Am  Jour.  Pliarm. ) 
May,  1885.  J 
Collinsoida  Canadensis. 
229 
serrate,  abrupt,  or  somewhat  lieart-shaped  at  the  base,  taper-pointed  ; 
the  under  surface  dotted  with  small,  depressed  glands  containing  vola- 
tile oil. 
The  rhizotne  is  from  one  to  one  and  a  half  inches  in  thickness,  four 
to  eight  inches  long,  irregulary  branched,  the  upper  surface  marked 
with  cup-shaped  scars  left  by  the  stems  of  former  years;  on  the  lower 
surface  it  is  covered  with  long,  thin,  brown  rootlets;  it  has  a  thin, 
brown  bark,  and  a  very  hard  white  wood  more  or  less  mottled  with 
brown. 
Analysis. — The  drug  was  treated  with  menstrua  in  the  order  given 
in  Dragendorff\s  Plant  Analysis.  One  gram  of  the  powdered  rhizome 
and  rootlets  yielded  -029  gram  of  ash,  after  being  thoroughly  ignited 
in  a  porcelain  crucible.  Fifty  grams  of  the  powdered  rhizome  and 
rootlets  were  macerated  with  250  cc.  of  petroleum  spirit  for  one  week 
and  the  filtered  liquid  was  allowed  to  evaporate  spontaneously,  when 
there  was  remaining  1*2  gram,  or  2*4  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the 
drug  employed.  On  heating  this  to  110°C.  for  some  time,  there  was 
no  loss  in  weight,  showing  the  absence  of  an  appreciable  quantity  of 
volatile  oil.  -  The  residue  was  of  a  semi-solid  waxy  consistence,  melt- 
ing at  40°C.,  soluble  in  boiling  alcohol,  from  which  it  was  partly 
precipitated  on  cooling,  and  wholly  on  the  addition  of  water.  This 
apj)ears  to  be  vegetable  wax. 
After  allowing  the  petroleum  spirit  to  evaporate  from  the  powder, 
it  was  treated  wath  250  cc.  of  stronger  ether  and  this  liquid  allowed  to 
evaporate  at  the  ordinary  temperature,  when  '3  gram  of  a  somewhat 
bitter,  yellowish,  resinous  substance  was  left.  On  treating  this  with 
slightly  acidulated  water  a  light  yellow  liquid  was  obtained,  showing 
negative  results  with  potassio-mercuric  iodide  and  other  tests  for  alka- 
loids. Ferric  chloride  produced  a  greenish  black  precipitate  which 
afterwards  became  inky.  A  precipitate  was  also  formed  on  the  addi- 
tion of  gelatin.  The  part  remaining  after  treatment  with  acidulated 
water  had  all  the  characters  of  a  resin  and  was  almost  completely 
soluble  in  95  per  cent,  alcohol,  partly  soluble  in  a  solution  of  potassa, 
and  of  a  slight  bitter  taste. 
After  the  ether  had  evaporated  from  the  powder,  it  was  macerated 
for  eight  days  with  alcohol,  and  the  filtrate  made  up  to  250  cc.  Fifty 
cubic  centimeters  of  this  filtrate  evaporated  left  '59  gram  of  extract, 
equal  to  5*9  per  cent,  vegetable  matter,  neither  soluble  in  petroleum 
spirit  nor  ether,  but  soluble  in  alcohol.    On  incinerating  this  extract 
