KHIMERIA TRIANDRA. 
185 
^pathulate, the two lower roundish, concave, and scale-like ; the 
stamens are three; the filaments are flesh coloured, and inserted, 
between the superior leaflets of the nectary and the germen ; the 
anthers are small, urceolate, and terminated with a parcel of very 
short hairs, and perforated with two holes at the apex; the germeu 
is ovate ; the style is awl-shaped, and of a red colour, supporting a 
simple stigma ; the germen becomes a dry, globose drupe, covered 
with short, stiffs, reddish hairs. 
The root of this plant is collected after the rains. As it comes 
to market it consists of pieces of various sizes, but seldom exceeds 
half an inch in thickness. We are told that large quantities of this 
root is imported into Portugal, for the purpose of colouring and 
improving the astringency of red wine, and that a saturated tincture 
of the root in brandy is known by the name of wine colouring. 
Sensible and Chemical Properties. Ratany root breaks 
short, and exhibits a woody centre, surrounded with a fibrous red 
bark of considerable thickness. The cortical part of the root has a 
bitter, astringent taste ; when first chewed it is somewhat nauseous, 
but leaves a sweetish impression in the mouth. The internal woody 
part is tough and fibrous, and its taste insipid and mucilaginous. 
Ratany root yields its sensible qualities both to cold and boiling 
water, and also to proof spirit. The watery infusion is of a dark 
brown colour, with a very bitter astringent taste: by the addition of 
pure alkalies, the colour of the infusion changes to a deep claret red, 
sulphate of iron strikes a black colour, and acetate of lead throws 
down a pale brown precipitate, leaving the infusion nearly colourless. 
The mineral acids, when added to the infusion, throw down copious 
prcicipitates ; but no precipitate is caused by either citric, acetic, or 
the oxalic acids. The cortical part of Ratany root, when digested 
in alcohol or ether, yields a deep reddish brown tincture ; the latter 
solution is not of so deep a colour as the former, which, when poured 
into water, lets fall a copious pink coloured precipitate. The ethe- 
real tincture, when evaporated on water, leaves a pellicle of dark red 
resin on the surface, and a portion of extractive is diffused through 
the water, giving to it a pale brown colour. According to Vogel, 
the constituents of 100 parts of the root contains 40,00 of a peculiar 
principle, 1.50 of mucilage, 0.50 starch, 48.00 fibrine, and 10.00 of 
water and loss. We are also told by Vogel, that the extract of 
Ratany root,* when heated, swells very much and melts, and in this it 
* The extract is prepared ia South America by the natives, who inspi^sttte the expres- 
sed juice of ttie root in the sun to a proper consistence. 
