IS. 0. PAPAVERACEiE. 8 



Potassium nitrate was identified among the salts naturally existing in 

 the plant. J. S. Ch. I. April 31, 1902, p. 560. 



Some crushed seeds were steam-distilled by K. Bhaduri of Calcutta. The 

 distillate had a slight opalescence and a very pungent odour, but no oil came 

 over. Extraction of the crushed seeds with petroleum-ether gave 22*3% 

 of a pale greenish yellow oil with a green fluorescence. The oil obtained by 

 pressing the crushed seeds was deep brown, mild odour, tasteless, d 2S 0*9117, 



32 



d 100 0-9007, n D . 43°34, sapon. no. 185*5, acetyl no. t 27'9, acid no. 146, 

 I. no. 1067, R.-M. no. 0*61, Hehner no. 91*02, glycerol 15*48%, Maumene test 65°. 

 The oil, very thin at first, gradually thickens on keeping. AcOH and valeric 

 acid are present. The mixed fatty acids, pale in color and thin, showed : 

 d 23 09065, d 100 0*8889, sapone. no. 194, 1 no. 147*4 ; temp, of turbidity 22° ; con- 

 tains 8* 14% of lauric acid. No stearic acid is present.— Chemical Abstracts 

 for March 20, 1914, pp. 1186-7. 



63. Meconopsis aculeata, Royle. h.f.b.l, i. 118. 



Vevn. : — Guddi kum (Jhelum) ; Gudi (Ravi) ; Kanada (Sutlej) 

 Kanta (Simla) ; (Pbj ; Kaoda (Kumaon). 



Habitat :— Western. Himalaya, from Kashmir to Kumaori. 

 11-1,5000 ft. 



A prickly herb, stem leafy, 1-2 ft., smooth, except the short 

 scattered prickles, leaves irregularly pinnatifid, 4-8 in. oblong or 

 lanceolate, long petioled, cauline, sessile. Flowers blue-purple, 

 2-3 in. diam. Pedicels slender, prickly in fruit. Capsules short 

 and densely bristly and prickly, J-f in., obconic-obovate or oblong, 

 style half as long. 



Part used : — The root. 



Use : — In Kashmir, the root is considered as a narcotic, and 

 in Chumba regarded as poisonous. (Stewart). 



64. M. Nipalensis, D.C. h.f.b.l, i. 118. 



Habitat : — Temperate Himalaya, Nepal, and Sikkim. 



A perennial herb, with yellow juice, stellately pubescent and 

 laxly hairy, stem 3-5 ft , stout, erect, nearly simple ; young- 

 parts clothed with soft gold villous hairs. Leaves sinuate-lobed 

 or pinnatifid. Flowers golden yellow, 2-3y in. diam., in 

 elongated, nearly simple, racemes. Sepals densely tomentose 

 and bristly. Petals 4. Ovary 1-celled, style J in., persistent. 

 Stigmatic lobes, radiating on its clubbed extremity. Capsule 

 ovate-oblong, 8-10-valved ; clothed with ad pressed hairs and 

 stellate down. Seeds small, many, rugose. 



