Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
May,  1875.  / 
Note  on  a  Spurious  Senna, 
215 
crystals  are  left  behind,  consisting  of  an  alkaloid,  which  is  readily  solu 
ble  in  amylic  alcohol  and  benzin,  but  slightly  in  dilute  acids  and  in 
ether,  and  is  precipitated  by  phosphotungstate  and  phosphomolybdate 
of  sodium.  Its  affinity  for  acids  is  weak.  From  an  ultimate  analysis, 
and  the  composition  of  its  hydrochlorate,  the  formula  C^qH^2N2^3 
(O  ~  16)  was  calculated ;  the  author  has  named  it  iahorandina. — Revista 
Farmaceut'ica^  Buenos  Aires^  ^^ISi  "J^^' 
NOTE  ON  A  SPURIOUS  SENNA. - 
BY  E.  M.  HOLMES. 
Curator  of  the  Museum  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society. 
During  the  past  month,  a  drug  has  been  offered  for  sale  in  London, 
under  the  name  of  "  fine  senna,"  which  evidently  differs  considerably 
in  botanical  characters  from  the  true  article,  although  in  size  and  color 
somewhat  resembling  the  Tinnevelly  variety.  Of  this  "  fine  senna  " 
I  was  informed,  when  I  received  a  sample,  that  two  bales  only  were 
in  London,  although  no  less  than  the  enormous  quantity  of  200  tons 
was  consigned  to  the  agent  here,  and  would  probably  arrive  before  long 
in  this  country.  Hence  it  appeared  probable  that  this  senna  might 
enter  into  commerce,  and  that  its  history  and  medicinal  properties  would 
therefore  be  worthy  of  investigation.  With  this  view  I  examined  the 
few  leaves  and  pod  that  were  first  received,  and  found  that  they  were 
evidently  the  produce  of  a  leguminous  plant,  possibly  belonging  to  the 
genus  Cassia ;  but  if  so,  certainly  to  a  different  section  to  that  to 
which  the  officinal  senna  belongs.  The  genus  Cassia  being  an 
extremely  large  one,  I  at  once  forwarded  my  specimen  to  Pro- 
fessor Oliver,  who  identified  it  as  probably  belonging  to  Cassia  bre- 
vipes^  D.  C,  a  native  of  Costa  Rica  and  Panama.  A  further  sup- 
ply of  the  leaves  fortunately  contained  some  flowers  and  young 
twigs,  which  were  sufficient  to  enable  me  to  confirm  beyond  a  doubt 
Professor  Oliver's  opinion.  The  sub-genus  Chamoecrista  to  which  this 
plant  belongs,  contains  herbs  and  shrubby  plants  with  pinnate  leaves 
and  conspicuous  stipules,  the  flowers  being  either  solitary  in  the  axils 
of  the  leaves,  or  sometimes  subfasciculate  on  a  very  short,  common 
peduncle.  There  are  seventy-eight  species  in  this  sub-genus  ;  but  the 
small  group  of  about  nine,  to  which  Cassia  brevipes  belongs,  consists 
of  plants  which  are  so  closely  allied  as  to  form  an  almost  continuous 
Read  at  an  Evening  Meeting  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great  Britain, 
on  Wednesday,  February  3,  1875. 
