless crystalline glucoside; erythrocentaurin, a crys- 

 talline, tasteless principle, which is colored red on exposure to the 

 light. Also mucilage and wax. Centaurium should yield not less 

 than 25 per cent of aqueous extract; and the ash should be not more 

 than 4 per cent. 



