Spurious White Hellebore root - Specimen details
| Catalogue Number: 37110 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Image | Plant Name | 170.01 ZINGIBERACEAE | Entry Book Number | ||
| Artefact Name | Spurious White Hellebore root | Vernacular Name | |||
| Iso Country | Not defined | TDWG Region | Not defined | ||
| Parts Held | Spurious White Hellebore root | Geography Description | Africa | ||
| Uses | Spurious White Hellebore rootUse: MEDICINES User: Not defined | TDWG use | MEDICINES | ||
| Storage | Bottles, boxes etc | Related Items | |||
| Donor | Pharm Soc GB | Donor No | 30 B 6 | ||
| Donor Date | Donor Notes | ||||
| Collector | Collector No | ||||
| Collection Notes | Collection Date | ||||
| Exhibition | Expedition | ||||
| Number Components | Publication | ||||
| Notes: | Label source: Spurious White Hellebore Root: PJ 23.4.92. About three months since a powder, with some of the root from which it was obtained, was bought to me with the inquiry whether it was genuine White Hellebore, as some doubt on this point had been e, xpressed by the person to whom the drug was offered. A large quantity of the root (I believe 2 tons) had been offered, and the powder is apparently used on a large scale in agriculture for killing insects. The root had the conical shape of Veratrum album, and like it was evidently of monocotyledonous structure. But it was only half the size of the root of V. album, and the scaly remains of the leaf bases that form a characteristic feature in the root of that plant were not present. The taste was slightly a, romatic, and an examination of a section of the root revealed the fact that the starch presented the obovate shape and flattened character of the starches of the Scitamineae. An enquiry as to its geographical source resulted in the information that it cam, e from Africa, probably from the West Coast. The plants of that continent are so little known beyond the coastline and the banks of the large rivers that it was considered unprofitably to persue the enquiry further. The history of this drug, however, serv, es to show the practical importance of the knowledge of the microscopic features of the official and officinale drugs. For the specimen on the table I am indebted to the kindness of Mr Christopher Langridge of Manchester. | ||||