PROBLEMS AND RESULTS IN ISRAEL 399 
Selection of Industrial and Pharmaceutical Plants 
Mention has already been made of Funcus maritimus as raw 
material for our paper industry. Israel possesses a modern paper 
mill which uses imported raw material. Funcus maritimus has 
been investigated thoroughly from a technical point of view and 
first class paper has been produced from it (2g). Its planting and 
sowing in salt marshes of the Negev is still in the experimental 
stage. 
As regards pharmaceutical desert plants, we are carrying out 
a systematic survey of our desert flora, searching for plants which 
contain pharmaceutically important substances. At the same 
time, plants known to contain drugs are being investigated as 
regards the amounts of the active constituents and their seasonal 
fluctuations (37, 38). With the exception of Hyoscyamus muticus, 
large-scale culture of these plants has not yet been attempted. 
Our main prospects are: 
Hyoscyamus muticus for atropine. 
Anabasis haussknechtii for anabasine. 
Artemisia herba-alba and Artemisia monosperma possess anthel- 
mintic properties. From the essential oils of 4. monosperma a 
new substance, furoartemone, was isolated, a furan compound 
possibly of great importance. 
Peganum harmala tor harmine and harmaline. 
Periploca aphylla, Daemia tomentosa, Leptadenta pyrotechnica 
for various glucosides. 
Gypsophila rokejeka for sapogenin. 
Capparis spinosa for heart alkaloids. 
Achillea fragrantissima and A. santolina for essential oils. 
Agave sisalana, introduced as an industrial fiber plant, con- 
tains in the unused parts of its leaves hecogenin, which can be 
used as a starting material for the synthesis of steroidal hor- 
mones. 
Special mention has to be made of Citrullus colocynthis. This 
belongs to the Saharo-Sindian area, but penetrates into the Medi- 
terranean territory and grows on sandy soils. Its fruit contains 
the well-known and long-used colocynthin, and its seeds contain 
20 per cent oil. This interesting drought-resistant plant could be 
