AmMay?i9warm'}       Editorial  Notes  and  Comments.  237 
of  Copaifera  yield  copaiba.  The  balsam  yielded  by  C.  officinalis, 
Jacq.  (of  Guiana,  Colombia  and  Venezuela),  is  considered  to  be  the 
best.  Good  balsams  are  also  yielded  by  C.  guyanensis  (Desf.),  O. 
Ktze  (Amazon  region);  C.  midtizuga  (Hayne),  O.  Ktze  (Amazon 
region);  C.  confertiflora  (Benth.),  O.  Ktze  (Pianhy);  C.  coriacea 
(Mart.),  O.  Ktze  (Bahia) ;  C.  Langsdorfii  (Desf.),  O.  Ktze,  and  C. 
vblongifolia  (Mart  ),  O.  Ktze  (both  from  Rio  Janeiro  and  Minas 
Geraoe). 
Balsam  of  Tolu. — Besides  Toluifera  Balsamum,  L.,  another  plant, 
7.  peruifera  (L  fil.),  Baill,  is  also  said  to  yield  small  quantities  of  an 
aromatic  balsam  resembling  that  of  tolu. 
Tamarind. — This  fruit  is  not  only  yielded  by  lamarindus  indicaf 
L  (of  tropical  Africa),  but  also  by  7.  indica,  var.  occidentalis,  Gaertin 
(of  West  Indies  and  Ecuador),  the  fruit  of  the  latter  being  more 
yellowish  in  color,  more  mucilaginous  and  less  cohesive  in  con- 
sistency and  with  less  of  an  acid  taste. 
Rheum. — It  is  quite  possible  that  other  species  besides  Rheum 
officinale,  Baill,  furnish  the  commercial  root.  Dammer  mentions : 
R.  australe,  Don.  (of  the  Himalayas),  R.  leucorrhiza,  Pall,  (of  Central 
Asia),  and  R.  Rhaponticurn,  L.  (of  Western  China). 
Ipecac. — Besides  the  root  of  Cephaelis  Ipecacuanha,  Brotero  (or  Rio 
Ipecac),  there  are  quantities  of  another  root,  viz.,  Carthagena,  which 
find  their  way  into  commerce.  From  the  results  of  analyses  it 
would  appear  that  the  latter  is  richer  in  emetic  alkaloids  than  the 
former.    This  remains,  however,  to  be  proved. 
Sarsaparilla  — The  E.  Mexican  or  Vera  Cruz  root  is  yielded  by 
Smilax  medica,  Schlecht.  et  Cham.  The  origin,  however,  of  the 
Jamaica  sarsaparilla  (given  as  3.  officinalis,  H.  B.  K.)  and  of  Para 
sarsaparilla  (given  as  S.  papyracea,  Duham,  ot  Guiana  and  Brazil) 
is  not  at  all  certain,  but  is  open  to  question. 
Ammoniac. — Not  only  does  Dorema  Ammoniacum,  Don.,  yield 
ammoniac,  but  also  the  following  species:  D.  aucheri,  Boiss.  (of 
Persia),  and  D.  aureum,  Steks  (of  Beluchistan).  Drude  says  that 
African  ammoniac  is  yielded  by  Ferula  tingitaria,  L.  Battandier  is 
authority  for  the  statement  that  Ferula  communis,  var.  gummifera, 
of  Algiers  and  Morocco  yields  a  gum  resin  which  looks  much  the 
same  as  the  African  ammoniac. 
SumbuL — This  root  is  the  product  of  not  only  Ferula  Sumbul 
(Kffm.),  Hook,  f.,  but  also  of  F.  Narthex,  Boiss. 
