228  Alkaloid  of  Tylophora  Asthmatica.  {Axa-^;^xm' 
exclusively  to  plants  belonging  to  the  natural  orders  Urticaceae, 
Cucurbitaceae  and  Acanthacese.  Last  year  Radlkofer  enumerated 
eleven  orders  in  which  they  had  been  found,  but  as  far  as  lam 
aware  they  have  not  been  previously  observed  in  the  Polemoniaceae, 
to  which  order  Phlox  belongs.  Nor  are  they  often  observed  in  the 
root,  although  it  was  in  the  root  of  Rhinacanthus  that  I  found  them 
some  years  ago,  an  observation  which  Professor  Russow  extended 
to  other  plants  of  the  Acanthaceae. 
If,  now,  this  sample  of  Phlox  root  be  carefully  examined,  it  will  be 
observed  that  some  roots  appear  light  cplored,  whilst  others  are 
dark,  both  externally  and  internally,  suggesting  the  possibility  of  the 
sample  consisting  of  the  mixed  roots  of  two  or  more  species  of  Phlox. 
The  histological  characters  of  this  dark  root  are,  however,  identi- 
cal with  those  of  the  pale  as  far  as  structure  is  concerned,  but  the 
parenchymatous  cells  of  the  cortex  are  seen  to  be  more  or  less  com- 
pletely filled  with  a  red  amorphous  mass.  If  a  tangential  section  of 
such  a  root  is  stained  with  sulphate  of  aniline,  the  red  coloring  mat- 
ter is  deepened,  the  stone-cells  assume  a  straw-yellow  tinge,  whilst 
the  cystoliths  are  unaffected. 
On  carefully  examining  the  roots  of  my  samples  one  by  one,  in 
search  of  an  explanation  of  this  difference,  and  separating  the  pale 
from  the  dark,  I  found  a  root  which  had,  at  some  period  or  other  of 
its  growth,  been  injured  ;  the  cortex  had  been  cut  through,  whilst 
the  woody  column  remained  intact.  Above  the  injury  the  root  was 
pale,  below  it  nearly  black ;  thus  proving  the  identity  of  the  dark 
root  beyond  doubt.  Further  search  showed  that  every  case  of 
injury  to  the  cortex  was  accompanied  by  the  presence  in  the  neigh- 
boring tissue  of  an  abnormal  amount  of  coloring  matter,  and  several 
portions  of  root  were  found,  which  were  dark  at  one  end  and  pale  at 
the  other. 
I  content  myself  now  with  recording  these  facts,  I  purpose  culti- 
vating the  plants,  if  possible,  and  may  therefore  perchance  be  able 
to  furnish  later  on  an  explanation  of  what  must  be  regarded  now 
simply  as  an  interesting  fact. 
A  NEW  ALKALOID  IN  TYLOPHORA  ASTHMATICA. 
By  David  Hooper. 
Tylophora  asthmatica  is  one  of  the  better  known  Indian  drugs 
among  Europeans,  on  account  of  the  leaves  being  made  official 
