562 SCIENTIFIC AND APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY 



forming golden yellow, tabular crystals. Xanthoeriodictyol, 0.019 

 per cent, occurring in golden yellow needles. Also a volatile oil; a 

 crystalline body, eriodictyonon (homoeriodictyol) ; a tannin, giving 

 a green color with ferric salts; sugar; fixed oil; and gum. 

 Literature. Tutin, Jour. Chem. Soc., 1910, p. 2054. 



BORAGINACE^E OR BORAGE FAMILY 



A family of about 1200 species which are especially abundant in 

 the Mediterranean region and extending into central Europe and 

 Asia. The plants are mostly herbaceous and rough, hairy. The 

 leaves are generally alternate and the inflorescence is one-sided 

 (dorsi-ventral). The family is characterized by both glandular 

 and non-glandular hairs. Of special importance are the unicellular 

 cystolith-hairs (bristle hairs). Calcium oxalate occurs in the forms 

 of prisms, rosette aggregates and microcrystals. 



ALKANNA. Alkanet. The root of Alkanna tinctoria (Fam. 

 Boraginacese), a perennial herb, indigenous to southeastern Europe 

 and Asiatic Turkey and also cultivated for its coloring principle. 



Description. Fusiform, simple, 3 to 30 cm. in length, 5 to 20 mm. 

 in diameter; externally deep reddish-purple, or maroon color, some- 

 times twisted deeply furrowed, the outer layers readily separating 

 in papery strips, the crown being frequently several-headed and 

 consisting of the bases of the leaves which are bristly hairy; frac- 

 ture short; internally bark thin, wood yellowish brown; odor slight; 

 taste insipid or faintly bitter and stringent. 



Constituents. A coloring principle, Alkannin (Anchurin), amor- 

 phous and resin-like. The amount varies from 5 to 6 per cent, is 

 insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol, chloroform, ether and oils. 

 The solutions in alkalies are of a deep blue color changing to red on 

 the addition of acids. Gawalowski separated Alkannin into two 

 acids: (a) alkanic acid soluble in ether and alcohol and turning blue 

 with alkalies; (6) anchuric acid soluble in benzene and turning 

 green with alkalies. 



Adulterants. Syrian Alkanet, the root of Macrotonia cephalotes 

 (Fam. Boraginacese) is readily distinguished. The roots vary 

 from 20 to 40 cm. in length 2 to 5 cm. in thickness, many-headed and 

 of a black-violet somewhat metallic color. (Ewing and Clevenger, 

 Jour. A. Ph. A., 1918, 7, p. 591.) It contains a very large quantity 

 of coloring matter, apparently of equal tinctorial strength and it is 

 suggested that it may prove to be a valuable substitute for true 

 Alkanet. 



