226 
Echinacea. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\       May,  1910. 
cm.  long,  0.5  to  2  cm.  in  diameter,  dark  brown  to  blackish  exter- 
nally and  longitudinally  wrinkled ;  occasionally  with  fibrous  rootlets, 
sometimes  also  fusiform,  and  5  to  10  cm.  long;  fracture  short- 
fibrous,  rather  tough ;  bark  0.5  to  1  mm.  thick,  brownish  and  with 
numerous  groups  of  stone  cells ;  wood  grayish,  radiate  with  yellow 
wood  wedges;  odor  faintly  but  distinctly  aromatic;  taste  momen- 
tarily pungent,  slightly  bitter  and  acrid. 
The  powder  is  light  gray  in  color  and  also  exhibits  the  following 
characteristics:  Tracheae  numerous,  lignified,  15  to  50^  in  diameter, 
with  simple  or  bordered  pores,  occasionally  with  scarlariform  mark- 
ings;  wood  fibres  200  to  300a  long,  12  to  30^  in  diameter,  strongly 
lignified  and  with  simple  pores;  stone  cells  numerous,  usually  in 
groups,  isodiametric  and  25  to  40^  in  diameter,  or  elongated,  50  to 
150^  long,  25  to  40/x,  in  diameter,  very  thick  walled  and  with  numer- 
ous simple  pores;  cork  cells  reddish-brown;  parenchyma  of  cortex 
regular  and  with  a  brownish  or  reddish  resinous  content ;  fragments 
of  resin  cells  with  pale  yellowish  resin,  less  numerous  than  in 
echinacea.  KOH  and  concentrated  H2S04  have  an  action  similar 
to  that  on  echinacea. 
In  the  examination  of  powdered  echinacea  containing  some  of 
the  spurious  root,  the  isolation  of  the  sclerenchymatous  fibres  by 
means  of  Schultze's  macerating  solution  or  by  digestion  with  10 
per  cent.  KOH  solution,  was  found  to  facilitate  the  work  greatly 
and  to  render  it  possible  to  detect  minute  quantities  of  the  spurious 
root. 
Note. — Since  the  completion  of  this  article  the  attention  oi 
the  author  was  called  to  the  editorial  "  Is  Echinacea  Valueless 
in  The  Druggis\tsJ  Circular,  February,  1910,  p.  70.  It  is  stated 
that  a  St.  Louis  friend  of  the  editor  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 
a  large  quantity  of  the  root  of  Parthenium  integrifolium  had  been 
collected  in  that  vicinity  and  disposed  of  in  the  St.  Louis  market. 
He  also  expressed  the  fear  that  it  was  intended  as  a  substitute  for 
or  adulterant  of  echinacea.  From  the  brief  description  which  is 
given  of  parthenium  it  would  appear  that  its  characteristics  are 
very  similar  to,  if  not  identical  with,  the  spurious  root  herein 
described.  However  this  cannot  be  definitely  stated  until  an  oppor- 
tunity is  afforded  to  examine  an  entire  plant  at  the  flowering  period. 
It  is  believed  that  the  facts  here  presented  will  enable  the  manu- 
facturer to  insist  upon  being  supplied  with  the  true  echinacea,  the 
identity  of  the  spurious  root  being  of  secondary  importance. 
