136 FRUITS 



in the hard tissue, large oil-glands filled with volatile oil, or, in old 

 fruits, with yellowish transparent resin ; they are often concealed 

 by the soft surrounding tissue which adheres to the resinous secretion. 

 Smaller oil-glands are present in the pulp of the fruit, but they are 

 less conspicuous. 



Juniper berries have an agreeable aromatic odour resembling 

 turpentine, and a sweetish taste. 



The student should observe 



(a) The scar at the apex, 



(b) The minute bracts at the base, 



(c) The three hard seeds with oil-glands partly embedded in 



them. 



Constituents. Ripe Juniper berries yield about 1 per cent, of 

 volatile oil (sp. gr. 0'862 to 0*890 ; O.R. 3 to 15), consisting of 

 pinene, cadinene, and juniper camphor, and contain about 33 per 

 cent, of invert sugar. 



The residue left after the distillation of the volatile oil is exhausted 

 with water and the decoction evaporated to a soft sweetish extract 

 much used in Germany (Succus or Roob Juniperi). 



Uses. The volatile oil is diuretic as well as being stomachic and 

 stimulant. It is employed chiefly as a diuretic in certain forms of 

 dropsy. 



VANILLA 



(Fructus Vanillae) 



Source, &C. The vanilla plant, Vanilla plani folia, Andrews (N.O. 

 Orchidece), is a climbing plant growing wild in the moist woods on the 

 eastern coast of Mexico. It is now largely cultivated in the islands 

 Reunion, the Seychelles, Mauritius, Tahiti, Java, &c., where the 

 climate resembles in temperature and humidity that of its native 

 country. The genus includes many species, but V. planifolia is the 

 chief vanilla-yielding one. 



Like other members of the same natural order, the fertilisation of 

 the Mexican wild plant is effected by insects ; but when the plant 

 is cultivated in other countries, in the absence of these insects, the 

 fertilisation is accomplished by hand. This is effected by introducing 

 a pointed stick into flower after flower, selecting the strongest. Before 

 the fruits ripen, when the colour begins to change from yellowish green 

 to brown, they are picked and subjected to a process of ' curing,' 

 during which certain aromatic principles are formed and the fruits 

 acquire the well-known vanilla odour. This process, the details of 

 which vary considerably, consists essentially in slowly drying the 

 fruits by exposure to the warmth of the sun or to artificial heat. The 



