Ana.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
Feb.,  1890.  j 
Scopola  Carmolica. 
horst's  Flor.  Eur.  Exsicc,  No.  2056.  A  third  variety,  with, 
yellow  conical-campanulate  flowers,  is  mentioned  by  Decan- 
dolle  under  the  varietal  name  /9  concolor. 
The  genus  -forms  a  link  between  the  genera  Hyoscyamus 
and  Atropa.  In  the  tissue  of  the  rhizome  it  more  nearly 
approaches  the  latter  genus  in  having  the  peculiar  sandy 
raphides  present  in  both  root  and  leaves  of  belladonna,  but  not 
in  henbane. 
Bentham  and  Hooker  refer  two  other  plants  to  the  genus 
"  Scopolia,"  viz  :  Scopola  japonica  and  6".  lurida.  The  former 
was  described  by  Maximowicz ;  but  in  a  recent  letter  he 
states  that  he  has  strong  doubts  about  its  being  a  good 
species,  and  that  it  is  hardly  different  from  the  European 
plant. 
5.  lurida,  Dun.,  is  a  Himalayan  species,  which  has  also  been 
referred  to  under  the  names,  respectively,  of  Anisodus  luridus, 
Link  and  Otto ;  Nicandra  anomala,  Link  and  Otto  ;  Physalis 
stramonifolia,W  allich;  Whitley  a  stramoni folia,  Sweet;  Anisodus 
stramonif otitis,  G.  Don.  The  large  fusiform  root  seems  worthy 
of  chemical  investigation  since,  according  to  the  late  Dr.  E.  J. 
Waring,  it  is  as  powerful  as  belladonna,  if  not  more  so.  Mr. 
Holmes  finds  in  the  fresh  root  the  peculiar  raphides  common 
to  the  other  two  species,  but  more  abundant  in  the  cortical 
portion.  The  leaves,  flowers  and  calyx  of  the  plant  recall  the 
characters  of  Physalis  rather  than  of  Scopola. 
The  sixth  paper,  by  Thomas  Greenish,  compares  "  the  his- 
tological characters  of  the  rhizome  of  Scopola  camiolica  with 
those  of  the  Atropa  Belladonna!' 
Immediately  under  the  epidermis  of  the  belladonna  root 
there  is  a  layer  of  cortical  cells  forming  a  dark  line.  On 
isolating  the  individual  cells  it  is  found  that  this  cortical 
layer  consists  of  from  six  to  eight  tabular  cells  deeply  colored. 
Next  below  on  the  drawing  but  inward  in  the  root, 
are  several  layers  of  thin  cells,  pressed  or  stretched  in  a 
tangential  direction,  long  and  narrow  ;  and  further  down 
again  several  layers  of  cells  not  so  long  and  wide,  being  sub- 
jected to  less  pressure  they  tend  more  toward  the  shape  of 
the  cell  in  its  normal  condition.  These  together  constitute 
the  bark. 
