468 



BOTANY 



fruit is a trilocular, many-seeded capsule. The whole plant, particularly the 



tubers and seeds, contains a large per- 

 centage of the poisonous alkaloid col- 

 chicin. Veratrum album is a profusely 

 leaved, tall herb growing in meadows in 

 mountainous regions, with a fleshy, per- 

 ennial rhizome ; the numerous green, 

 choripetalous flowers are aggregated 

 into a terminal, pyramid-shaped panicle. 

 The poisonous properties of the plant 

 are due to the presence of veratroidin 

 and jervin. Paris quadrifolia, Herb 

 Paris (Fig. 404), is an herb with a 

 single whorl of four leaves. Each 

 plant produces one terminal tetramer- 

 ous flower of a greenish colour, 

 from which the fruit, a black berry, 

 develops. The toxic principle in this 

 case is paridin. The Lily of the Valley 

 (Oonvallaria majalis), the bulbs of the 

 Tulip (Tulipa) and of the Crown 

 Imperial (Fritillaria imperialis) are 

 also more or less poisonous. 



Officinal. — Colchicum autumnale 

 yields Semen 

 Colchici ; Ver- 

 atrum album, 

 R H I z M A 

 Veratei ; Sa- 

 badilla ojjicin- 

 arum (grass - 

 like, small- 

 leaved bulbous plants of Central America and Vene- 

 zuela) ; Vekatrinum. Aloe is derived from the evapor- 

 ated sap of the leaves of South African Aloe species 

 (herbs, shrubs or small trees with fleshy, often serrate 

 leaves ; inflorescence a loose raceme with leafless or scaly 

 axis ; perigone leaves united into a tube, Fig. 405). 

 Urginea maritima (Mediterranean bulbous plants 

 with leafy stalk, terminating in a raceme of white 

 flowers) yields Bulbus Soillae (Squill). Radix Sarsae 

 or Saksapauilla is procured from Central American 

 species of Smilax (for the most part prickly plants climb- 

 ing by tendrils ; flowers dicecious, greenish ; ovules 

 atropous). 



J-L^ 



FlQ. 405. — Aloe socotHna. 

 duced) ; 2, a flower. 

 Wossidlo.) 



1, Entire plant (re- 

 — Officinal. (After 



-As in the Liliaceae, 

 epigynous (Fig. 



Fig. 406. — Leucojum aesti- 

 wm. a, Inflorescence 

 (reduced) ; 6, gyncecium 

 and andrcecium (nat. 

 size). 



Family Amar-yllidaceae. 



except that the flowers are 

 406). ■ 



Herbs, usually bulbous ; very similar to the Liliaceae in appear 

 ance and mode of life. 



