POISONS OF VEGETABLE ORIGIN 209 



obovate-lanceolate, shortly and abruptly acuminate, 

 3»-=-6 in. long, chartaceous, glabrous above, more or 

 less pubescent beneath ; petiolules I in. long. Panicles 

 axillary, elongated, narrow, rusty-pubescent ; pedicels 

 bracteoled, |— 1 in. deep, rusty-pubescent. Corolla 

 f in. long, pink with adpressed ta^\Tiy silky pubes- 

 cence. Ovary tawny-villous. Pod oblong, compressed, 

 rather acute, about 3 in. long by 1 in. broad, 1 — 4 

 seeded, glabrescent, narrowly ^doged along upper 

 suture. Hab. Chittagong to Java, Flowers March. 

 Fruits August." 



The bark and wood of the roots are highly toxic, but 

 the stems only slightly so, while the leaves possess no 

 poisonous properties. Thus whilst dilution of the whole 

 root pounded with -water killed tadpoles at 1 : 160,000 

 in seven and a half hours, similar preparations of leaves 

 and stems were not lethal at 1 : 1,000 ; in such compara- 

 tive trials it is important that the amount of fluid 

 should be the same in each case (Kef. 7). The root 

 varies in size from about 1 inch in diameter to J inch 

 or less ; when newly dug up it is darkish- brown in 

 colour and tough, but cuts easily, and has a pleasant, 

 ** clean " smell somewhat remindful of liquorice-root and 

 a sweet taste. A white creamy fluid (getah akar iuba) 

 comes out on pressure, especially from the wood ; on 

 drying it turns lemon-yellow. When dry the root 

 yields a slight cloud of powder on fracture. The 

 followiDg report on dried tuba root (Derris elliptica) by 

 Mr. Boodle has been kindly supplied by the Director 

 of the Eoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Authentic 

 samples from Singapore were used in drawing up the 

 description : — 



Tuba Boot (Derhis elliptica). — Roots long, 

 tapering very gradually, mostly with very few branches 

 except in the lower region. Surface of roots dark- 



M.P. 14 



