ROSACEAE— PRUNUS 



519 



eating the wilted leaves. He also adds that the seeds of all varieties of cherries 

 and plums, both native and introduced are subject to suspicion. The flesh of 

 none of the species is in any way poisonous. Chesnut also says in another 

 contribution, that no cases are on record where stock have been poisoned by eat- 

 ing the leaves of any species, while still on the tree. It is only after they 

 have been cut off and are partially wilted that they are considered dangerous. 

 The reason for this is that during the process of wilting, prussic acid is formed 

 from non-poisonous constituents which are always present in the leaf and bark. 

 The wilted leaves have the characteristic odor of prussic acid. The amount 

 of amygdalin contained varies from 3.6 to 4.12 per cent and yields from 0.23- 

 0.32 hydrocyanic acid. Recent studies indicate that an amydonitril gluco- 

 side occurs in young leaves of both Prunus Padus and P. serothta. 



Fig. 278. The European May Day 

 tree {Prunus Padus), poisonous. This 

 is frequently cultivated. (Ada Hay- 

 den.) 



Leguminosae 



Herbs, shrubs, trees, or vines with alternate, mostly compound, stipulate 

 leaves, papilionaceous or sometimes regular flowers; calyx 3-6, or 4-5 cleft; 

 stamens 10, rarely 5 and sometimes many, monadelphous, diadelphous or distinct; 

 pistil, simple, free, becoming a legume in fruit or sometimes a loment; ovules 

 1-many; seeds generally ex-albuminous or nearly so or, in some, with copious 

 albumen. About 6500 species of wide distribution, but most abundant in the 

 tropics. 



