Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
October,  1920. 
Rhtts  Venenata  DC. 
699 
canals  were  not  found  to  penetrate  the  mesophyll  region,  the  pres- 
ence of  the  resin  in  the  hairs  may  be  due  to  osmosis.  We  are  in- 
clined to  believe  it  may  be  a  direct  product  of  the  protoplasm, 
which  the  authors  hope  to  report  in  a  later  article. 
In  the  approximate  chemical  analysis  the  dried  leaves  and 
petiole  were  passed  through  a  number  6o-mesh  sieve.  This  yielded 
a  dark  green-colored  powder  with  a  very  peculiar,  offensive  odor. 
The  sample  being  in  a  dry  state,  oxidation  and  change  of  charac- 
ter of  some  constituents  most  likely  took  place,  which  must  be  con- 
sidered. 
On  ignition  the  powder  yielded  6.5%  ash  content.  The  residue 
was  grayish  brown  and  had  an  alkaline  reaction.    Traces  of  potas- 
Fig-  3- — ^Vertical  view  of  portion  of  dorsal  epidermis  of  R.  venenata  lamina. 
Epidermal  cells  {e) ;  non-glandular  hairs  {h) . 
sium,  chlorides,  phosphates  and  sulphates  were  found  in  the  ash. 
Nitrogen  was  determined  by  the  Kjeldahl  method.  The  presence 
of  nitrates  and  nitrites  could  not  be  found. 
Four  extractions  were  carried  out  by  the  Soxhlet  continuous 
extraction  method.  Each  extraction  extended  over  a  period  of  3 
days,  allowing  the  solvent  to  macerate  the  sample  during  the  nights. 
Fig.  4. — Surface  view  of  dorsal  epidermis  of  R.  venenata  lamina  showing  hairs 
{h)\  wavy  walled  epidermal  cells  {e)\  and  stomata  {5). 
