28 
PLANT MORPHOLOGY. 
ing the sclerenchymatous fibers, and to this single lon- 
gitudinal row of superimposed cells the name crystal 
fiber has been applied. 
They occur in the following drugs, which are grouped 
according to the size of the individual crystals: 
(a) Crystals not more than 10 ^ in diameter: Uva ursi. 
(b) Crystals not more than 20 /* in diameter : Frangula, glycyr- 
rhiza, hamamelis, haematoxylon, quercus alba and rhamnus 
purshiana. 
(c) Crystals not more than 30 /i in diameter : Prunus Vir- 
ginians. 
(d) Crystals about 35 ^ in diameter : Quillaja. 
RAPHIDES. 
Raphides was the name given by A. de Candolle 
(1826) to the groups of needle-shaped crystals found 
in various plants. These have been mistaken by sev- 
eral observers for calcium phosphate. Calcium phos- 
phate, however, occurs in plants either in solution or 
in combination with protein substance. The cells con- 
taining raphides are long, tliin-walled and contain 
sooner or later a mucilage, which arises from the cell 
sap and behaves with reagents much like cherry-gum. 
The cells are either isolated or occur in groups placed 
end to end, as in Veratrum viride, forming Hanstein’s 
“ Raphides Vessels.” Raphides are found in the follow- 
ing drugs, and of the length given with each : 
Belladonnse folia (occasionally), cinnamomum, about 5 /j-; con- 
vallaria, about 45 // ; cypripedium, about 40 [i ; ipecacuanha, 20-40 /r > 
phytolaccse radix, about 30 /u; sarsaparilla, 6-8 //; scilla, 0T to l'O 
mm. ; vanilla, about 400 fj ; veratrum viride, about 45 /*. 
CRYPTOCRYSTALLINE CRYSTALS OF CALCIUM 
OXALATE. 
Cryptocrystalline crystals of calcium oxalate are 
exceedingly small (about .2 to 10 p in diameter), 
deltoid or arrow-shaped, and so numerous as to 
