]\IOXOCOTYLEDOXS 25 



r 



The Hellebokes. — Care must be taken to distinir^iish 

 the various Hellebore;^. We liave: — 



1. Greex Hellebore (Veratru'in viride), an AmeiiQan 



plant. 



2. Hellehorus viridis (also called Green Hellebore), a 



European plant belonging to the Buttercup family. 



3. White Hellebore (Veratricvi album), a plant 



chiefly grown in Germany, and almost identical 

 with the American Green Hellebore, but lacking 

 in one of the principles (cevadine) which is present 

 in the American species. 



4, Black 



um 



erow 



our gardens. 



The second of these will be mentioned later in its 

 proper place; tlie others are Liliaceous plants, all charac- 

 terized by the possession of greenish-white or purplish 

 flowers, and oval-ribbed leaves similar to those of the 

 Broad-leaved Plantain. These characters, combined with 

 those common to all the Liliacese, make them readily 

 distinguishable. All are poisonous plants, but their acrid 

 taste acts as a sufficient deterrent to animals. There are 

 many varieties in our gardens. Their cultivation for 

 medicinal purposes in this country would not be a prac- 

 ticable project. 



Among other poisonous members of the Liliacea? which 

 iii'e either indigenous or are common garden plants are 



the Crowx Imperial (Fritillaria impeHalis), tlic 

 Sxaive's Head Fritillarv {Fritillaria Meleagris), and 

 the yellow -flowered TuLiP (Tulipa sylvestris). They 

 iire fortunately very distasteful to the palate. Tliey. 

 have no medicinal value. 



Aroideae.— This family is represented by several foreign 

 poisonous plants, but in tliis countxy the sole representa- 



