334 THE ACTIVK PRINCIPLE OK ERYTHROPHLOKUII LABOl'CHEEIT, 



On continuing southwards we meet with the single Australian species E. 

 Laboucherii, in Northern and Tropical Australia. 



The powerful and poisonous alkaloid, wliich was first discovered in E. 

 guineense of Central Africa, has since been identified also in E. coumivija of 

 Madagascar, and E. Fordi of China. It was proved absent in the Philippine 

 species, and all the others are quite unknown. 



With regard to the Australian species the writer lias found no record of 

 any experimental work having been done. The Botanist Baron von Mueller is 

 (juoted in "Wittsteiu" (4) as having said that an alkaloid was present in this 

 plant, but beyond this single statement theae is no reference to any evidence 

 for its support, and in all probability the remark is founded on analogy alone. 



E. Laboucherii is endemic in Northern Australia. It has been found along 

 the whole vast stretch of coast land beginning about Vansittart Bay, the most 

 northerly part of Western Australia, where it was first collected by Allan Cun- 

 ningham. It continues through tlie Northern Territory, and flourishes in abund- 

 ance up the Victoria River and the Roper and Endeavour Rivers, where it was 

 observed by Banks and Solander. It grows on all the great rivers which flow 

 into the Gulf of Carpentaria, and was collected by Robert Brown on the 

 numerous islands in the Gulf. It gi'ows richly in the York Peninsula and is 

 still very plentiful down the east coast of Queensland to the Tropic of Capri- 

 corn. Dr. Shirley states that south of Rockhampton it occurs only very sparsely, 

 and rapidly disai^pears. It is exceedingly rare to find it in south-east Queens- 

 land. On Plate xxiv. are photographs of a tree and a close view showing the 

 (iharaeteristic bark. 



Many Australian trees have been designated ironwoods, but here the name 

 of ironwood tree is peculiarly appropriate, for the red-coloured wood is ex- 

 ceedingly hard, and is probably the hardest of all Australian timbers. 



It was used by the aborigines for making their womerahs and spear-heads. 



Though this plant was collected by the great Botanists in the early days of 

 Australian Settlement and described in detail by Mueller in 1859, there appears 

 no account of its poisonous properties until comparatively recent years. 



F. M. Bailey has described the tree as one of the worst poisonous jilants 

 of Queensland, and how large numliers of stock are yearly lost from eating its 

 leaves. He also described how the tree forms numerous leafy shoots near the 

 ground by sprouting from the roots. These masses of young green foliage, there- 

 fore, are very accessible to sheep and cattle, and are the chief cause of mor- 

 tality. 



Ten thousand sheep were lost on Cambridge Downs through eating tlie leaves 

 of this tree. The Stock Inspector who reported the above tremendous loss 

 stated that two leaves were sufficient to kill a goat (7). 



Bennett, in 1904, wrote that this plant had proved most disastrous to the 

 camels imported to carry the copper ore from Mt. Garnet (8). 



Mr. Meston, formerly Protector of Aborigines of North Queensland, wrote 

 in 1009 that " the bark, wood, leaves, fruit and flowers of this tree are deadly 

 poisonous. Its peculiar property is that it absolutely destroys the optic nerve 

 and one bean mixed in your food would make you totally blind. A splinter from 

 the tree needs about the same treatment as snakebite" (10). It is employed by 

 the natives for criminal purposes. 



Mr. Allen, Director of the Botanic Gardens of Darwin, writes that this tree 

 has been very troublesome of late, many sheep, horses, and cows having died from 

 eating the young leaves. 



