292 
Aspidium  Marginale. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I       July,  1875 
same  time  and  kept  apparently  under  the  same  conditions,  refuses  to  gelatinize.  In 
some  instances  the  change  may  be  prevented  by  exhausting  the  drug  with  a  stronger 
alcohol,  or  by  adding  to  the  preparation  if  strongly  acid,  a  little  alkali.  But  na 
general  rule  can  be  laid  down,  applicable  to  all  cases. — Ed.  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
ASPIDIUM  MARGINALE,  WILLDENOW. 
BY  JAMES  LEMON   PATTERSON,  PH.  G. 
[From  an  Inaugural  Essay.) 
This  plant  has  a  perennial,  horizontal  rhizome,  from  which  numerous 
annual  fronds  arise,  from  one  to  two  feet  in  height.  The  stipes  are 
thickly  beset  with  brown,  tough,  transparent  scales ;  the  frond  is  smooth, 
thickish  and  almost  coriaceous,  ovate-oblong  in  outline,  bipinnate  ;  pin- 
nae-lanceolate, broadest  at  the  base  ;  pinnules  oblong  or  oblong  scythe- 
shaped,  crowded,  obtuse,  crenately  toothed.  The  fruit  dots  are  round 
kidney-shaped,  and  situated  close  to  the  margin,  from  which  the  plant 
takes  its  name.  It  grows  on  rocky  hillsides,  in  rich  woods  of  central 
Pennsylvania,  where  I  gathered  it  the  latter  part  of  September.  I  then 
thought  it  was  Aspidium  Filix-mas^  the  rhizomes  of  both  plants  closely 
resembling  each  other,  but  through  the  kindness  of  Prof.  J.  M.  Maisck 
have  been  able  to  properly  classify  it  as  Aspidium  marginale.  The  rhi- 
zome is  probably  used  to  adulterate  or  sold  in  place  of  male-fern. 
The  following  was  the  process  pursued  in  the  analysis  of  the 
rhizome : 
Treatment  ivith  Ether. — The  rhizome  was  reduced  to  a  moderately 
fine  powder,  moistened  with  ether,  and  packed  in  a  percolator,  and 
ether,  specific  gravity  750,  passed  through  until  exhausted.  The 
etherial  solution  was  of  a  reddish-brown  color,  with  a  distinct  dark- 
greenish  tinge.  It  was  transferred  to  a  still,  and  about  75  per  cent,  of 
the  ether  recovered  ;  the  remainder  was  evaporated  spontaneously  until 
there  was  no  etherial  odor  present.  This,  constituting  the  oleo-resin, 
according  to  the  process  of  the  United  States  "  Pharmacopoeia,"  was  a 
thick,  oily,  dark-green  liquid,  having  a  nauseous  and  somewhat  acrid- 
taste.  On  standing  a  short  time  it  deposited  a  resin,  which  was  sep- 
arated and  treated  with  alcohol,  specific  gravity  '850.  After  evap- 
orating the  alcohol  the  resin  was  of  a  reddish-brown  color,  but  on  long 
exposure  to  the  air  became  darker,  harder  and  brittle  j  it  was  fusible  by 
heat,  had  a  somewhat  aromatic  odor  and  bitter  taste,  dissolved  readily 
in  ether,  alcohol,  oil  of  turpentine,  ammonia,  potassa  and  carbonate  of 
