^''iai^^mr'  }  Ocliro  and  the  Mush  Mallow.  315 
surface  of  the  liquid  in  the  filter.  This  difficulty  is  removed  by 
placing  an  inner  filter  of  ordinary  filtering  paper  larger  than  th<- 
parchment  paper  one  ;  therefore,  the  latter  should  be  thin,  and  only 
treated  with  acid  on  one  side.  It  is  from  this  reason  that  parchment 
paper  may  be  used  more  advantageously  in  a  Bunsen  filtering  appa- 
ratus made  on  the  principle  of  a  percolator — the  bottoms  of  the  upper 
vessel  being  covered  with  good  strong  paper,  strengthened  with  mus- 
lin ;  such  an  apparatus  as  this  is  applicable  to  many  purposes,  such 
as  quick  and  thorough  exhaustion  of  a  powder  by  any  menstruum,  or 
the  separation  of  crystals  from  a  viscid  liquid. — Pharm.  Journ,  and 
Trans.,  May,  6th,  1870. 
THE  OCHRO  AND  THE  MUSK  MALLOW 
By  John  R.  Jackson,  a.l.s. 
Curator  of  Museums,  Royal  Gardens,  Kew. 
Perhaps  there  is  no  one  family  of  plants  having  so  many  species^ 
with  such  a  decided  characteristic  property  running  through  the  whole, 
as  the  Malvaceae.  Almost  all  are  mucilaginous,  and  though  none  of 
them  are  officinal  in  this  country,  the  marsh  mallow  [AltJia^a  officina- 
lis, L.)  and  the  common  mallow  [Malva  si/Ivestris,  L.)  are  sometimes 
used  b}^  the  peasantry  in  rural  districts,  a  decoction  of  the  leaves  of 
the  first  being  applied  for  fomentations,  and  the  mucilage  with  which 
both  this  and  the  common  mallow  abound  being  employed  as  a  sooth- 
ing or  softening  drink  in  coughs  and  bronchial  afi"ections.  It  is, 
however,  chiefly  in  France  that  the  roots  are  used  to  produce  a  demul- 
cent drink  known  there  as  Guimauve. 
In  tropical  or  temperate  regions,  where  the  species  of  this  Order 
are  found  most  abundantly,  the  mucilage  and  seeds  of  the  several 
species  are  used  by  the  natives  for  various  medicinal  purposes.  Two 
of  the  most  interesting  plants  are  the  ochro  [Hibiscus  esculentus,  L.) 
and  the  musk  mallow  (  II.  AhelmoseJms,  L.)  the  first  interesting  on 
account  of  its  esculent  and  medicinal  properties  and  uses,  and  the 
second  principally  on  account  of  its  seeds  being  used,  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent, as  a  substitute  for  animal  musk. 
The  Ochro,  or  edible  hibiscus,  is  an  annual  herbaceous  plant,  with 
hairy  stems  and  alternate  cordate  leaves  strongly  toothed,  and  from 
three  to  five-lobed.  The  petals  are  pale  yellow,  with  a  deep  crimson 
base.    The  capsules  or  fruits  appear  to  vary  much  in  size  according; 
