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KRAEMER'S (1907) CLASSIFICATION

A. Simple spherical grains.
(a) Not more than 5 mu in diameter: Cimicifuga, Cypripedium, Frangula, Hydrastis, Leptandra, Piper, Prunus virginiana, Quassia, Quercus alba, Rhamnus purshiana, Spigelia, Viburnum opulus, and Viburnum prunifoliulli.

(b) Not more than 10 mu in diameter: Calamus, Eunonymus, Gelsemium, Granatum, Quillaja, Sanguinaria, Serpentaria, Tonka, Ulnus, Xanthoxylum.

(c) Not more than 15 mu in diameter: Apocynum, Cinchona, Colchici semen (in caruncle only), Convallaria, Sumbul, Valeriana.

(d) Not more than 201 mu in diameter: Glycyrrhyza, Phytolacca.

(e) Not more than 300 mu in diameter: Rumex, Stillingia.

B. Compound spherical or polygonal grains.
(a) 2 to 3 compound: Belladona radix (5 to 15 mu), Sassafras (7 to 20 mu), Veratrum viride (7 to 20 mu).

(b) 2 to 4 compound: Aconitum (4 to 12 mu), Cinnamonum. (7 to 15 mu), Colchici cormus (7 to 20 mu), Ipecacuanha (4 to 14 mu, those of Carthagena ipecac being uniformly larger), Krameria (20 to 30 mu), Rheum (5 to 201 mu), Sarsaparilla (7 to 201 mu).

(c) 2 to 6 compound: Podophyllurn (5 to 121 mu).

(d) More than 6 compound: Capsicum (3 to 7 mu), Cardamonum (1 to 41 mu), Cubeba (I to 41 mu), Gossypii cortex (5 to 20 mu), Mezereum (10 to 151 mu), Myristica (5 to 7 mu), Pimenta (7 to 10 mu), Rubus (3 to 7 mu).
C. Ellipsoidal or ovoid grains. Althea (10 to 201 mu), Geranium (10 to 15 mu), Glycyrrhiza (5 to 10 mu), Pareira (7 to 15 mu), Physostigma (25 to 40 mu), Rumex (10 to 20 mu), Stillingia (15 to 30 mu), Strophanthus (2 to 4 mu), Zingiber (15 to 301 mu).

D. Grains of characteristic shape. Calumba (25 to 35 mu), Iris florentina (15 to 30 mu), and potato and other starches, such as arrowroot, wheat, corn, yam, canna, bean, pea, cassava.

E. Altered grains. Guarana (10 mu), Jalapa (15 to 35 mu; also 2 to 3 compound grains), Tragacantha (2 to 101 mu), turmeric in masses (70 to 140 mu).

F. Amylodextrin grains. Mace contains starch-grains which give a reddish color with iodine. Kraemer notes that leaves, herbs, and flowers do not as, a rule, contain starch.

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Last updated: 4-November-98 / du