374 



SUBTERRANEAN ORGANS 



cylindrical descending branches, the latter the erect, stem-producing 

 ones. 



Description. Finger or long turmeric occurs in curved or nearly 



FIG. 198. Long Tur- 

 meric. (Pereira.) 



FIG. 199. Round Tur- 

 meric. (Pereira.) 



straight cylindrical pieces bluntly tapering at each end. The outer 

 surface is of a deep yellowish brown colour, longitudinally wrinkled 

 and marked with transverse rings (leaf-scars). Occasionally they 

 bear short knob-like branches, or show large circular scars where these 



have been broken off. They are hard 

 and heavy, and break with a short 

 fracture ; internally they have a uniform 

 dull brownish yellow, waxy appearance 

 and tough horny consistence. The trans- 

 verse section exhibits little of its structure 

 beyond a paler (or sometimes darker) ring 

 separating the stele from the cortex. 

 This remarkable appearance of the interior 

 of the rhizomes is due to the prolonged 

 boiling they undergo, by which not only is 

 the starch gelatinised and a horny con- 

 sistence imparted to the drug, but the 

 colouring matter, previously restricted 

 to certain scattered cells, becomes uni- 

 formly diffused throughout the rhizome. 



Bulb or round turmeric resembles the finger variety, but is, as its 

 name indicates, shorter and thicker. 



FIG. 200. Turmeric rhizome. 

 Transverse section, a, cor- 

 tex ; v, endodermis ; b, 

 stele ; y, vascular bundles. 

 Magnified 3 diam. (Berg.) 



