COLOCYNTH 655 



concentric rings of bundles, the sclerenchyma of the cortex being 

 reduced to isolated groups of sclerenchymatous fibers. The leptome 

 is developed in other parts of the plant than in the fibrovascular 

 bundles. The tracheae are wide and the walls possess simple pores. 

 The non-glandular hairs are unicellular or uniseriate and the cuticle 

 is sometimes spinose, as the hairs on the leaves of Bryonia, Cucumis, 

 Cucurbita and Ecballium. The glandular hairs have a short uni- 

 seriate stalk and a 4-celled summit. Gystolith and cystolith-like 

 structures are of common occurrence in a number of genera. Calcium 

 oxalate is occasionally secreted in the form of solitary crystals. 



COLOCYNTHIS. Bitter Apple. The fruit of Citrullus Colocynthis 

 (Fam. Cucurbitacese), a perennial herbaceous vine, indigenous to 

 warm, dry regions of Africa and Asia, and cultivated in the north- 

 western provinces of India and the countries bordering the Medi- 

 terranean. The fruit is collected in autumn when ripe, and after 

 removal of the epicarp by paring, is quickly dried in the sun or by 

 artificial means. The commercial supplies are obtained from Turkey 

 and Spain, the finer grade coming from Turkey. Attempts have been 

 made to grow Colocynth in England and in New Mexico. The fruits 

 are much larger than the official, and while very bitter appear to be 

 less active than the fruits obtained from wild plants. The seeds 

 should be removed from the pulp before it is used. 



Description. Berry nearly globular, 6 to 7 cm. in diameter 

 (Fig. 289); light; externally yellowish-white; internally, with three 

 longitudinal, somewhat elliptical fissures, 8 to 14 mm. in width; 

 seeds numerous, ovoid, compressed, yellowish-green and borne on 

 the divided parietal placentas between the fissures; odor slight; 

 taste very bitter. 



INNER STRUCTURE. See Fig. 290. 



Powder. Light yellow; consisting chiefly of fragments of 

 parenchymatous cells and occasional fragments of tracheae; very 

 few lignified tissues of the seed-coat, showing the characteristic stone 

 cells which are nearly isodiametric, or irregular, having either straight 

 undulate and strongly lignified walls, marked by simple pores; 

 globules of fixed oil and aleurone grains very few. The powder in 

 which seeds are present contains numerous oil globules, and the outer 

 epidermal cells have reticulated thickenings; the stone cells have 

 usually undulate walls, which are more or- less porous and strongly 

 lignified. 



Constituents. The activity of Colocynth is due to at least two 

 principles, one of which is an amorphous alkaloid, and the other is 

 represented by the ether and chloroform extracts of the resin. Colo- 



