HENBANE 



51 



c Second biennial,' or * biennial,' consisting of the flowering tops 

 of the second year's growth of the biennial variety. 



'Annual,' consisting of the stem with leaves and flowers of the 

 annual variety. 



' Official' (B.P. 1914), consisting of the leaves collected from the 

 flowering plant, whether biennial or annual. 



Description. As previously mentioned, in the second year of its 

 growth the biennial variety of the plant 

 produces a tall, stout, branching stem 

 with leaves and flowers. 



The leaves vary considerably in size. 

 The lower attain as much as 25 cm. 

 in length, and are stalked ; the upper 

 are smaller and sessile. They are pale 

 green in colour, and, especially when 

 fresh, soft and unpleasantly clammy or 

 sticky to the touch. This peculiarity 

 is due to the soft hairs which are 

 particularly abundant near the veins 

 on the under surface ; these hairs 

 possess glandular heads which secrete 

 a resinous substance. 



In outline the leaves vary from 

 nearly ovate to elongated triangular ; 

 the margin is coarsely dentate or even 

 pinnatifid, and the midrib broad ; the 

 stems are rounded, and bear glandular 

 hairs like those of the leaf. 



The flowers, which are usually 

 crowded together, arise from the axils 

 of large, hairy, leafy bracts ; they 

 possess a hairy, urceolate calyx and 

 a yellowish, gamopetalous corolla 



deeply veined with purple. The fruit is a two-celled pyxis containing 

 numerous seeds. 



The dried flowering tops are commonly found in irregular rounded 

 or flattened masses about 2 '5 to 5 cm. in diameter, in which the 

 coarsely dentate hairy bracts, the yellowish corolla, with deep purple 

 veins, and two-celled ovary with numerous ovules can easily be 

 identified. 



The fresh plant has a strong heavy odour, which is less perceptible 

 in the dry drug ; but the taste of the latter is more distinctly bitter 

 than that of the former. 



FIG. 34. Annual Henbane. Small 

 specimen. Reduced. 



Microscopical Characters. The epidermis closely resembles that of bella- 

 donna and of stramonium, but bears numerous, very long, uniserial, multicellular 



