10 BULLETIN 1057, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



of the freshly expressed oil was 0.925 at 25° C. It is completely 

 devoid of optical activity, whereas chaulmoogra oil, as already 

 noted, is strongly dextrorotatory, and it also differs from the lat- 

 ter oil by containing none of the members of the chaulmoogric 

 acid series. 



Gynocardia oil has been shown to consist of the glyceryl esters 

 of the following well-known acids: (1) Linolic acid, or isomerides 

 of the same series, constituting the largest proportion of the oil; 

 (2) palmitic acid, in considerable amount; (3) linolenic and iso- 

 linolenic acids, the latter preponderating; and (4) oleic acid, in 

 relatively small amount. 



Gynocardia seeds contain, in addition to the fatty oil, a crystalline 

 cyanogenetic glucoside, C 13 H 19 9 N, which has been designated gyno-. 

 cardin, and an enzyme, termed gynocardase (£1). 



RECENT INFORMATION ON THE CHAULMOOGRA TREE AND 

 SOME RELATED SPECIES. 



By Joseph F. Rock, Agricultural Explorer, Office of Foreign Seed and Plant 

 ' Introduction. 



HYDNOCARPUS ANTHELMINTHICA. 4 



In 1919 the writer visited Bangkok en route to Singapore and 

 Java. While at Bangkok inquiry was made regarding Hydnocarpus 

 anthelminthiea, but not much information was obtained. Dr. Mordern 

 Carthew, resident physician and director of the Insane Asylum of 

 Bangkok, had paid special attention to leprosy and for a number 

 of years had treated the lepers in the Bangkok prison. He treated 

 these lepers of his own accord with Dr. Leonard Roger's gynocardate 

 of sodium "A" 5 by intravenous injection and with tablets by mouth. 

 Reports regarding his successes and failures with Roger's medica- 

 ments have been published. While at the insane asylum one day Dr. 

 Carthew showed the writer a tree growing in the asylum compound. 

 This tree, which he said was called maikrabao or lukrabao by the 

 Siamese, proved to be none other than Eydnocarpus anthelminthiea 

 Pierre. About a dozen fruits were obtained at that time and the seeds 

 forwarded to Honolulu, Hawaii, where they promptly germinated. 



In 1920 the writer again visited Siam and made it a point to locate 

 Eydnocarpus anthelminthiea in its native haunts. It was exceedingly 

 difficult to obtain any information about this species, even from the 

 Government forest office. The tree is grown as an ornamental and 

 is exceedingly handsome when well taken care of. It has been ex- 



* Hydnocarpus anthelminthiea Pierre (7, p. 523). Mentioned without adequate descrip- 

 tion in Lanessan (11,, p. 303). Specimens collected by the writer are deposited in the 

 United States National Herbarium: Rock No. 1189, U. S. N. H. Nos. 1,090,027 and 

 1,090,028 ; Rock No. 497, U. S. N. H. No. 1,090,003. 



B A sodium compound of the higher fatty acids of chaulmoogra oil. 



