494 
Spurious  Cubebs. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharrti 
I       Sept.,  1892. 
It  is  also  connected  with  the  terpenes,  for  terpine  hydrate  yields  an 
alcohol,  C10H20O,  much  resembling  menthol  ;  and,  further,  from 
menthol  h^s  been  obtained  a  hydrocarbon,  C10H16,  which  possesses 
the  properties  of  a  terpene. 
SPURIOUS  CUBEBS. 
By  E.  M.  Holmes,  F.L.S. 
Curator  of  the  Museums  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great  Britain. 
A  number  of  specimens  for  the  Museum  and  Herbarium  of  this 
Society  were  received  a  few  weeks  ago  from  Mr.  Leonard  Wray,  Jr. 
Curator  of  the  Perak  Museum,  who  is  one  of  the  recently  elected 
corresponding  members  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society.  When  in 
correspondence  with  him  some  months  since  concerning  cubebs  and 
the  ipoh  or  arrow  poison  of  Perak,  he  promised  to  send  specimens 
of  the  plants  yielding  them.  He  has  now  redeemed  his  promise  by 
sending  not  only  specimens  of  the  desired  plants  but  numerous 
others  of  considerable  value  and  interest,  together  with  information 
which  seems  to  be  of  sufficient  importance  for  publication. 
Cubebs.— About  seven  years  ago  I  directed  attention  to  the  fact 
that  a  variety  of  cubebs  had  appeared  in  English  commerce  which 
caused  nausea  and  diarrhoea  with  other  symptoms  of  poisonous 
action  when  taken  internally  (Pharm.  Journ.  [3],  xv,  p.  909).  At 
the  same  time  I  pointed  out  that  it  did  not  give  with  sulphuric  acid 
the  crimson  coloration  characteristic  of  genuine  cubebs,  and  that  it 
possessed  a  mace-like  odor.  Further  details  as  to  color  tests  were 
subsequently  published  by  Mr.  £.  D.  Gravill  (/.  c.y  p.  1005).  A. 
microscopical  examination  of  this  fruit  was  made  at  my  request  by 
Mr.  W.  Kirkby  (/.  c,  p.  653),  who  pointed  out  its  distinctive  histo- 
logical characters,  but  added  that  it  did  not  correspond  to  the  Piper, 
crassipes  described  by  Fliickiger  and  Hanbury  in  "  Pharmacographia 
(2d  ed.,  p.  5b 8),  inasmuch  as  it  had  not  a  very  bitter  taste  and  had 
a  shorter  pedicel  (/.  c,  p.  6.54). 
Subsequently  Messrs.  W.  Elborne  and  H.  Wilson  expressed  the 
opinion  that  the  spurious  variety  "  agrees  entirely  with  that  described 
by  Fliickiger  and  Hanbury  and  may  be  definitely  referred  to 
Piper  crassipes"  {Pharm.  Journ.  [3]  xvi,  p.  517).  Not  being  able 
myself  to  identify  the  false  cubebs  with  that  species  or  any  other, 
either  at  Kew  or  at  the  British  Museum  Herbarium,  and  agreeing 
