N. O. AMARYLLIDE&. 1277 



A vegetable soap was prepared from the leaves which was 

 found as detergent as Castille soap for washing linen, and 

 had the superior quality of uniting and forming a lather with 

 salt water as well as fresh. 



The Agave Americana is extensively grown in Mexico for the sake of the 

 juice of the stalk, from which a fermented intoxicating drink called pulque is 

 made. The substance yielding the alcohol is a sugar, which may be isolated 

 by the following process : — The juice is first treated with alcohol (2 Vols. 

 90 per cent.) and filtered ; basic lead acetate is next added to the solution, 

 which is again filtered, the excess of lead being subsequently removed from 

 the filtrate by means of hydrogen sulphide ; the clear liquid is now evapo- 

 rated to a syrup under diminished pressure, and left to crystallise in a warm 

 place. 



Agavose, C l2 H 22 O u , is an inactive sugar, which reduces alkaline copper 

 tartrate, and yields a laevogyrate sugar ([a] y= —14-43) on inversion. It is 

 oxidised by nitric acid, but not to mucic acid, and forms a soluble lime 

 compound, which is precipitated by alcohol or by heating.— J. Oh. 8. LXIV., 

 pt., I. (1893) p. 64. 



1261. Gurculigo orchioldes, Gcertn., h.f.b.i., 

 vi. 279. Roxb. 288. 



Sans. : — Mushali. 



Vern. : — Kali-musli, siyah. mfisli (Hind.); Kali-musli (Guz.); 

 Nilap-tali-gaddalu (Tel.) ; Nelappanakizhanna (Mai.) ; Talura 

 (Beng.); Musar Kand (Gond.). 



Habitat : — Common in most parts of India. 



Boot-stock stout, or elongate, with copious, fleshy root-fibres. 

 Leaves sessile, 6-18 by J-lin., linear to lanceolate, acuminate, 

 membranous, 5-veined ; tips sometimes rooting or reaching the 

 ground, glabrous or softly sparsely hairy ; base sheathing ; scape 

 very short, clavate, with the pedicels, bracts, and ovary hidden 

 amongst the leaf-sheaths, flattened ; raceme subcorymbiform. 

 Flowers bright-yellow, subdistichous, lowest in the raceme 

 perfect, upper male ; bracts lanceolate, membranous ; perianth 

 produced above the ovary in a filiform, hairy, very slender stripes 

 iJ-lin. long, which alone with the perianth segments appear 

 above ground ; segments |~§ in., long, oblong-ovate, acute, dor- 

 sally hairy ; stamens small ; filaments short ; anthers linear ; 

 ovary lanceolate ; cells 6-8-ovuled ; style short. Fruit oblong, 



