DELPHINIUM STAPHISAGRIA. 
87 
jection, which has given to this plant the English name of larkspur ; 
the tiectarium is sometimes divided into two, but more commonly 
into four leaves, which are smaller than those of the corolla : the 
two superior (when there are four,) are narrow, small, erect, and at 
the base drawn out into spurs, Hke that of the petal in which they 
are enclosed, the other two are roundish and plaited at the edges ; 
the filaments are about twenty, short, tapering, and crowned with 
large yellow anthers ; the germens of this species are three, closely 
compressing each other, tapering, very downy, and supplied with 
filiform, short styles, terminated by simple stigmata ; the three 
capsules are straight, tapering, oblong, open internally, and contain, 
many brown, rough, triangular seeds. This plant is a native of the 
South of Europe ; it was cultivated in England in the time of 
Gerarde, in 1696; the seeds, the oqly part used in medicine, are 
usually imported from Italy. 
Sensible Qualities and Properties. The seeds of staves- 
acre are rough, of a blackish brown colour externally, and of a 
pale yellow within ; their smell is disagreeable and somewhat fcetid ; 
their taste very bitter, acrid and nauseous; when masticated, they 
excite a copious flow of the saliva. 
Chemical Properties. From the analysis of M, Brandes, 
the seed of stavesacre contains the following constituents : fixed 
oil, very soluble in spirit of wine, 14.4 ; fixed oil, sparingly soluble 
in spirit of wine, 4.7 ; fatty matter, analogous to cetine, 1.4 ; delphine 
8.1 ; gum, with traces of phosphate of lime, and of a vegetable salt 
with a base of lime, 3.15 ; fecula 2.4 ; woody fibre 17.2 ; phyteuma- 
colle, with malate, acetate, sulphate, and hydrochlorate of potass, 
and salt, with a base of lime, 30.67; vegetable albumen 0.6 j concrete 
albumen 3.2 ; sulphate of lime, with phosphate of magnesia, 3.62 : 
water 10 ; excess 1.49. 
Delphinine or Delphine. In 1819 MM. FeneuUe and 
Lassaigne discovered in the seeds of stavesacre a new alkali, to 
which the name of Delphine was given, from a supposition that the 
acrid nature of the Delphinium family of plants was owing to the 
presence of this peculiar principle. 
Delphine is prepared by boiling the seeds of stavesacre, previously 
cleared of their coverings and reduced to a fine paste, in distilled 
water; strain the decoction and filter it, to which add pure magne- 
sia ; boil for a few minutes, and again filter ; the residue is to be 
carefully washed and digested in highly rectified alcohol : on evapo- 
rating the alcohol, the delphine is obtained in the form of a fine white 
powder, with some points of crystallization. Delphine is also pre- 
