620 BOTANY AND PHARMACOGNOSY. 



to lo cm. long, 1.5 to 2.5 cm. broad, with acute or narrow apex 

 and base, and entire or somewhat revohite margin. In the drug 

 they usually occur in broken fragments, which are thin, greenish- 

 brown, and have a slight narcotic odor and bitter taste. They 

 contain in addition to hyoscyamine (duboisine) and hyoscine, the 

 alkaloid pseudohyoscyamine, which occurs in small, needle- 

 shaped crystals that are difficultly soluble in water but readily 

 soluble in alcohol. Dnboisia Leichardtii also contains a large 

 amount of alkaloids resembling those of Duboisia. Pituri or 

 Australian tobacco is the leaf of Duboisia Hopiuoodii, and is used 

 in Australia like tobacco. It contains 2.5 per cent, of a liquid 

 alkaloid piturine, which has a pungent odor and taste, and closely 

 resembles nicotine. 



BELLADONNA FOLIA.— BELLADONNA LEAVES.— 

 The leaves and flowering tops of Atropa Belladonna (Fam. Sol- 

 anacese), a perennial herb (Fig. 268) native of Central and 

 Southern Europe, Asia Minor and Persia, and cultivated in Eng- 

 land and German}-, from which countries most of the commercial 

 supply is obtained (p. 372). The leaves and tops are gathered 

 when the plants are in flower, and used fresh or after being dried. 



Description. — Usually in irregular, matted fragments. Stem 

 hollow, cylindrical, flattened, longitudinally furrowed and wrin- 

 kled, 1.5 to 2 mm. in diameter, internodes from 2.5 to 6.5 cm. 

 long. Leaves single or in unequal pairs, broadly ovate or some- 

 what elliptical, 6 to 15 cm. long, 2.5 to 7 cm. broad; apex acum- 

 inate ; base acute, somewhat unequal and tapering into the petiole ; 

 margin entire ; upper surface dark green, glabrous, epidermis with 

 distinct papillae ; under surface grayish-green, slightly pubescent 

 (Fig. 287, C) on the veins, epidermis distinctly sinuate, midrib 

 dark brown, the veins of the first order diverging from it at angles 

 of about 45"- and running nearly parallel to near the margin; 

 petiole dark brown, 5 to i S mm. long and semi-circular in cross 

 section; texture fragile. Flowers solitary, pedicel 1.5 to 2 cm; 

 long; calyx deeply 5-cleft, about i mm. long, outer surface slightly 

 pubescent ; corolla 5-parted, about 2 mm. long, campanulate, yel- 

 lowish-purple ; stamens five, included; style somewhat exserted. 

 Fruit, a superior berry, globular, dark green, 7 to. 10 mm. in 

 diameter, 2-locular, many-seeded.' ■ Seeds campylotropous, some^ r 



