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PHARMACOGNOSY. 
Constituents. — Resembling bitter almond, but con- 
taining slightly more fixed oil, and being free from 
amygdalin. 
COLA (Kola). 
The kernel of the seed of Cola acuminata (Fam. 
Sterculiacese), a tree native of Tropical Western Africa 
and cultivated in nearly all other tropical countries. 
The commercial supplies come principally from West- 
ern Africa and the West Indies. The kernels are used 
in either a fresh condition or the cotyledons are sepa- 
rated and dried. 
Description. — Anatropous, plano-convex, polygonal, 
three to six-sided, 18 to 35 mm. long and 5 to 20 mm. 
in diameter ; externally yellowish or yellowish red 
when fresh, but becoming darker with age and on 
drying, with a shallow furrow demarcating the line 
separating the tw T o cotyledons, micropyle forming a 
distinct cleft at one end, otherwise nearly smooth ; 
easily cut when fresh but hard when dry; internally 
without reserve layers, cotyledons unequal and vary- 
ing from two to five in number, the hypocotyl small ; 
odor distinct ; taste astringent, somewhat sweet. 
Constituents. — Starch 35 to 40 per cent., the grains 
resembling those of potato starch but uniformly 
smaller; caffeine 1 to 2 percent; theobromine 002 per 
cent ; about 0 02 per cent, of a tannin which gives a 
greenish reaction with iron salts, and is apparently 
combined with the alkaloids. 
Allied Plants. — The seeds of a number of other 
plants are said to be sometimes admixed with kola, 
and of these the following may be mentioned : Cola 
Ballayi, a plant growing in the Gaboon, the seeds of 
which contain six cotyledons and are deficient in alka- 
loids; Garcinia Kola (Fam. Guttiferse), a tree known 
as “ male cola ” and found growing with Cola acuminata 
