DISPENSATORY OP THE U. S. OP AMERICA. 177 
black, as the East India kino. In mass they are quite 
opaque, but in their splinters are translucent, and of a ruby- 
redness. They are readily broken by the fingers into 
smaller fragments, are easily pulverized, and yield a dull 
reddish powder, considerably lighter colored than that of 
the former variety. The West India kino is without odor, 
and has a very astringent, bitterish taste, with a scarcely 
observable » sweetish after-taste. It adheres to the teeth 
when chewed, though rather less than the East India varie- 
ty, and colors the saliva red." An article named South 
American, or Caracas kino, is described ; it has a close 
resemblance to the preceding, and is common in our market. 
We coincide in opinion with the authors, that it is a variety 
of the West India, derived from a like source, but a rougher 
article. The African and Botany Bay kino are described 
as they are noticed by European authorities; it appears that 
no new light has been thrown upon them. To determine, 
accurately, the natural history of the different species of this 
drug, would be a labor of great interest to science. 
Prunus Virginiana. — Our readers may not be aware 
that this name is now used merely in a pharmaceutic sense, 
indicating the Wild Cherry Bark, and does not apply to 
the plant from which it is obtained. It appears that Prunus 
Virginiana was the designation given by Linnseus to the 
Choke Cherry, but was supposed by Miehaux to mean the 
Wild Cherry , from whom originated a mistake which has 
subsequently been perpetuated. He changed the generic 
name, under this impression, from Prunus to Cerasus, and 
called, as he supposed correctly, the Wild Cherry, Cerasus 
Virginiana, and the Choke Cherry, Cerasus serotina. 
Decandolle has pointed out this error, and reversed the em- 
ployment of the terms, so that the anomaly in pharmaceutic 
nomenclature now presents itself, of calling a drug by a sy- 
nonyme of one plant, while, in the same line, almost, it is 
stated to be procured from another. This will have ulti- 
amtely to be changed, as the onlv difficulty to be overcome 
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