Am.  Jour.  Pkarm.  1 
December,  1909.  J 
Some  Vegetable  Drugs. 
579 
The  shape  of  the  full-grown'  leaves  also  differs,  those  of  bella- 
donna being  broadly  ovate  or  somewhat  elliptical  with  an  acuminate 
apex  and  acute  base.  Scopola  leaves  are  mostly  obovate,  with  an 
acuminate  apex  and  a  base  which  is  narrowed  into  the  petiole.  The 
shape  of  the  young  leaves  varies  considerably. 
A  cross  section  through  the  midrib  quickly  reveals  the  identity 
of  the  leaf,  the  characteristic  feature  being  the  presence  of  numer- 
ous glandular  and  nonglandular  hairs  in  the  case  of  belladonna 
and  the  absence  of  these,  or  the  occasional  presence  of  a  peculiar 
glandular  hair  in  scopola  leaves. 
The  alkaloidal  content  may  or  may  not  be  abnormally  high  in 
a  sample  of  belladonna  leaves  adulterated  with  scopola  leaves. 
PRUNUS  VIRGINIANA. 
While  it  is  generally  believed  that  wild  cherry  bark  is  seldom 
or  never  adulterated,  it  appears  that  collectors  frequently  mistake 
Primus  virginiana  L.,  or  choke-cherry,  for  Primus  serotina  Ehrh., 
or  wild  black  cherry,  which  is  the  official  source  of  wild  cherry 
bark. 
Prunus  serotina  Ehrh.  is  a  large  tree  with  leaves  which  are 
oblong  or  lanceolate-oblong,  taper  pointed  and  serrate,  with  in- 
curved, short,  and  callous  teeth.  The  fruit  is  purplish  black  and 
has  a  slightly  bitter  but  pleasantly  vinous  taste. 
Prunus  virginiana  L.  is  a  tall  shrub  with  oval  or  obovate, 
abruptly  pointed,  sharply  and  deeply  serrate  leaves.  The  fruit  is 
red  in  color  and  has  a  very  astringent  taste. 
Both  grow  abundantly  throughout  the  eastern  and  central 
United  States. 
Choke-cherry  bark  is  in  strips  of  various  lengths,  i  to  4  cm. 
wide  and  .5  to  2  mm.  thick ;  outer  surface  brownish  green,  with 
numerous  large  lenticels,  .5  to  1.5  cm.  long;  inner  surface  reddish 
brown,  finely  striate ;  fracture  fibrous ;  inner  color  white ;  odor  of 
bitter  almond  when  moistened ;  taste  bitter  and  astringent.  The 
cross  section  shows  numerous  bast  fibres,  parenchyma  containing 
spherical  starch  grains  2  to  3  fx  in  diameter,  tannin  masses  which 
are  colored  brownish  by  ferric  chloride  and  calcium  oxalate  in 
rosette  aggregate  crystals  20  to  30  fi  in  diameter.  The  powder  is 
lighter  in  color  than  that  from  wild  cherry  bark  and  is  distinguished 
by  its  numerous  bast  fibres  which  are  1.5  to  2.5  mm.  long,  12  to 
20  fx  in  diameter,  lignified  and  have  a  thin  lumen. 
