N. 0. sapindaceJ:. 365 



From the soft parts of the dried berries, 10. 5 p. c. of the saponin, C l7 H 2t5 

 O 10 is obtained. J. Ch. S. 1901 A. I. 648. 



The sajDonin occurs in the form of salts, probably IS T a and K. The pow- 

 dered fruit shells are extd. with 95% ale., Pb (0Ac) 2 is aded to ppt. the Pb salt 

 of the saponin, and the Pb salt is decompd. by H 2 S, the solu. evapcl., dild. with 

 water and acidified with dil. HCl ; the saponin seps. very slowly as an almost 

 white flocculent ppt. It is filtered, washed with dil. ale. and purified first by 

 dialysis, then bypptn.from ale. with H 2 0. When dried it forms a white 

 power, sol. in ale, MeOH. insol. in H 2 0, Et 2 0, CHC1 3 , acetone and petr. ether. 

 H 2 S0 4 gives a yellowish red color changing to reddish violet ; when the 

 saponin is added drop by drop, to a soln. in Ac 2 0, a violet-red color results. 

 NaOH added to a suspension in H 2 0, forms a foaming, strongly hemolytic soln., 

 [a]20 -f 13-28° (in ale). Fehling soln, is not reduced directly. On hydrolysis 

 with 3% H 2 S0 4 or ale. HCl. sapogenin and d-arabinose are formed. Sapogenin, 

 white, odorless and tasteless plates from ale. m. 319°, insol. in H 2 0, Et 2 0, 

 CHC1 3 , acetone and petr. ether, sol, in ale, MeOH and ale KOH. Potassium 

 salt, C 31 H 47 5 K, white needles, difficulty sol. in H 2 0. Barium salt, white 

 needles. Triacetyl sapogenin, prepd. by heating a mixt. of sapogenin, AcCl 

 and AcONa at the b. p., fine white needles, m. 167°. Benzoyl sapogenin, 

 m. 107°. Monomethylsapogpnin, prepd. with Me 2 S0 4 , needles (from ale), 

 m. 218°.— Chemical Abstracts, for July 20, 1916 p. 1864. 



316. Nephelium litchi, Camb. h.f.b.l, I. 687. 

 Roxb. 328. 



Hahitat : — Cultivated in India ; originally an ative of China. 



Vern : — Litchi (H.) ; Kyetmauk (Burm.) ; Lichi (Bomb.). 



A handsome, evergreen tree, 30-40ft. high ; clear stem 

 12-20ft. long, girth 3-4ft. Bark thin, grey, rough. Wood 

 red, hard, heavy. Pores moderate-sized, the transverse diameter 

 usually considerably greater than the distance between the 

 rays. Medullary rays very fine, very numerous (Gamble), all 

 parts glabrous. Leaves usually abruptly pinnate ; leaflets in 

 6 to 8 pair, opposite, lanceolate, shortly petioled, about 3-6in. 

 long, acuminate, entire, coriaceous, glossy above, glaucous 

 beneath, the netvenation obsolete ; flowers minute, greenish, 

 shortly pedicelled, forming a terminal branched, usually slightly 

 puberulous panicle, of the length of the leaves or longer ; petals 

 none. Stamens 6-8 ; filaments and ovary pubescent. Style with 

 2-stigmate lobes ; fruit-lobes usually solitary by abortion, 

 rarely haired, oval, the size of a pigeon's egg, covered by the 

 red muricate-areolate, somewhat crustaceous epicarp, 1-seeded ; 

 the seed large, black, shining, completely covered with the 



