RHIZOMA FILICIS. 735 



the regular flattened shape, usual in many suberous coats. Within 

 this cortical layer, there is a circle of about 10 lai-ge vascular bundles, 

 besides a large number of smaller ones scattered beyond the circle. 

 The leaf-bases exhibit a somewhat different structure, their vascular 

 bundles, usually 8, forming but one diffuse circle. 



The cells of the parenchyme contain starch, greenish or brownish 

 granules of tannic matter, and drops of oil. In the green, vigorously 

 vegetating parts of the rootstock there are numerous smaller and 

 larger intercellular spaces, into which a few stalked glands project, as 

 shown by Prof. Schacht of Bonn in 1863. These globular glands 

 originate from the cells bordering the intercellular spaces. After their 

 complete development, and the appearance of starch in the adjacent 

 parenchyme, they exude a greenish fluid, which when thin slices of the 

 rhizome are kept some time in glycerin, solidifies in acicular crystals.^ 

 Such glands appear to be wanting in most of the allied ferns, such as 

 Aspidium O'reopteHs Sw. and Asplenium Filix foemina Bemh. They 

 have been observed by one of us (F.), in the small rhizome of A. spinu- 

 slowm Sw. Similar glands, but not exuding a green liquid, occur 

 between the palese below the vegetating cone of the rootstock. 



Chemical Composition — Of the numerous examinations which 

 have been made of this drug, those ol Bock (1852), of Luck (1860), and 

 of Kruse (1876), may be especially mentioned. Besides the universally 

 distributed constituents of plants, there have been found in the rhizome 

 5 to 6 per cent, of a green fatty oil, traces of volatile oil, resin, tannin 

 (Luck's Tannaspidic and Pteritannic Acids) and crystallizable sugar, 

 which according to Bock is probably cane sugar. 



The medicinal ethereal extract, of which the rhizome yields about 

 8 per cent., deposits a colourless, granular, crystalline substance, noticed 

 by Peschier as early as 1826, and subsequently designated by Luck, 

 Filicic Acid. Grabowski (1867) assigned it the formula C"ff*0^ 

 We learn from Prof Buchheim that he regards filicic acid as the source 

 of the medicinal efficacy of the drug. By fusion with potash, filicic acid 

 is converted into phloroglucin and butyric acid. The green liquid por- 

 tion of the extract consists mainly of a glyceride called Filixolin, from 

 which Luck obtained by saponification two acids, the one volatile, Filos- 

 raylic Acid, the other non-volatile, termed Filixolic Acid. 



Malin (1867) showed that the tannic acid of male fern may be 

 decomposed by boiling dilute acids into sugar and a red substance, 

 Filix-red, C^H^^O^^ analogous to Cinchona-red. 



Schoonbroodt^ performed some interesting experiments with fresh 

 fern root, showing that it contains volatile acids of the fatty series, 

 among which is probably foi'mic ; but also a fixed acid, accompanied by 

 an oil of disagreeable odour. The liquid distilled from the dried root 

 did not evolve a similar odour, nor did it contain any acid body. 

 A small quantity of essential oil was obtained by means of ether 

 from the alcoholic extract of the fresh but not of the dried root- 

 stock. The rhizome of male fern yields 2 to 3 per cent, of ash, con- 



^ The chemical nature of this body re- ^ Journal de Medecine de Bruxelles, 1867 



mains to be ascertained. The crystals are and 1868 — also in the Jahresbericht of 



probably Filicic Acid, accompanied by Wiggers and Husemann, 1869. 21. 

 chlorophyl and essentisJ oil. 



