Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
March,  1900.  J 
Crocus  and  its  Adulterants. 
121 
The  style  is  long  and  slender,  and  at  about  the  level  of  the  base 
of  the  anthers  it  bears  the  three  parted  stigmas  (see  3),  each  of 
which  is  tubular,  dilated,  often  notched  along  one  side  and  of  an 
orange-carmine  color. 
The  principal  characteristics  distinguishing  crocus,  calendula  and 
carthamus  have  already  been  given  in  a  paper  by  Henry  Kraemer 
{Proc.  Penn.  Pharm.  Assoc.,  1898;  also  this  Journal,  1898,  p.  386). 
Drawings  of  these  characteristics  are  given  in  Plate  II.  These 
drugs,  when  pure  and  placed  under  the  microscope,  may  be  recog- 
nized by  their  color  alone,  but  when  adulterated  a  careful  micro- 
scopical examination  is  necessary. 
The  group  of  figures  under  A  represent  the  chief  characteristics 
of  powdered  crocus,  in  which  is  shown  the  papillae  present  on  the 
apex  of  the  stigma,  together  with  the  pollen  grains,  which  are  few 
in  number,  scattered  throughout  the  field ;  they  possess  numerous 
fine  prickles,  and  have  a  diameter  of  98-175  mikrons,  with  a  wall 
4-462  mikrons  thick,  there  being  found  a  few  with  abnormally  large 
prickles.  A  grain  is  also  shown  just  prior  to  the  germination  of  the 
pollen  tubes,  the  number  of  projections  found  in  eight  mounts  never 
exceeded  two,  which  was  found  in  but  one  instance,  and  but  few 
were  found  having  one  tube  formed,  the  remaining  .ones  being 
characterized  by  freedom  from  exuding  tubes,  and  in  possessing  a 
spherical  shape ;  not  infrequently  do  we  find  small  yellow  oil 
globules  adhering  to  these  grains.  There  is  also  herein  shown  the 
dotted  and  striated  appearance  of  the  cells  of  a  fragment  of  the 
anther. 
The  figures  in  the  group  B  represent  the  chief  characteristics  of 
powdered  calendula,  in  which  is  shown  elongated  cells  having  a 
wavy  cell  wall,  in  the  cells  of  which  are  found  yellowish  oil  globules. 
The  pollen  grains  in  this  drug  are  somewhat  more  numerous  than 
in  crocus,  and  differ  quite  widely  as  to  their  spinose  character,  the 
long  pointed  spines  systematically  alternate  with  each  other  when 
focused  upon,  and  measure  3-57  mikrons.  The  grains  have  a 
diameter  of  32-13  mikrons,  with  a  wall  of  3-57  mikrons.  A  grain 
in  process  of  germination  is  also  shown,  which  is  characterized  in 
being  triangular  in  outline,  and  having  three  points  of  egress  for 
the  germinating  grain. 
The  chief  characteristics  present  in  powdered  carthamus,  as 
shown  by  the  figures  in  group  C,  are  the  sienna-brown  laticiferous 
