654 ORCHIDACE^. 



bisulphide of carbon; it dissolves iodine without explosion. When 

 saturated with dry hydrochloric gas, no solid compound is formed. 



The oil begins to boil at about 236" C, and the chief bulk of it 

 distills at 257°-258° : the residual part is a thick brownish liquid. 

 Examined in a column of 50 mm. long, the crude oil deviates 1"9° to 

 the left. The portion passing over at 257°-258° deviates 1'2°, the residue 

 2° to the left. The optical behaviour is consequently in favour of the 

 supposition that the oil is homogeneous. This is corroborated by the 

 results of three elementary analyses which lead to the formula 



C20H32O. 



In order to ascertain whether the seed contains a fatty oil, 10 

 grammes, powdered with quartz, were exhausted with boiling ether. 

 This gave upon evaporation 0"583 grm. of a brown viscid residue, 

 almost devoid of odour, but of intense pungency. As it was entirely 

 soluble in glacial acetic acid or in spirit of wine, we may consider it a 

 resin, and not to contain any fatty matter. 



The seeds, dried at 100° C, aftbrded us 215 per cent, of ash, which, 

 owing to the presence of manganese, had a green hue. 



Commerce — Grains of paradise are chiefly shipped from the settle- 

 ments on the Gold Coast, of which Cape Coast Castle and Accra are 

 the more important. Official returns^ show that the exports in 1871 

 from this district were as follows : — to Great Britain 85,502 lb., the 

 United States 35,630 lb., Germany 28,501 lb., France 27,125 lb., Holland 

 14,250 lb.— total, 191,011 lb. (1705 cwt.) In 1872 the total shipments 

 amounted to the enormous quantity of 620,191 lb., valued at £10,303 ; 

 in 1875 only 151,783 lb., valued at £912, were exported. 



, Uses — The seeds are used in cattle medicines, occasionally as a 

 condiment, but chiefly, we believe, to give a fiery pungency to cordials. 



OECHIDACE^. 



SALEP. 



Radix Salep, Radix Satyrii ; Salej) ; F. Salep ; G. Salepknollen. 



Botanical Origin — Most, if not all, species of Orchis found in 

 Europe and Northern Asia are provided with tubers which, when 

 duly prepared, are capable of furnishing salep. Of those actually so 

 used, the following are the more important, namely — Orchis mascula 

 L., 0. Morio L., 0. niilitaris L., 0. ustulata L., 0. 'pyrannidalis L., 0. 

 coriophora L., and 0. longicruris Link. These species which have the 

 tubers entire are natives of the greater part of Central and Southern 

 Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus and Asia Minor.^ 



The following species with jMlmate or lohed tubers have a geographi- 

 cal area no less extensive, namely 0. maculcda L., 0. sacciferct Brongn., 

 0. conopsea L., and 0. latifolia L. The last-named reaches North- 

 western India and Tibet ; and 0. cono^Jsea occurs in Amurland in the 

 extreme east of Asia. 



1 Blue Boole for the. Colony of the Gold Orchis as occurring in Asia Minor. — Auk 

 Coast in 1871. Mineure, Bot. ii. 18G0. 



- Tchihatcheff enumerates 36 species of 



