

ALOE. 



vii. 702. A. vera Mill. diet. ed. 8. No. 15. A. perfoliata 

 Linn. sp. pi. 458. Island of Socotra. 



Stem woody, straight, 1^ foot high and more, naked below, where it 

 is strongly marked with the scars of leaves. Leaves amplexicaul, 

 ascending, ensiform, green, curved inwards at the point, convex below, 

 rather concave above, marked with numerous small white marginal 

 serratures, the parenchyma abounding in a bright brownish-yellow juice. 

 Raceme cylindrical, unbranched. Flowers scarlet at the base, pale in. 

 the middle, green at the point. Stamens unequal, 3 of them longer 

 than the flowers. Socotrine aloes, the best of all for medical purposes, 

 are produced by the succulent leaves of this. The drug is imported from 

 Smyrna and Bombay, m skins, chests and casks, is of a reddish-brown 

 colour, glossy and pellucid, with a smooth conchoidal fracture. Its 

 taste is very bitter and the odour pleasant and aromatic. Mocha aloes 

 and genuine hepatic aloes, are supposed to be varieties of the same 

 species. 



] 263. A. purpurascens Haworth in Trans. Linn. Soc. viii. 20, 

 said to be a native of the Cape of Good Hope, and by some 

 Botanists considered a variety of A. socotrina, is stated by Theo- 

 dore Martius also to produce Socotrine Aloes. 



1264. A. spicata Thunb. diss. No. <2.fl. cap. ed. Schultes 309. 

 Linn, suppl 205. R. and S. vii. 705. Interior of the Cape 

 of Good Hope. 



Stem 3-4 feet high, as thick as a man's arm. Leaves thick, fleshy, 

 broad at the base, gradually narrowing to the point, channelled, full 

 2 feet long, distantly toothed, with a few white spots; their parenchyma 

 almost colourless. Spike a foot long, very compact, with the flowers 

 campanulate and horizontal. The 3 petals broader, ovate, obtuse, 

 white with a triple green line, the sepals narrower, less concave. 

 Stamens much longer than the perianth. The flowers are filled with a 

 purplish honey. This is said to be the principal source of Cape Aloes, 

 a sort having a more strong and disagreeable odour than Barbadoes 

 Aloes. Horse Aloes are supposed to be produced from the same species, 

 and to owe their difference to being obtained by boiling the leaves that 

 have been previously used for producing a finer sample. 



1265. A. arborescens Mill. ; 1266. A. Commelyni Willd. ; 

 1267. A. mitriformis Willd. (A. nobilis and supralsevis Haw.) 

 are all said to be collected for the preparation of Cape Aloes. 



HERRERIA. 



Perianth rotate, 6-parted. Stamens inserted into the base 

 of the segments ; anthers round. Ovary 3-cornered ; style erect ; 

 stigma 3-cornered. Capsule 3-quetrous, winged, 3-celled, 

 3-valved, the valves bearing the dissepiments ; the cells 2-4-seeded, 

 Seeds lenticular, membranous at the edge. 



1268. H. Salsaparilha Martius in R. and S. vii. 363. Brazil, 

 in the province of Minas Geraes. 



595 Q Q 2 



