58 POISONOUS PLANTS 



vomiting and nervous affections. This is due to 

 an alkaloid with pronounced emetic qualities. The 

 sweet scent of the flowers is correlated with dele- 

 terious principles in the stem, for these are greatly 

 reduced in the scentless species of Viola, including 

 the Pansy. This is used in America in the form 

 of an ointment, and internally for bronchitis. 



The seeds are injurious, being sometimes pre- 

 scribed as a purgative. 



A foreign genus lonidiiun, has the same prin- 

 ciples as IpecaciianJia, which belongs to the Galium, 

 or Coffee Family. 



Pink Family {CaryophyllacecB). — This large 

 family includes all the pinks and carnations, 

 catchflies, stitchwort, as well as numerous little 

 humble weeds with inconspicuous flowers, as chick- 

 weed, spurry, sandworts, etc. It is generally 

 credited as being perfectly innocuous, but three 

 plants call for attention. 



Corn-cockle {Agrostemma Githago, Fig. 15). — 

 This is a common cornfield weed, a tall and erect 

 annual, with opposite pairs of long narrow leaves. 

 The flowers have long peduncles. The calyx has 

 its sepals coherent with long leaf-like terminations. 

 The five petals are free, with tapering stalks, called 

 "claws." There are ten stamens. There is a short 

 space or internode between the insertion of the 

 calyx and the rest of the flower. The pistil consists 

 of five carpels, of which the ovaries are coherent, 



