480 . POWDERED VEGETABLE DRUGS 



176. SANTONICA. Santonica. 

 Fl. ex. 30. 



Levant wormseed, E. Wurmsamen, Zittwersamen, G. Semencine, 

 Semen-contra, Fr. 



The unexpanded flowers of Artemisia pauciflora Weber., Com- 

 positae. 



Light greensh brown. 



Very disagreeably terebinthine. 



Bitter, pungent, cooling. 



Elongated, thin-walled epidermal and parenchyma cells. Elon- 

 gated, slender, thin-walled, single-celled trichomes and some- many- 

 celled glandular trichomes. Numerous irregularly prismatic crystalline 

 particles. Numerous very small aggregate crystals of calcium 

 oxalate. Pollen grains in masses, some free, not mature, brown in 

 color, pores distinct, but practically without the conical projection 

 of the exine so characteristic of pollen grains of the composite. 



Ash 8 per cent. 



Compare with Barbary wormseed (Artemisia ramosd), Indian 

 wormseed and American wormseed. 



177. (Fig. 170.) SARSAPARILLA. Sarsaparilla. U. S. 

 Fl. ex. 30. 



Sassaparilla, G. Salsepareille, Fr. 



The roots of Smilax officinalis Kunth, and of other known and 

 unknown species of Smilax, Liliacese. 



Light grayish brown. 



Soil odor; musty. 



Bitterish, somewhat pungent and mucilaginous. 



The following is the histology of Honduras sarsaparilla : Epidermal 

 cells polygonal, brown, some of the cells developed into single-celled, 

 usually short, thin-walled trichomes. Below the epidermis three to 

 four layers of thick-walled, porous bast cells. Parenchyma cells 

 elongated, cylindrical, filled with compound starch granules; some 

 cells with raphides of calcium oxalate. Endoderm cells of uniform 

 thickness, elongated, a very light brown color, porous. Woody tissue 

 consists of tracheids and very large scalariform ducts. 



Ash 10 per cent. 



The histological differences of the different sarsaparillas, as seen 

 in carefully prepared sections, is quite marked, but these differences, 

 are not so evident in the powders. Compare histology of the more 

 important commercial varieties. 



