AmMJarch,f89f.rrn-}    The  ApocynacecE  in  Materia  Medica.  171 
the  wood  brought  from  Oriental  Africa  by  Revoil,  a  crystallized 
glucoside,  Ouabaine,  and  which  was  proved  by  Gley  to  be  a  heart 
tonic.  Poisson  studied  the  botany  of  the  plant,  and  showed  its 
resemblance  to  Carissa  Schimperi,  A. DC,  and  in  the  absence  of 
flowers  and  fruit,  classed  it  provisionally  in  the  genus  Acokanthera 
which  G.  Don  in  1838  had  separated  from  Carissa  on  account  of  the 
absence  of  spines.  The  plant  being  named  Acokanthera  Ouabaia, 
Poiss.  In  1889,  Cathelinau,  as  a  result  of  microscopic  study,  con- 
cluded that  the  genus  Acokanthera  agreed  with  Carissa,  with  but  one 
single  exception.  Bentham  and  Hooker  likewise  considered  these 
two  genera  as  differing  but  very  little,  and  Dyer  thinks  they  should 
be  reunited.  Franchet  also  identifies  the  Carissa  ouabaia,  with  the 
C,  Schimperi,  A. DC.,  a  species  found  in  Zanzibar,  among  the 
Somali  and  in  Abyssinia.  Finally,  M.  Max  Cornu  reunites  the 
plant  with  the  Arduina,  under  the  name  of  A.  Ouabaia,  M.  Cornu. 
More  recently  Lewin  has  investigated  the  subject  and  distinguishes 
true  Carissa,  while  being  bitter  and  containing  a  glucoside,  as 
inoffensive,  while  the  true  Acokanthera  are  toxic.  To  the  three 
species  A.  Ouabaia,  A.  Schimperi,  A.  Deflersii,  has  been  successively 
attributed  the  veritable  Ouabaia. 
Acokanthera  Ouabaia,  Poiss.,  known  under  the  vernacular  names  of 
Wabei,  Wabajo,  Ghedulajo,  according  to  Schweinfurth,  is  the  accepted 
species.  D.  Hanbury  and  Holmes  consider  it  identical  with  the 
A.  Schimperi.  It  is  a  tree  attaining  a  height  of  5  metres  and 
inhabiting  that  portion  of  the  Somali  country  r,ooo  to  1,200  metres 
in  altitude.  Schweinfurth  states  that  the  leaves  of  the  plant  are 
much  thicker  than  those  of  A.  Schimperi,  and  have  three  lateral 
nerves  instead  of  four  or  five,  and  are  of  brown  color. 
A.  Schimperi  B  et  H.  {Strychnos  abyssinica  Hochst.;  Carissa  Mpte 
Hochst.;  C  abyssinica  R.  Br.;  C.  Schimperi  A.  DC.)  the  "  Mptah," 
"  Mupta,"  "  Maktat,"  "  Mepti,"  "  Menbtchen,"  etc.,  occupies  a  large 
surface  of  oriental  Africa  to  about  1,800  metres  altitude.  The  leaves 
are  entirely  glabrous,  shining,  and  flowers  without  odor,  often  rose- 
colored. 
A.  Deflersii  Schw.  This  species  inhabits  the  region  in  Africa 
around  the  Red  Sea,  and  extends  throughout  Yemen  in  Asia  at  an 
altitude  of  600  to  1,000  metres.  According  to  Schweinfurth  the 
leaves  are  rough  in  the  lower  surface,  especially  the  midvein  and 
the  flowers  are  larger  and  pure  white.  In  these  three  species  the 
wood  appears  to  be  identical. 
