N. O. APOCYNACEiE. 781 



II. Tolychroic solution (orange-yellow-violet-blue) in concentrated sulphuric 

 acid. III. A quickening, emphasising, and sometimes a characteristic modifying, 

 of colour reaction II, when to the sulphuric acid are added small quan- 

 tities of (a) phenols (thymol, a-naphthol, cresol, or glycocholic acid), or 

 (b) aldehydes (furfuraldehyde, cane-sugar, vanillin, heliotropin, &c.). 

 Reaction III (a) seems to indicate that cerebrin is a glucoside, III. (b) that 

 it is a phenol. As a matter of fact, cerebrin is hydrolysed when heated with 

 alcoholic sulphuric acid for two hours, and yields a small quantity of sugar, 

 probably glucose, and 62 per cent, of cerberetin C 19 H 2o - 4 (?), a lemon-yellow, 

 amorphous powder, which melts at 85'5° (corr.), is optically inactive, and 

 is precipitated from its solution in alcohol by the addition of water ; the 

 alcoholic solution has, even when diluted to 1 : 5000, a perceptible yellow 

 color. Like cerebrin, it is a poison. Observations of the physiological action 

 of cerberin agree with those of Zotos (Dissertation Dorpat, 1892); it has the 

 advantages, without the disadvantages, of digitalin. J. Ch. S. 1893 A.T. p. 487. 

 The seeds are very poisonous, and were found by Plugge in 1893 to contain 

 cerberin, a heart poison. The seeds yield 55 per cent, of a bland fixed oil, 

 of a pale yellow colour, which is used for burning and for anointing the head. 

 The specific gravity at 15*5 is 0*919 ; it affords 955 per cent, of fatty acids, 

 melting at 34°. (Hooper.) 



750. Rhazya strieta, Decaisne, h.f.b.i., hi. 640. 



Vern. : — Sunwar (H.) ; Wena ; Gandera (Pb.) ; Sehar, Seewur 

 (Sind.); Wargalion ; Vargalum (Pushtu) ; Ishawarg (Mushree). 



Habitat :— Sind, Salt-range and Peshawar. 



A small, glabrous, very stout, erect, sparingly branched, leafy 

 shrub, gregarious. Leaves alternate, lanceolate or oblanceolate 

 acute, coriaceous, 2-4in., by f-fin., yellowish when dry, sessile. 

 Flowers in short, axillary, stoutly branched cymes, shortly and 

 stoutly pedieelled ; white ; tube -§in., upper half inflated ; lobes 

 ovate, mucronate, short. Ovary of two distinct carpels. Style 

 filiform, top broad, thickened; stigma sometimes furnished 

 with a reflexed membrane. Ovules numerous, 2-seriate in each 

 carpel. Fruit of 2 erect follicles, 2-3 by Jin., thinly coriaceous, 

 slightly compressed ; seeds numerous, flat, with short mem- 

 branous wings at two ends, |in. long Embryo straight, in a 

 fleshy albumen. 



Uses : — The juice of the leaves is given with milk to child- 

 ren for eruptions, and an infusion of them is very useful for 

 sorethroat, low fevers and general debility. The leaves, which 

 are very bitter, are sold in the bazars in Sind, the natives using 



