CRUDE DRUGS. 557 



about 3 mm. in diameter, longitudinally furrowed or wrinkled, 

 internodes about 15 mm. long, externally light brown, tomentose, 

 glandular, internally, cork yellowish-brown, fibrovascular bun- 

 dles in distinct wedges, bast and wood fibers yellow, distinct, 

 pith large, yellowish-brown; flowers (Fig. 243) subtended by 

 two ovate, reddish, pubescent and glandular bracts, pedicel short, 

 calyx turbinate, pubescent below, consisting of two alternate 

 whorls of four or five obovate or oblanceolate sepals, the outer 

 ones 10 to 12 mm. long, obtuse, entire, purplish veined, persistent 

 and becoming much elongated in the fruit, the inner about 3 to 4 

 mm. long, becoming shriveled and bent over the young fruit ; 

 carpels two, ovary about i mm. long, the upper portion very 

 pubescent, styles exserted, about as long as the ovary, stigma 

 large, compressed, with prominent papillae; fruit an ovoid akene, 

 about 2 mm. in diameter, inclosed by the remains of the calyx; 

 odor slight; taste bitter and acrid. 



Constituents.— The active principle appears to be an amor- 

 phous substance cosotoxin ; several other principles have been 

 isolated, but their real nature and properties have not been fully 

 determined ; the drug also contains about 3 per cent, of an inac- 

 tive crystalline principle cosin (koussein or brayerin), which is 

 bitter and acrid, and sparingly soluble in water but soluble in 

 alcohol; a crystalline principle which on hydrolysis yields iso- 

 butyric acid ; about 6 per cent, of a resinous principle ; volatile 

 oil; tannin about 24 per cent., and about 5 per cent, of ash. 



Adulterants. — Sometimes the flowers are stripped from the 

 panicles and sold as such, when the drug is known as " loose 

 cusso." In this conditio}^ they are likely to be admixed with 

 the staminate flowers, which, with their numerous stamens, are 

 readily distinguishable and inferior in quality. 



ROSA GALLICA.— RED ROSE.— The petals of Rosa gal- 

 lica (Fam. Rosacese), a shrub (p. 289) indigenous to Southern 

 Europe and probably Western Asia, and extensively cultivated 

 in all parts of the world. The petals are obtained from culti- 

 vated plants before the expansion of the flower, the lower clawed 

 portion usually being removed ; they are used fresh or are 

 carefully dried and preserved. The chief supply of the drug is 

 from the south of France. 



