A\u°gCRi,i8H72?M"}      Poppy  Culture  in  Australia.  367 
Schmidt,  Darstellung  und  Beschreibung  siimmtlicher  in  der  Pharmaco- 
poeia Borussica  officinellen  Pflanzen."  The  gum  contains  20  per  cent, 
of  an  acrid  principle  Euphorbin  (C26H2202),  so  acrid  indeed  that  in 
the  collection  of  the  gum  the  fingers  became  excoriated  if  brought  into 
contact  with  it,  and  it  is  the  practice  to  cover  the  mouth  and  nostrils 
to  avoid  the  excessive  sneezing  which  would  otherwise  ensue.  The 
best  general  account  of  the  production  of  this  gum  is  that  of  Jackson, 
in  his  "Account  of  Morocco." 
Dr.  Cosson  has  also  compared  the  various  materials  he  has  with  a 
growing  plant  at  Kew  (which  has  not  yet  flowered),  sent  by  Mr.  F. 
Cartensen,  the  English  Consul  of  Mogadore.  If  the  history  of  this 
plant  can  be  satisfactorily  attested  as  being  the  species  actually  pro- 
ducing the  gum,  its  flowering  will  be  looked  to  with  some  degree  of 
interest,  as  the  question  can  then  be  set  completely  at  rest. 
Cinchona  Rosulenta. — Mr.  Howard  has  recently  cleared  up  an- 
other doubtful  point  in  the  cinchona  question.  He  has  described  and 
figured  in  the  "Bulletin  de  la  Socie'te  Botanique  de  France"  a  new 
species,  named  Cinchona  rosulenta,  a  native  of  Ocana  in  New  Gran- 
ada. The  vernacular  name  appended  to  the  specimens  of  this  plant, 
which  were  collected  by  Purdie  in  October,  1845,  is  "  Quina  de  la 
tierra  fria."  C.  rosulenta  is  very  close,  both  in  appearance  and  chem- 
ical composition,  to  C.  succirubra ;  the  bark,  however,  has  a  more 
roseate  hue,  and  the  leaves  approach  C.  ovata,  the  nerves,  however, 
being  more  rigid  and  prominent.  Mr.  Howard  identifies  this  species 
with  the  Quinquina  rose  d' Ocana,  of  M.  Delondre,  a  figure  of  which 
is  given  in  that  author's  "  Quinologie;"  also  with  M.  Rampon's  Quin- 
quina ci  quinidine,  described  in  Dr.  Planchon's  "  Des  Quinquinas;" 
and  also  with  Dr.  Wittstein's  "  Pseudo-regia." 
This  bark  has  long  been  known  in  French  commerce  under  the  name 
of  "  Quina  rose","  and  we  are  grateful  to  Mr.  Howard  for  thus  clearly 
settling  its  synonymy,  and  giving  it  a  botanical  position. — Pharm. 
Journ.,  Lond.,  June  29,  1872,  from  Journal  of  Botany. 
POPPY  CULTURE  IN  AUSTRALIA. 
Some  attention  has  recently  been  given  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
poppy  for  commercial  purposes  in  various  parts  of  Australia.  From 
a  letter  which  recently  appeared  in  a  colonial  paper,  describing  the 
results  of  an  experiment  in  poppy  culture  in  the  Bendigo  district,  we 
