SECTION II 



FLOWERS 



Under this heading are grouped together a number of drugs that 

 consist either of entire flowers or inflorescences, or of parts only of 

 flowers, collected at varying stages of their development. 



In some instances the student will find it necessary to soften the 

 drug in water and spread out such parts as the shrivelled petals with 

 a camel's hair brush in order to examine their shape. In other cases 

 a sharp penknife and good lens must be used in order to observe the 

 characteristic details alluded to in the text. For a description of 

 the morphology of the flower and an enumeration of the various 

 forms of inflorescence a text-book of botany must be consulted. 



RED POPPY PETALS 

 (Petala Rhoeados, Flores Rhceados) 



Source, &c. The red or field poppy, Papaver Ehosas, Linne (N.O. 

 Papaveracece) , is a common herb, doubtfully indigenous to England, 

 but abundant in cornfields and waste places throughout Europe and 

 long used as a medicine. It is the commonest British poppy, and 

 is distinguished by its rich scarlet petals and glabrous, nearly globular 

 fruit. 



The long-headed poppy; P. dubium, Linne, is also common, but 

 is generally smaller, more slender, and possesses a capsule often 

 twice as long as it is broad. 



Description. The two hairy sepals of the bud fall off as the 

 four delicate crumpled petals expand. The latter are of a bright 

 scarlet colour, with a short, dark violet claw, they are smooth and 

 shining, broadly elliptical, with an entire margin. They have, when 

 fresh, an unpleasant heavy odour and slightly bitter taste. By 

 drying, the bright scarlet colour changes to a dingy violet, and the 

 petals, which are used on account of the colouring matter they con- 

 tain, are therefore official in the fresh state only. 



