138 SOME POISONOUS PLANTS IN N.O. SOLANACE.t:, V., 



and ten years later the name was transferred to Duboisia (Wing's 

 Southern Science Record, ii., 1882, 222), Of the three de- 

 scribed species of Duboisia, D. Hopicoodii is confined to central 

 Australia, D. myoporoides extends along the eastern coastline, 

 and D. Leichhardtii apparently occupies the intervening country, 

 which joins up the areas occupied by the other two species. 



Although in their essential featui'es they exhibit fundamental 

 differences which characterise them as distinct species, they pos- 

 sess a peculiar similarity in their general aspect, and the writer, 

 familiar with the species D. ^nyopm'oides only, had no difficulty 

 in recofaiisinf*- D. Leichhardtii when first seen in the forests of 

 central Queensland. In some respects D. Leichhiirdtii may be 

 regarded as intermediate between the other two, for example, in 

 the average heights of adult trees — D. Hopicoodii 8 feet, D. 

 Leichhardtii 15 feet, and D. myoporoides 25 feet; or in the 

 relative sizes of their mature leaves — 2, 3, and -i inches in length 

 respectively. On the other hand, in comparing the details of 

 the original botanical descriptions, one can hardly say that D. 

 Leichhardtii inclines towards one or the other species. It is 

 differentiated chiefly by the flowers possessing long, acute corolla- 

 lobes. Much interest was aroused by the speculation as to 

 whether, in regard to its active principle, this third species would 

 resemble D. Hopwoodii or D. myoporoides^ or differ from both. 

 We have seen (Part iv. of this series) that D. Hopicoodii^ the 

 pituri plant, contains nicotine, and ihixt D . myoporoides^ the cork- 

 tree, contains hyoscyamine and nor-hyoscyamine. This point 

 was soon settled, but only after the completion of the investiga- 

 tion, a casual reference was found in a Medical Journal, to an 

 account of some tests by Lauterer, of Brisbane, (Aust. Med. Gaz., 

 xiv., 1895, 457) which he made on the alkaloids of Duboisia 

 myoporoides. He states that, in this plant, he found hyoscya- 

 mine and scopolamine, and that "i?. Leichhardtii contains mostly 

 scopolamine." With the exception of this statement of a single 

 line, no other information has been found regarding the chemical 

 constituents. It is doubtful whether Lauterer ever worked on 

 D. Leichhardtii at all; if he did, it was wholly unknown to his 



