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BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 



Vol. 2. 



SEPTEMBER, 1877. 



Ko. 11. 



Poisonous phoperties op the Leguminos^. — Leguminosct. from beiug once ro- 

 gardcd as almost wholl}- iuuocent of poisonous properties, now comes to be considered 

 as among the chief of sinners. Following hard upon each others heels come charges 

 of damage to stock from Oxytropis Lumherti in Colorado; Hoaackiii Piirxhiand in Ari- 

 zona; and two or three species of Astragalus^n California. As if to complete the bad 

 i-ecord against the order, Prof. H. C. Wood, M. D., has just published in the Philadel- 

 piiia Medical Times, for August 4th, 1877, an account of a new and exceedingly poison- 

 ous alkaloid discovered by himself in the bean of Sojihora sijeciosa. This he properly 

 names ISoiihorki. It appears to act as a spinal sedative. "One-twentieth of a grain, of 

 a veiy imperfect specimen, produced in a half grown cat deep sleep lasting manj^ hours, 

 aiid "the minutest speck of it i)roduced in two minutes almost entire paralysis in the 

 frog." In fact it has some striking points of resemblance to the action of Calabar 

 Bean, of which it is a near relative. Mr. Bellinger, of Texas, states that the Indians, 

 chewing half a bean, go off into "hilarious intoxication," followed by a sleep of a 

 couple of days, and that dangerous symptoms are likely to follow the use of an entire 

 bean. It is fortunate that the investigation of this drug has fallen into the hands of so 

 competent and conscientious an investigator as Dr. Wood, as we may promise ourselves 

 that in his "findings" crude gues.ses will not be reckoned as established truths. — Dr. J. 



T. BOTIJKOCK. 



Shipping Live Pl.\nts. — On page 107 of the Botanical Gazp:tte is noticed the 

 sending of a suite of American plants by myself to the Botanical Garden of Sydney, 

 New South Wales, Australia. They were packed in wet sphagnum, in a tight wine 

 cask, and sent to San Francisco, to expedite their transit. The venture proved a fail- 

 ure, as the j)Iants mostly softened on the wa}'. On the 9th of May last, I tried another 

 venture. This suite consisted of the new Nymphosa from Florida, N. lutea,, N. odontta, 

 Ilcloniiis hullata, Erythronium Amencanum, CUiytonia Virgimcu, the new Amarylli 

 Atamusco (?), Thalictrina anemonoides, Pyxidanthera barbulafii. 1 procured plastic clay, 

 and moistened it so that it could be conveniently worked in the hand. A wine cask m a.^ 

 again used, and every root was compactly surrtninded with the clay — it being packed 

 iu well, and hard with sand. I have to day, under date of June 38, received a letter 

 from the director, Mr. Charles Moore, which to mj- joy, announces the arrival of the 

 plants in the best condition, except the Pyxiddiitltevn, which I should say was in poor 

 state before the packing. Mr. Moore's words are: "The first trial was a failure. The 

 second has been attended with the most perfect success, as tlie rliizomes of Nymphijen 

 lutea and N. odorata are as fresh as Avlien jjacked for transmission to this place. I am 

 also much pleased to inform you that with the exception of one kind, Py.viddnthera, 

 wiiicli is dead, all the other plants sent with the Nymphseas are alive." 



1 tliink then that for living plants to be shipped on long voyages, moist clay must 

 be regarded as the best packing material. When it is intended to send entire plants, 

 the roots should be firmly packed in claj', and the upper parts embedded in dry moss or 

 hay. — Sa.mukl Lockwood, Freehold, N. J., Aug. 3, 1877. 



