202 MEDICINAL AND POISONOUS PLANTS 
Young shoots of the elder (Fig. 183) eaten as a pickle have 
also proved poisonous. 
The propensity which children have for chewing vari- 
ous leaves occasionally leads them into danger. <A plant 
which they need to be warned against is the Indian tobacco 
(Fig. 188) that grows very commonly in pastures and might 
Fic. 189.—Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia, Heath Family, Ericacee). 
a, flowering branch, }. b, flower, }. c, cluster of fruits, +. (Chesnut.)— 
Shrub 1-12 m. tall; leaves evergreen; flowers pink; fruit dry, brownish. 
Native home, Eastern United States. 
Fic. 190.—Sheep Laurel (Kalmia angustifolia, Heath Family, Ericacee). 
Flowering branch. Flower. Fruiting branch. Fruit. (Britton and 
Brown.)—Shrub 15 cm.-l1 m. tall; leaves evergreen; flowers pur- 
plish or crimson; fruit dry, brownish. Native home, Eastern North 
America. 
prove alluring perhaps on account of its common name. 
Every part of the plant is highly poisonous. It has been ex- 
tensively used in quack medicines and has caused a large 
number of deaths. Very young plants of the mountain laurel 
(Fig. 189) and the sheep laurel (Fig. 190) are especially dan- 
