THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 53 



Poisonous Woodbine. — There are few plants in our 

 flora less likely to fall under suspicion that the common wood- 

 bine {Arnpelopsis qitinqiiefolia) . Not a little resembling the 

 grape vines, and at least first cousin to these edible and attrac- 

 tive species, it is difficult to imagine it to possess noxious 

 qualities, and yet at a recent meeting of the American Asso- 

 ciation for the advancement of Science a case in which a child 

 died from eating the berries of woodbine was reported. The 

 poisonous principle was regarded as oxalic acid. Notwith- 

 standing the eminence of the scientist who reported the case, 

 we venture the assertion that something else has been mistaken 

 for the woodbine. Oxalic acid is well known to be present in 

 the toothsome rhubarb and "sour grass" or sorrel but though 

 in much greater quantities than it appears in woodbine, it does 

 no harm. It is much more likely that instead of woodbine the 

 child ate the berries of moonseed (Menispermmn canadense) 

 which are well known to be poisonous the plant being rather 

 closely related to the tropical plant {Cocculus Indicus) which 

 produces the poisonous "fish berries." Moonseed, like the 

 woodbine, is a woody vine and the two plants often grow in- 

 tervined in the same fence row or thicket. The berries of the 

 two are similar in size and color and one might be easily mis- 

 taken for the other by the unscientific. Unless the scientist 

 was able to identify absolutely the berries eaten, it would seem 

 that the woodbine should be given the benefit of the doubt. At 

 the same time, it would be well if someone with the necessary 

 time and skill, would examine more carefully the properties of 

 this well known plant. 



CoRNUs ALTERNiFOLiA. — The rcd-osier dogwood is much 

 used in shrubberies and on lawns but I do not know that the 

 alternate leaved dogwood has been cultivated, though I think 

 it deserves introduction into our public parks and private 

 grounds. Outside my window and giving pleasure all the 

 year round stands a specimen brought in unwittingly as seed 

 or seedling probably with some ostrich ferns. The snow lies 



