494 
Commercial  Spanish  Sajfron. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I       Oct.,  1885. 
darkens  it.  For  the  inferior  grades  of  saffron  the  corolla  tube  is  cut 
into  pieces  usually  about  20  mm.  in.)  long,  the  stamens  are  pulled 
off,  and  the  corolla  lobes  are  torn  into  shreds ;  these  different  parts  are 
then  dyed,  somewhat  rolled  and  twisted,  and  mixed  with  true  saffron 
in  sufficient  quantity  to  suit  the  cupidity  of  the  manufacturer  and  the 
price  offered  by  the  dealer. 
Several  of  the  substances  used  for  adulterating  saffron,  and  not 
derived  from  the  saffron  plant,  have  been  mentioned  above;  in  addi- 
tion to  these,  a  long  array  of  vegetable  substances  are  enumerated  by 
different  authors,  and  it  is  obvious  that  any  material  may  be  used 
which  is  thread-like  or  slightly  clavate,  or  may  readily  be  twisted  into 
such  a  shape,  and  in  addition  to  this  possesses  sufficient  flexibility  and 
may  be  dyed  in  close  imitation  of  the  natural  color  of  saffron.  It 
would,  therefore,  seem  to  be  superfluous  to  mention  any  of  these  sub- 
stances, since  with  the  aid  of  the  microscope — in  most  cases  even  to 
the  naked  eye,  after  a  sample  has  been  soaked  in  water — their  different 
shape  is  at  once  revealed.  The  most  important  of  these  sophistications, 
besides  those  of  mineral  origin,  consist  of  florets  of  composite  flowers, 
more  particularly  of  carthamus,  which  lias  been  described  above,  and 
of  the  ligulate  ray  florets  of  Calendula  officinalis,  Lin.  The  latter 
attain  a  length  of  20  or  25  Mm.  to  1  inch),  and  consist  of  a  short 
tube  and  a  long  strap-shaped  limb,  2  or  3  Mm.  (-^  or  J  inch)  wide, 
terminated  at  the  apex  by  three  teeth,  and  marked  by  four  delicate 
longitudinal  veins,  of  which  two  are  marginal  and  beneath  the  teeth 
united  with  the  two  central  veins.  The  limb  is  smooth,  but  the  out- 
side of  the  tube  is  covered  with  rather  long,  very  thin-walled,  color- 
less hairs,  which  in  the  dried  condition  are  more  or  less  twisted  and 
collapsed,  so  as  to  present  a  somewhat  moniliform  appearance.  If  not 
dyed,  these  florets,  on  account  of  their  yellow  color,  can  be  used  for 
the  adulteration  of  saffron  only  to  a  limited  extent,  perhaps  not  exceed- 
ing about  2  per  cent,  in  weight,  and  may  then  readily  be  taken  as 
portions  of  crocus  styles.  However,  the  dyed  florets  are  more  largely 
used,  and,  though  many  red  coloring  matters  may  answer  for  the  pur- 
pose, the  principal  ones  employed  appear  to  be  either  red  saunders  or 
Brazil  wood,  both  of  which  will  impart  a  color  similar  to  that  of  saffron. 
If  dyed  with  red  saunders,  the  coloring  matter  will  not  be  taken  up 
by  water,  but  will  dissolve  in  alcohol  with  a  red,  and  in  ammonia  with 
a  purple-red  color.  If  dyed  with  Brazil  wood,  the  infusion  in  water 
will  be  tinged  red  in  a  few  seconds,  the  color  becoming  paler  on  the 
