204 AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 



cated cases of serious poisoning from honey are rare, so rare, indeed, 

 that many persons doubt whether such cases occur. There are persons 

 with a peculiar susceptibility to honey from any source. To such, honey 

 may seem to be poisonous, w^hich can be eaten by others without any ill 

 effect. Prof. A. J. Cook, writing in the American Bee Journal (October 

 12, 1905, page 711), mentioned having on several occasions received sam- 

 ples of so-called poisonous honey, which he ate without inconvenience. 



In December, 1880, issue of American Bee Journal, page 552, a case is 

 mentioned where a native of New Zealand died from eating honey gath- 

 ered from the wharangi bush (Melicope ternata), which is said to be 

 one of the two poisonous plants to be found in New Zealand. The symp- 

 toms are reported similar to strychnine poisoning. A letter from New 

 Zealand published in Gleanings, page 435, 1908, reads as follows : 



"Some one, usually a native, gets poisoned every year about here 

 through eating bush honey, usually not capped, and puka-puka usually 

 gets the blame. Mr. Hopkins had a look at a case of Moaris honey 

 poisoning last year, and I think puka-puka got the blame; but the 

 fact is significant, nevertheless, that it is the Maoris only, or princi- 

 pally they, that get poisoned, and in that case the honey eaten is 

 never capped." — Stephen Anthony, Wastete, New Zealand. 



The mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is the plant most frequently 

 reported as yielding poisonous honey. This shrub is common to the moun- 

 tain regions of the Eastern States, and it would seem that cases of poison- 

 ing would be reported much more frequently if there was good reason to 

 suspect the honey from this source. It is a well-known fact that dis- 

 agreeable odors disappear from honey that is well ripened. In this con- 

 nection a writer in American Bee Journal, page 664, 1884, suggests that 

 there is no evidence of poisoning from well ripened honey. He further 

 states that uncapped honey from the yellow jasmine is actually poisonous 

 and has produced death, but that after it is capped there is no honey more 

 wholesome. It should be noted that special emphasis was placed on the 

 fact that the cases of poisoning in New Zealand were from eating un- 

 capped honey. 



Pammel states (Manual of Poisonous Plants) that honey obtained 

 from Euphorbia marginata, the well-kno'wn snow-on-the-mountain, is 

 poisonous and unfit for use. He also states that the Indians of Brazil 

 use honey gathered by wasps from flowers of Serjonia lethalis for 

 poisoning their arrows, and also as a fish poison. It contains a narcotic 

 poison which causes death. 



The following resume of the subject is copied entire from Pammel: 



"Prof. Lyman F. Kebler, who has made a somewhat extended in- 

 vestigation with poisonous honey has given an excellent bibliography 

 with reference to the early literature on the subject. It has been 

 known for centuries that the honey collected from Ericaceae acts as 

 a narcotic irritant, producing giddiness, vomiting and purging. Poison- 

 ous honey was described by Xenophon. He gives a fairly accurate de- 

 scription of how the soldiers of his army acted that ate honey that 

 was poisoned. He states that they lost their senses, vomited and were 

 affected with purging, and those who had eaten but little were in- 



