N. 0. sapindaceA. 
365 
From the soft parts of the dried berries, 10. 5 p. c. of the saponin, C 17 H JS 
O l0 is obtained. J. Ch. S. 1901 A. I. 648. 
The saponin occurs in the form of salts, probably Na and K. The pow- 
dered frnit shells are extd. with 95 % ale., Pb (OAc) 2 is aded to ppt. the I'b salt 
of the saponin, and the Pb salt is deeompd. by H 2 S, the soln. evapd., dild. with 
water and acidified with dll. HCl ; the saponin seps. very slowly as an almost 
white flocculent ppt. It is filtered, washed with dil. ale. and purified first by 
dialysis, then bypptn.from ale. with H 2 0. When dried it forms a white 
power, sol. in ale., MeOH. insol. in U 2 0, Et 2 0, CHC! 3 , acetone and petr. ether. 
H 2 S0 4 gives a yellowish red color changing to reddish violet ; when the 
saponin is added drop by drop, to a soln. in Ae 2 0, a violet-red color results. 
NaOK added to a suspension in H 2 0, forms a foaming, strongly hemolytic soln., 
[«]«• +18-88' (in ale.). Fehling soln, is not reduced directly. On hydrolysis 
with 8% II 2 S0 4 or ale. HCl. sapogenin and d arabinoso are formed. Sapogenin, 
white, odorless and tasteless plates from ale. m. 819°, iusol. in II 2 0, Et 2 0, 
CHClj, acetone and petr. ether, sol. in ale., MeOH and ale. KOH. Potassium 
salt, C 31 H 47 0 6 K, white needles, difficulty sol. in H 2 0. Barium salt, white 
needles. Triacetylsapogenin, prepd. by heating a roixt. of sapogenin, AcCl 
and AcONa ai the b. p., fine white needles, m. 167°. Benzoyl sapogenin, 
m. 107°. Monomethylsapogcnin, prepd. with Me 2 S0 4 , needles (from ale.), 
m. 218°.— Chemical Abstracts, for July 20, 1910 p. 1864. 
316. Neplielium litchi, Camb. h.f.b.i., i. 687. 
Roxb. 328. 
Habitat : — Cultivated in India; originally an ative of China. 
Venn. — Litchi (H.) ; Kyetraauk (Burm.) ; Lichi (Bomb.). 
A handsome, evergreen tree, 30-40ft. high ; clear stem 
12-20ft. long, girth 3-4ft. Bark thin, grey, rough. Wood 
red, hard, heavy. Pores moderate-sized, the transverse diameter 
usually considerably greater than the distance between the 
rays. Medullary rays very fine, very numerous (Gamble), all 
parts glabrous. Leaves usually abruptly pinnate ; leaflets in 
6 to 8 pair, opposite, lanceolate, shortly petioled, about 3-6in. 
long, acuminate, entire, coriaceous, glossy above, glaucous 
beneath, the rietvenation obsolete ; flowers minute, greenish, 
shortly pedicelled, forming a terminal branched, usually slightly 
puberulous panicle, of the length of the leaves or longer ; petals 
none. Stamens 6-8 ; filaments and ovary pubescent. Style witli 
2-stigmate lobes ; fruit-lobes usually solitary by abortion, 
rarely haired, oval, the size of a pigeon’s egg, covered by the 
red muricate-areolate, somewhat crustaceous epicarp, 1-seeded ; 
the seed large, black, shining, completely covered with the 
