406  Alkaloids  of  Alstonia  Constrict  a.  {^£™;J£Tm 
ing  in  shape  from  ovate  to  lanceolate,  acute  or  acuminate  ;  the  numer- 
ous flowers  in  corymbose  cymes,  producing  follicles  3  to  4  inches  or 
more  in  length,  with  flat  or  concave  linear  pubescent  seeds.  The  bark 
occurs  in  semicircular  pieces  of  various  length,  about  4  inches  wide  and 
from  ij  to  2  inches  and  over  in  thickness,  according  to  the  more  or 
less  exuberant  development  of  the  corky  layers.  The  rough  outer 
bark  is  furrowed  by  more  or  less  broad  and  deep  longitudinal  fissures,, 
presenting  in  the  cross  section  a  margin  correspondingly  deeply  inden- 
ted by  irregular  more  or  less  wide  and  deep  sinuosities.  The  exposed 
surface  of  the  bark  is  of  a  dingy  gray-brown,  and  of  an  ochre  color 
where  fresh  layers  of  cork  are  exposed.  This  outer  bark,  forming  far 
the  largest  part,  shows  in  the  cross  section  a  mottled  yellow  and  brown- 
ish color,  resulting  from  somewhat  irregular  concentric  layers  of  a  clear 
ochry-yellow,  alternating  with  bands  of  a  deeper  tint.  It  is  of  spongy 
texture,  and  friable.  The  middle  and  inner  layers  about  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  in  thickness,  are  compact  and  homogeneous,  in  the  cross  sections  of  a 
yellow  color,  and  under  the  lens  appearing  punctate  from  the  darker  faces 
of  the  bastbundles  ;  of  a  fibrous  structure,  hard  and  tough,  and  on  the 
inner  side  serrated  by  longitudinal  ridges,  caused  by  the  impressions  of 
the  bastbundles  upon  the  cambial  layer.  The  powder  of  the  bark  is 
of  a  dingy  yellow,  and  possesses  a  faint  not  unpleasant  odor,  and  a  last- 
ing, purely  bitter  taste.  The  active  principles  are  contained  chiefly  in. 
the  middle  and  inner  bark. 
Mobile,  July  24th,  1879. 
THE  ALKALOIDS  OF  ALSTONIA  CONSTRICTA. 
The  bark  of  «the  Australian  Alstonia  constricta,  F.  Mueller,  which  is> 
reputed  to  possess  the  properties  of  cinchona  bark  and  to  be  used  with 
success  in  the  treatment  of  intermittent  fevers,  has  recently  been  the 
subject  of  examination  by  several  investigators,  who  have  obtained 
somewhat  discordant  results.  Mueller  and  Rummel1  first  reported  that 
by  treating  the  alcoholic  extract  with  water  and  a  little  hydrochloric 
acid,  adding  to  the  filtered  solution  a  slight  excess  of  ammonia,  dis- 
solving the  separated  flocks  in  ether  and  evaporating,  and  purifying  the 
residue  by  again  dissolving  in  acid  and  repeating  the  process,  they  had 
obtained  an  orange-yellow  brittle  pellucid  mass,  possessing  the  proper- 
1Wittstein's  "  Organic  Constituents  of  Plants." 
