^jan'^aiT  im""*}  Rhisome  of  Iris  Versicolor.  13 
character  could  be  isolated  from  them.  Both  the  ethyl  acetate  and 
alcohol  extracts  of  the  resin  were  specially  tested  for  the  presence 
of  a  glucoside,  but  with  a  negative  result. 
SUMMARY  AND  PHYSIOLOGICAL  TESTS. 
The  results  of  the  present  investigation  of  Blue  Flag  Root  " 
(the  rhizome  and  roots  of  Iris  versicolor,  Linne),  together  with 
some  physiological  tests  and  the  deductions  therefrom,  may  be  sum- 
marized as  follows : 
The  material  employed  was  the  commercial  drug,  the  genuineness 
of  which  was  established,  and  it  appeared  to  be  of  good  quality.  A 
preliminary  test  with  a  small  portion  of  the  material  showed  the 
absence  of  an  alkaloid,  and  in  the  course  of  the  investigation  no  evi- 
dence was  obtained  of  the  presence  of  a  glucoside. 
An  alcoholic  extract  of  the  ground  material,  when  distilled  with 
steam,  yielded  a  small  amount  of  an  essential  oil,  which  possessed  a 
yellow  color,  a  strong,  rather  unpleasant  odor,  and  had  a  density  of 
0.9410   at  20°/20°. 
The  portion  of  the  extract  which  was  soluble  in  water  contained 
a  little  i^cphthalic  acid,  C6H^(C02H)2,  which  has  not  previously 
been  observed  to  occur  in  nature,  and  apparently  a  trace  of  salicylic 
acid,  together  with  tannin,  and  a  sugar  which  yielded  (i-phenylgluco- 
sazone  (m.  p.  212°). 
The  portion  of  the  extract  which  was  insoluble  in  water  con- 
sisted chiefly  of  a  dark  colored,  soft  resin,  amounting  to  about  8.7 
per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  drug.  From  this  resin  the  following 
definite  products  were  isolated :  A  phytosterol,  Co7H4gO,H20  (m.  p. 
when  anhydrous,  148°;  [a]  ^ — 35-6°);  myricyl  alcohol,  C3iHg40 , 
heptacosane,  CsjHgg ;  ipuranol,  Co3H3gOo(OH)o ;  and  a  mixture  of 
fatty  acids,  consisting  of  lauric,  palmitic,  stearic,  cerotic,  oleic,  and 
linolic  acids. 
As  no  definite  substance  had  been  isolated  in  the  course  of  this 
investigation  to  which  the  reputed  properties  of  Blue  Flag  Root  " 
could  be  attributed,  the  following  crude  products  therefrom  were 
kindly  tested  for  us  by  Dr.  H.  H.  Dale,  Director  of  the  Wellcome 
Physiological  Research  Laboratories,  to  whom  we  desire  here  to 
express  our  thanks : 
I.  The  total  alcoholic  extract. 
TI.  The  total  resinous  material, 
TIL  The  portion  of  the  alcoholic  extract  which  was  soluble  in 
water. 
