Potassium nitrate was identified among the salts naturally existing in the plant. J. S. Ch. I. April 31, 1902, p. 560.
Some crushed seeds were steam-distilled by K. Bhaduri of Calcutta. The distillate had a slight opalescence and a very pungent odour, but no oil came over. Extraction of the crushed seeds with petroleum-ether gave 22*3% of a pale greenish yellow oil with a green fluorescence. The oil obtained by pressing the crushed seeds was deep brown, mild odour, tasteless, d 2S 0*9117, 32 d 100 0.9007, n D . 43.34, sapon. no. 185.5, acetyl no. t 27'9, acid no. 146, I. no. 1067, R.-M. no. 0.61, Hehner no. 94.02, glycerol 15*48%, Maumene test 65°. The oil, very thin at first, gradually thickens on keeping. AcOH and valeric acid are present. The mixed fatty acids, pale in color and thin, showed : d 23 09065, d 100 0*8889, sapone. no. 194, I no. 147*4 ; temp, of turbidity 22°; contains 8* 14% of lauric acid. No stearic acid is present.— Chemical Abstracts for March 20, 1914, pp. 1186-7.
63. Meconopsis aculeata, Royle. h.f.b.i, i. 118.
Vern.:—Guddi kum (Jhelum); Gudi (Ravi); Kanada (Sutlej) Kanta (Simla); (Pb); Kanda (Kumaon).
Habitat:—Western. Himalaya, from Kashmir to Kumaori. 11-1,5000 ft.
A prickly herb, stem leafy, 1-2 ft., smooth, except the short scattered prickles, leaves irregularly pinnatifid, 4-8 in. oblong or lanceolate, long petioled, cauline, sessile. Flowers blue-purple, 2-3 in. diam. Pedicels slender, prickly in fruit. Capsules short and densely bristly and prickly, J-f in., obconic-obovate or oblong, style half as long.
Part used:—The root.
Use:—In Kashmir, the root is considered as a narcotic, and in Chumba regarded as poisonous. (Stewart).
64. M. Nipalensis, D.C. h.f.b.i, i. 118.
Habitat:—Temperate Himalaya, Nepal, and Sikkim.
A perennial herb, with yellow juice, stellately pubescent and laxly hairy, stem 3-5 ft , stout, erect, nearly simple ; young-parts clothed with soft gold villous hairs. Leaves sinuate-lobed or pinnatifid. Flowers golden yellow, 2-3y in. diam., in elongated, nearly simple, racemes. Sepals densely tomentose and bristly. Petals 4. Ovary 1-celled, style J in., persistent. Stigmatic lobes, radiating on its clubbed extremity. Capsule ovate-oblong, 8-10-valved ; clothed with ad pressed hairs and stellate down. Seeds small, many, rugose.
