N. O. LORANIAOEjE. 
837 
the end of branchlete or on axillary shoots, pentamerous, bi- 
sexual. “ The Strychnine tree is handsome, and when in flower 
is at once recognized by the Strong odour of turmeric which the 
flower gives off (Gamble). Peduncle |-2in. Calyx 5-parted, 
persistent, £-$ the size of Corolla ; lobes acute. Corolla valvate, 
hypogynous, regular, tubular, or funnel-shaped, with a 5-lobed, 
reflexed, short limb. Tube i-iin. long ; glabrous at the throat, 
lobes valvate, about |in. long, glabrous, a few- conical hairs down 
the tube, Stamens 5, epipetalous in the throat of the Corolla- 
tube, alternating with the Corolla-segments. Ovary free, 2- 
celled, style filiform, glabrous, as long as the Corolla-tube. 
Stigma 2-lobed. Fruit a berry, globose, smooth, indehiscent, 
oraage-sized, orange-coloured when mature, rind shell-like ; full 
of a soft, white, intensely bitter, jelly-like pulp, with 2-5 seeds 
immersed in it. Seeds £in. diam., circular, discoid, shining, light- 
silvery grey, silky, having one surface convex, the other concave, 
with a small foveola in the centre of each side. 
Mr. James Small communicated to the Pharmaceutical So- 
ciety of great Britain at an evening meeting in London, on 
Tuesday, April 8th, L913, the following important note on False 
Nux-Vomica seed. 
" A new kind of nnx-vomica seed was recently sent over from Burma and 
offered to manufacturers, but on examination it was found to contain no 
strychnine. The seed is of a light grey colour externally and yellow inter- 
nally. The yellow endosperm is mnch lighter in colour than that of Strychnoa 
Nux-vomica, which is usually darli grey and more translucent. The outer 
surface is densely covered with closely appressed hairs. The seed is 
flattened, round, or elliptical, and has a ridge around the edge where the two 
disc-shaped masses of endospern meet. There is no trace of bitterness in the 
taste, which in itself is good proof of the total absence of strychnine. 
Transverse radial sections of the seed were cut and examined. The three 
tissues present are the endosperm, the layer of collapsed parenchyma, and 
the hairs. The internal mass of endosperm is almost identical with that 
of Strychnoa Nux-vomica. The outermost layer, shows a slight difference. 
In the genuine nux-vomica seed the cells of this layer have frequently 
more or less triangular ends, while in the false seed these cells' are more 
usually square-ended. These cells vary somewhat and square ends occur 
rather too frequently in the genuiue seed to permit of any diagnostic 
value being attached to this character. The layer of parenchyma, is the 
same in both seeds. The bases of the hairs, are praotioally identical, but 
the angle which the rest of the hair makes with the hair base Is slightly 
