On the natural history, action, and uses of Indian hemp / by Alexander Christison.

  • Christison, Alex. (Alexander)
Date:
1851
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the natural history, action, and uses of Indian hemp / by Alexander Christison. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    arrested any farther development. The plants in the hot-house at the same period were only 4 feet high, slender, with more sparse, smaller, and tender leaves, but in full flower. Plants of the common or European hemp growing in the garden had a very similar aspect to the latter, being, however, in full fruit. I am indebted to the kindness of Professor Balfour for the follow- ing remarks, and botanical description of these plants :— Tliose in the open air were all female plants; among those in the hot-house were one or two males. I have not been able to make out any specific difference between the so-called C. Indica and C. Sativa of Europe. The common hemp in the garden has not attained the same size as the plants from Indian seeds, and the segments of the leaves are narrower; in other respects they appear alike, more especially as regards their flowers, glands, &c. Both the Indian and European seeds produce plants which have a strong resinous odour; in this respect the European plants in the garden seem to excel the Indian. On the Indian specimens, even when cultivated in tlie hot-house, there has not appeared any of the chicrrus de- scribed by Indian observers. The racemes and spikes of flowers, however, have a resinous feeling when touched. Tlie following is a description of the plants raised from the Indian seeds :— Flotvers dioecious.—31ale plants in the hot-house about four feet high, circumference of stem at the base about one inch, lower part of the stem woody; stem somewhat quadrangular, grooved and roughish, surface of the stem at the base of a brownish colour, mixed with greenish streaks; leaves opposite, sap-green above, ])istachio-green below, quinate to septenate; at the upper part of the stem the leaves become alternate; segments of the leaves feather-veined, with a prominent midrib below, lanceolate, acute, with large serratures ; stipules 2, subulate. Flotvers, in cymose axillary leafy clusters, some of them abortive. —Perianth of 5 ovate blunt segments, which are of a pale green colour (the margins being white and the centre greenish), w'ith a marked green midrib, covered externally and internally with glan- dular pubescence, ^ segments of the perianth concave internally. Stamens covered with glandular pubescence, opposite the segments of the perianth. Anthers large, projecting beyond the perianth, oblong, bilocular, erect, with an apicilar process and longitudinal dehiscence, supported on slender filaments, which are shorter than the anthers, and have pyramidal bases. Pollen spherical, with three facets, each consisting of a small ring in the centre of a larger one. In the centre of the flower there is the rudiment of the pistil. Fe^nale Plants.—These are much stronger than the male plants, have attained a greater size, and have a stronger balsamic odour; those in the hot-house attained a height of 5 feet, and those in the open air 9^ feet; stems hollow, 4 inches in circumference in the plants out of doors, with a tenacious stringy bark. Leaves covered with nunutc vesicular sessile glands, which give out a viscid
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