ELEMENTS OE MATERIA MEDICA.

618

Dragon’s blood is composed of red resin (called draconin ), 90' 7; fixed oil, 2'0 ; benzoicacid, 3 0; oxalate of lime, 1'6 ; phosphate of lime, 3-7 (Ilerberger, Jonm. Pharm. xvii. 225).

It is inert, or nearly so, but was formerly reputed an astringent. It is a constituentof some tooth-powders and tinctures, but is never prescribed by medical practitioners.Its principal consumption is for colouring spirit and turpentine varnishes.

Order 11. Melantha'ce.®, R. Brown .— The Colchicum Tribe.

Essential Character. — Perianth inferior, petaloid, in six pieces, or, in consequenceof tbe cohesion of the claws, tubular; the pieces generally involute in {estivation-Stamens six; anthers mostly turned outwards. Ovary three-celled, many seeded ; styl etrifid or three-parted; stigma undivided. Capsule generally divisible into threepieces; sometimes with a loculicidal dehiscence. Seeds with a membranous testa;albumen dense, fleshy. ( R. Brown.)

Properties. —Poisonous: operation acro-narcotic. This is well shewn in the generaColchicum, Veratrum, and Asagraa. MM. Pelletier and Caventou extracted whatthey considered to be veratria from each of these genera. According to Hesse andGeiger the active principle procured from Colchicum is Colchicina.

Col'chicum autumna'le, Linn. L. E. D.— The Common Meadow Saffron-

Sex. Syst. Hexandria, Trigynia.

(Cormus et semina, L. Bulbus et semina, D. Radix, E.)

History. Dioscorides {lib. iv. cap. 84) speaks of Colchicum {tcoXx^br),and says it grows in Messenia and at Colchis . From the latter place itreceived its name. Dr. Sibthorp {Prodr. FI. Graces, i. 250) found threespecies of Colchicum in Greece , viz. C. autmnnale, C. montanum, and C-variegatum. The first of these he considers to be the Colchicum °*Dioscorides .

Botany. Gen CHAR.—Perianth single, tubular, very long, rising froflja spatha; limb campanulate, six-partite, petaloid. {Stamens six, insertedinto the throat of the tube. Ovarium three-celled. Styles, three, fililorflblong. Stigmas somewhat clavate.] Capsule three-celled; cells unite®at the base. ( Hooker , with some additions-)

Sp. Char.—L eaves plane, broadly lanceolateerect {Hooker).

Root fibrous. Cormus (improperly called rooor bulb) ovate, fleshy, large, covered with a l° 0 ) ebrown membrane. The leaves are produced 111the spring along with the fruit, and disapp ea(before the flower appears. Flowers several, ld aCor pale purple, arising from the cormus by along, narrow, white tube. Fruit oblong, elhP'tical, composed of three cells, which may ®regarded as distinct capsules, with intermedia^fissures. Seeds small, spherical, with a roug^dark brown testa, and large fleshy strophiola; lI *tern ally they are white, and consist of a minp gembryo lodged in a homy elastic albumen, aflowers appear in September, and the fruit tfollowing spring or summer. 0 f

Hab. —Moist rich meadows in many partsEngland and in various countries of Europe .

Collection. —The activity of the cormus varat different seasons of the year. It is gr eaabout the months of July and August, tha

Fig. 111.

Colchicum autumnale.

a, The flowering plant.

b, Stigmas, with a por-tion of the styles.

c, Leaves and fruit.