Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/337

Rh removed by means of ether. After boiling the clear aqueous solution, excess of hydrochloric acid was added ; and on cooling, it deposited long, orange- colored needles, which were collected and washed with dilute HCl. To purify this product, it was dissolved in boiling dilute alkali, and the solution digested with animal charcoal, filtered, treated with HCl, and allowed to cool ; the yellow needles which separated were collected, washed with water, and allowed to dry at the ordinary temperature. The product weighed 0.35 grams.

This product was identical with Berberine.

The inner bark also contains a trace of Berberine. It contains also some quantity of a sticky, resinous product, which is insoluble in water or dilute acids, but readily soluble in ether, and appeared to be identical with the similar substance present in the yellow powder.

The central woody portion of the root yielded no Berberine.

-J. Ch. S. 1895 T 413.

Syn. : — Limonia Laureola, Wall.

Vern. : — Ner ; barru ; shalangli (Pb.) ; chumloni (Nepal) ; Limburnyok (Lepcha).

Habitat : — Throughout the temperate Himalaya, from Murree to Mishmi and Khasia Mountains. In Dun Hills, a common undershrub.

An extremely aromatic, gregarious, evergreen shrub, glabrous wholly, often a small tree in Sikkim. Branched from the base. Branches and foliage very bright green, 3-5ft. high. Wood close-grained, white, soft, with distinct white concentric white lines. Wood has an aromatic scent when fresh cut. Bark thin, bluish grey. Leaves alternate, simple, quite entire, midrib prominent, Exceedingly variable in size, oblong-linear, elliptic- lanceolate, or obovate-obtuse, acute or cordate-acuminate, 3-7in. long, softly coriaceous, nerves indistinct ; petiole short, stout. Panicles terminal, short, dense-flowered, branched. Females smaller. Bracts and 2 bracteoles deciduous. Flowers 5-merous, about ½in. diam., yellowish white, inodorous, shortly pedicelled. Sepals small. Petals oblong or obtuse ; filaments stout, subulate. Ovary ovoid, minute, conic, 4- cleft in male flowers ; style 1.

Fruit ½-¾in. long, ellipsoid, red, fleshy. Seeds 1-3. Embryo green. Kanjilal says the odour of the musk-deer is propularly supposed to be derived from it,