508 
Balsamodendron  Berryi. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1889. 
dation  with  alkaline  permanganate  of  potassium,  linoleic  acid  giving 
rise  to  sativic  acid,  hence,  if  this  latter  acid  is  found  the  former  acid 
is  indicated  and  with  it  the  vegetable  origin.  For  the  preparation  of 
a  pure  oleic  acid  only  animal  fats  as  suet  or  lard  can  be  used. — (Mon- 
atsh.  der  Chemie),  Chem.  Bpt,  1889,  216. 
BALSAMODENDRON  BEREYI. 
BY  DAVID  HOOPER. 
Buchanan's  interesting  "Journey  through  Mysore,  Canara  and 
Malabar "  mentions  (p.  8,  vol.  ii.)  a  species  of  myrrh  about  which 
little  is  known.  "  Many  of  the  hedges  here  and  in  other  parts  of 
Coimbatore,  are  made  of  a  thorn  called  Muluhilivary .  It  seems  from 
its  habits  to  be  a  Bhus  ;  but  not  having  found  the  fructification,  I  am 
very  uncertain  concerning  its  place  in  the  botanical  system.  It  makes 
a  very  good  fence  ;  cuttings  three  or  four  cubits  long  are  put  into  the 
ground  between  March  12  and  April  10.  The  ends  are  buried  in  the 
earth  about  a  span,  and  very  soon  shoot  out  roots.  From  the  moment 
it  is  planted  it  forms  a  fence  against  cattle ;  but  seems  to  require 
a  better  soil  than  either  Euphorbium  Tirucalli  or  E.  Antiquorum, 
which  are  the  most  common  hedges  here,  and  will  grow  anywhere." 
The  Mulukilivary  in  the  above  extract  is  the  Balsamodendron 
Berryi,  Arnot,  and  Coimbatore,  the  habitat  of  the  plant,  is  a  district 
lying  to  the  south  of  the  Nilgiri  Hills.  Hearing  that  a  gum  resin 
similar  to  the  official  myrrh  could  be  obtained  from  this  shrub, 
inquiry  was  made  for  samples  and  for  information  respecting  it.  The 
District  Forest  Officer  of  North  Coimbatore  forwarded  me  a  sample 
of  the  gum-resin  in  October  last,  and  furnished  the  following  informa- 
tion :  The  gum-resin  is  used  here  by  the  natives  medicinally.  It  is 
not  collected  for  commercial  purposes.  It  may  be  more  abundantly 
procurable  between  the  months  of  February  and  July.  The  cost  of 
collection  would  come  to  Rs.  4  per  maund  (of  25  lbs.).  The  District 
Forest  Officer  of  South  Coimbatore  sent  me  a  sample  rather  inferior 
to  the  first,  pointing  out  that  the  exudation  was  not  used  by  the 
natives  in  the  district  in  medicine  or  the  arts,  nor  was  it  collected  for 
commercial  purposes. 
The  gum-resin  was  in  pale  yellow,  yellowish-brown,  or  brown 
translucent  fragments,  tough,  and  breaking  with  a  shining  conchoidal 
