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yellow anthers. Style filiform, much longer than the perianth. Capsule l-l½in. ; valves with long, recurved beaks.

Uses: — C. Masson, in his narrative of an excursion into the Hazarah country in 1832 (Trans.-Bombay Geograph. Soc. ii., p. 60), notices a small bulbous root, which the Afghans dug up at Bad Assiar on the banks of the Helmund, and which appeared to be a kind of Colchicum, for the purpose of preparing Haran-tutiha, a medicine of great repute among the Afghans. He also remarks : — "It is sold in small pieces of a dark-brown colour, and resembles a dry extract." Masson travelled through a great part of Afghanistan on foot, mixing with all classes of the people, and his experience of their manners and customs is very interesting. (Pharmacogr. Indica III, 499-500).

The corms (or bulbous roots) constitute the bitter hermodactyl of the later Greeks, and are the surinjan of the Indian bazars. The true Colchicum (C. autumnale) does not occur in India, but in the bazars there are two forms sold, the bitter and the sweet. The latter is imported from Persia. European physicians in India consider the sweet root as inert, but they would seem to hold that the bitter one possesses similar properties to the true colchicum and may be substituted for it. Recently a few children were reported to have been poisoned at Kuldana in Rawalpindi through eating the seeds of this Indian colchicum. The seeds were accordingly chemically analysed at Calcutta (as also the roots), and tested physiologically. It was found that both posssessed colchicine, of which the hundredth part of a grain proved fatal to cats. [Cf. Hooper, Rept. Labor. Ind. Mus. (Indust. Sec), 1902-3, 28.] Watt. Com. Pro., p. 398.

In the Ph. J. for April 1, 1871, pp. 784-785, Dr. M. C. Cooke gave drawings of the starch granules of the tasteless and bitter hermodactyl, but he was not acquainted with the source of the latter, since he concluded his paper by saying " what is the source of bitter hermodactyls ? "— B. D. B.

The seeds and roots contain colchicine.

Sans.: — Lângalikâ, agnisikhâ, kalikari.

Vern. :— Nát-ká-bachhnág, karihári, lánguli (H.) ; Bishalân-guli, ulatchandâl, bisha (B.) ; Siric-samano (Santal); Mulim, kariári (Pb.) ; Rájahrar (Ajmere) ; Nâgkaria, indai (Mar.) ; Kalaipaikishangu, kârtikaikishangu (Tam.) ; Agni-śhikhá, kalappa-gadda, adavi nâbhi, potti dumpa (Tel.) ; Ventoni mendoni, (Malay) ; Sima-don, hsee-touk (Burm.) ; Neyangalla (Sing.).