72 
THE CHEMIST AND DRUGGIST. 
January, 1883. 
case. If a European went to China and found the sale of 
tobacco was prohibited, they would feel much aggrieved. A 
certificate was granted by the Pharmacy Board to chemists 
for the sale of poisons, but such a certificate could not be 
granted to Chinese storekeepers. They did not want a license 
to sell poisons, but merely required permission to sell opium 
for smoking to their countrymen. Sergeant Acton pointed out 
that both defendants had pleaded guilty of selling, and he 
handed in their depositions taken at the coroner’s inquest. 
The majority of the bench, the chairman said, was in favour 
of defendants being fined 20s., and 2s. 6d. costs each, in default 
of payment, the amount to be levied by distress. The fine 
was paid . — Mount Alexander Mail. 
BRIEF NOTES ON THE GENUS GREVILLEA; 
By Baron Feed, yon Mueller, K.C.M.G., M. & Ph.D., 
F.R.S. 
The genus Grevillea is not only one of the most beautiful in 
the whole vegetation of Australia, but also one of the richest 
in species, 162 well-marked specific forms standing on record 
from our continent, irrespective of seven others peculiar to 
New Caledonia, as shown by Brogniart ; but the genus does 
not extend to New Zealand, nor are as yet congeners known 
from New Guinea or any other country. Singularly enough 
only one species reaches Tasmania, though several other Pro- 
teaceas occur there. It might be anticipated that in such a 
host of plants some could be found of medicinal value. In- 
deed Dr. Leichhardt in his first celebrated expedition noticed 
already that the viscid fruits of a tropical Grevillea had epis- 
pastic properties. The kernels of Grevillea annulifera are 
much sought by the natives near Shark-Bay as food, on account 
of the almond-like taste. Economically Grevillea robusta is 
important for its wood in cooperage, while the splendour of 
this tree during the long time of its yearly flowering is 
such as to render it one of the most magnificent for gardens in 
any country with a clime free of severe frosts. Indeed for this 
reason several walks of the Melbourne Botanical Gardens were 
lined with this Grevillea by me as far back as 1857, and about 
a dozen years afterwards they had formed by their rapid 
growth shade-lines, which became already adorned for some 
months yearly with a mass of floral gold. The mellaginous exu- 
dations of the trusses of flowers attract not only a number of 
honey-sucking birds, but are resorted to by bees also ; hence 
also the rural importance of this tree. It would be of moment 
if the peculiarities of the tan of any of the arboreous species 
were rendered known through exact chemical examination ; 
and as Grevilleas occur in all parts of Australia, from the 
glaciers of our Alps to the arid sands of our deserts and 
to the tropical jungles, no lack of material exists for the opera- 
tions of any chemists who may wish to inquire into the 
technologic and also therapeutic properties of these plants. 
To show that even the long series of described species is not 
yet an exhaustive one, I offer the diagnosis of a new kind at 
this opportune occasion. 
Grevillea deilexa. 
Shrubby ; leaves narrow or linear-lanceolate, mucronate- 
pointed, recurved at the margin, soon glabrous above, grey- 
silky beneath ; racemes axillary, rather short, turned down- 
ward on a slender stalk ; bracts minute, fugacious ; flowers 
several times longer than the pedicels ; petals of a reddish 
colour, contracted above the middle, dilated at the recurved 
summit, outside appressed-hairy, inside towards the middle 
bearded; hypogynous gland ample, anteriorly descendent; 
style glabrous, short-exserted ; stigma nearly lateral, raised at 
the centre ; ovary on a very short stipe, densely white-downy. 
In the vicinity of the Gascoyne-River; Forrest and Palak. The 
racemes resemble externally those of Grevillea Huegelii ; but 
this new species requires to be inserted into the section Plagio- 
poda. 
Much has yet to be learned concerning the regional distribu- 
tion of the numerous Grevilleas and their special relation to 
geologic features. 
REPORT ON THE ALKALOIDAL VALUE OF CULTI- 
VATED AND WILD BELLADONNA PLANTS. 
(By A. W. Gerrard, F.C.S.) 
An opportunity having occurred to obtain considerable supplies 
of wild-grown belladonna, I have utilised the occasion by 
instituting a comparative examination of the differences if 
any, existing between it and the cultivated kind. 
The wild belladonna, upon which my experiments have been 
conducted, was grown at Lastingham, near Pickering, York- 
shire, in a very poor limestone soil, incapable of producing 
ordinary cultivated crops, in which, however, the belladonna 
luxuriates, reaching 6 feet in height. For its collection and 
selection I am indebted to Dr. Sydney Ringer. As well as I 
could judge by comparison its age was three or four years. 
The cultivated plant was grown by the well-known firm of 
W. Ransom, of Hitchin, on a chalk subsoil, with 12 inches of 
stiff loom on the surface. The plants were 3 to 4 feet in height, 
and believed to be three years of age. 
The entire plants were sent me immediately after collection, 
the wild towards the end of September, the cultivated at the 
beginning of October. At this period of the year, 1 am 
informed by Mr. Ransom, it is considered less active than 
during July, which is the month of flowering. The wild plant, 
by reason of the distance it had to travel, did not arrive in 
such good condition as the cultivated, it having lost its green 
colour and freshness, but was otherwise uninjured. Both kinds 
were dried at a temperature of 100° F., and divided into its 
various parts of root, stem, leaf, and fruit, and well powdered, 
each part being then separately estimated for its percentage of 
alkaloid by the process described by the author ( Pharm ■. 
Journ.'). The result, as tabulated, shows, besides the compara- 
tive strength of the two kinds, also the distribution of the 
alkaloid in various parts of the plant, and it is worthy of 
notice that, in both cases, more is obtained from the leaf than 
the root, this being contrary to the general belief. 
The alkaloid in each case was dried over sulphuric acid, and 
weighed as absolute alkaloid in nearly colourless crystals. In 
the residues there always appeared a small portion of alkaloid, 
seemingly different to atropine, being more soluble in water, 
and more readily volatilised. I hope to turn my attention to 
this observation on some future occasion. 
Alkaloidal value of cultivated and wild belladonna plants : — 
Wild Plant. 
Cultivated Plant. 
Part used. 
Per cent, yield 
of Alkaloid. 
Part used. 
Per cent, yield 
of Alkaloid. 
Root 
.45 
Root 
.35 
Stem 
.11 
Stem 
.07 
Leaf 
.58 
Leaf 
.4 
Fruit 
.34 
Fruit 
.2 
So far this examination demonstrates that the wild plant is 
richest in alkaloid, and has the highest value ; but it should be 
mentioned that the cultivated plant was of excellent quality, 
that is, judged by commercial belladonna leaves, three 
samples of which I had previously examined, yielding 
respectively -07, *11, and -22 per cent, of alkaloid. 
It would at present be only speculative to assign any reasons 
for the differences here shown in the two varieties, but it 
would appear that a soil of chalky formation favours the 
development of the alkaloidal principles, for it is a notable 
coincidence that both plants examined were grown upon chalk, 
and both are rich in alkaloid ; but in that soil where the chalk 
preponderates, the plants are shown to reach the highest per- 
fection. 
As regards commercial belladonna leaves, I should infer that 
most of them were the growth of a soil unsuited to them ; 
otherwise, they must undergo considerable deterioration by 
keeping, for in no case have I been able to obtain so good a yield 
of alkaloid from them as from recent leaves. 
Further experiments arc yet required to substantiate the 
above views, and to assist me I shall be glad to receive 
communications from gentlemen who could direct me where to 
obtain belladonna plants from other than chalky soils. 
It is my intention to continue these observations, and esti- 
mate the amounts of alkaloid present in the leaves and root of 
the plant at the period of flowering, if possible up to the sixth 
year of its growth. 
The following is a report on the Alkaloid from Wild 
Belladona, by John Tweedy, F.R.C.S., Professor of Ophthalmic 
Surgery to University College . — “ I have made a large 
number of comparative experiments with the two solutions of 
atropine you gave me some weeks ago. As the result of 
my observations, I may say that in every instance I found the 
atropine from the wild plant more prompt in its action and 
more energetic, that is, it dilated the pupil, and suspended 
