732 LYCOPODIACEvE. 



Description — Lycopodium is a fine, mobile, inodorous, tasteless 

 powder of pale yellow hue, having at 16° C. a sp. gr. of 1-062. It floats 

 on water and is wetted with difficulty, yet sinks in that fluid after 

 boiling. By strong titration it coheres, assumes a grey tint, and leaves 

 an oily stain on paper ; it may then be mixed with water. It is imme- 

 diately moistened by oily and alcoholic liquids, chloroform, or ether. It 

 loses only 4 per cent, of moisture when dried at 100° C. When slowly 

 heated, it burns away quietly, but when projected into flame, it ignites 

 instantly and explosively, burning with much light, an effect exhibited 

 by soine other pulverulent bodies having a peculiar structure, as fern 

 spores and kamala. 



Microscopic Structure — Under the microscope lycopodium is seen 

 to be composed of uniform cells or granules, 25 mkm, in diameter, each 

 bounded by four faces, one of which (the base) is convex, while the 

 others terminate in a triangular pyramid, the three furrowed edges of 

 which do not reach quite to the base. These tetrahedral granules are 

 marked by minute ridges, forming by their intersections, regular five- or 

 six-sided meshes. At the points of intersection, small elevations are 

 produced, which, under a low magnifying power, give the granules a 

 speckled appearance. Below this network lies a yellow, coherent, thin, 

 but compact membrane, which exhibits considerable power of resistance, 

 not being ruptured either by boiling water or by potash lye. Oil of 

 vitriol does not act upon it in the cold, even after several days ; but it 

 instantly penetrates the grains and renders them transparent, while at 

 the same time numerous drops of oil make their appearance and quickly 

 exude. 



Chemical Composition — One of the most remarkable constituents 

 of lycopodium spores is a fixed oil, which they contain to the astonishing 

 amount of 47 per cent. Bucholz pointed out its existence in 1807, but 

 obtained it only to the extent of 6 per cent. Yet if the spores are 

 thoroughly comminuted by prolonged trituration with sand, and are 

 then exhausted with chloroform or ether, we find that the larger pro- 

 portion above mentioned can be obtained. The oil is a bland liquid, 

 which does not solidify even at - 15° C. 



By subjecting lypocodium or its extract to distillation with or 

 without an alkali, Stenhouse obtained volatile bases, the presence of 

 which we can fully confirm ; but they occur in exceedingly small pro- 

 portion. The ash of lycopodium amounts to 4 per cent. ; it is not alkaline ; 

 it contains alumina, and one per cent, of phosphoric acid, constituents 

 likewise found in the green parts of the plant. 



Production and Commerce — To obtain lycopodium, the tops of 

 the plant are cut as the spikes approach maturity, taken home, and the 

 powder shaken out and separated by a sieve. It is collected chiefly in 

 July and August, in Russia, Germany and Switzerland. The quantity 

 obtained varies greatly by reason of frequent failures in the growth of 

 the plant. 



France imported in 1870, 7262 kilo. (16,017 lb.) of lycopodium, 

 chiefly from Germany. The consumption in England is probably very 

 much smaller, but there are no data to consult. 



Uses — Lycopodium is not now regarded as possessing any medicinal 

 virtues, and is only used externally for dusting excoriated sujfaces and 



