N. 0. AMARYLLIDEffi. 
1277 
A vegetable soap was prepared from the leaves which was 
found as detergent as Castille soap for washing linen, and 
had the superior quality of uniting and forming a’ lather with 
salt water as well as fresh. 
The Agave Americana is extensively grown in Mexico tor the sake of the 
juice of the stalk, from which a fermented intoxicating drink called pulque is 
made. The substance yielding the alcohol is a sugar, which may be isolated 
by the following process ’.—The juice is first treated with alcohol (2 Vols. 
90 per cent.) and filtered; basic lead acetate is next added to the solution, 
which is again filtered, the excess of lead being subsequently removed from 
the filtrate by means of hydrogen sulphide ; the clear liquid is now evapo- 
rated to a syrup under diminished pressure, and left to crystallise in a warm 
place. 
Agavose; C 12 H 21 O n , is an inactive sugar, which reduces alkaline copper 
tartrate, and yields a laevogyrate sugar ([a] y= —14 43) on inversion. It is 
oxidised by nitric acid, but not to mucic acid, and forms a soluble lime 
compound’, which is precipitated by alcohol or by heating.— J. Ch. S. LXIV., 
pt., I. (1893) p. 64. 
1261. Curculigo orchioldes, Gcertn h.f.b.i., 
vi. 279. Roxb. 288. 
Sans. : — Musbali. 
Veni. : — Kali-musli, siyah mfisll (Hind.) ; Kali-mfisli (Guz.); 
Nilap-tali-gaddalu (Tel.) ; Nelappanakizhanna (Mai.) ; Tal'ura 
(Beng ); Musar Kand (Gond.). 
Habitat : — Common in most parts of India. 
Root-stock stout, or elongate, with copious, fleshy root-fibres. 
Leaves sessile, 6-18 by j-lin., linear to lanceolate, acuminate, 
membranous, 5-veined ; tips sometimes rooting or reaching the 
ground, glabrous or softly sparsely hairy ; base sheathing ; scape 
very short, clavate, with the pedicels, bracts, and ovary hidden 
amongst the leaf-sheaths, flattened ; raceme subcorymbiform. 
Flowers bright-yellow, subdistichous, lowest in the raceme 
perfect, upper male ; bracts lanceolate, membranous ; perianth 
produced above the ovary in a filiform, hairy, very slender stripes 
rz-lin. long, which alone with the perianth segments appear 
above ground ; segments §-fin., long, oblong-ovate, acute, dor- 
sally hairy ; stamens small ; filaments short ; anthers linear ; 
ovary lanceolate ; cells 6-8-ovuled ; style short. Fruit oblong, 
