POISONOUS PROPERTY OF NICOTIANA SUAVEOLENS. 9 
SOME POrsOovOous PROPERLY OF 
NICOTIANA. SUAVEOLENS ; 
BY 
RHOS: ES BANCROFT, M.By Edin. FUELS: 
(Read 7th January, 1887). 
NICOTIANA SUAVEOLENS, Lehm., the native tobacco of Australia, 
a herbaceous plant seldom attaining a height of over two feet, is 
distributed all over Queensland, and is popularly believed neither 
to be poisonous nor to possess the action so much admired by 
smokers of tobacco. 
The poisonous nature of this plant was discovered in May, 1886. 
An extract of the dried plant is very poisonous, in every respect 
resembling the physiological action of tobacco (Nicotiana Taba- 
cum, Zzz.) and of pituri (Duboisia Hopwood, / v. JZ.) 
It is interesting to note that the Australian blacks, to whom 
tobacco and pituri are such a boon, never discovered that this 
plant possessed the same narcotic action. I came across large 
quantities of it growing on the Gregory River; the blacks there 
although it grew around their camp knew nothing of its action, 
nor had they even a name for it. 
Mr. K. T. Staiger kindly separated from some alcoholic extract a 
volatile alkaloid by distillation with soda, neutralizing the distillate 
with oxalic acid, decomposing the oxalate with soda and removing 
the alkaloid by means of ether. 
*The following observations concerning another plant of the same 
natural order, viz., Solanum aviculare, Forst—a large soft-wooded shrub 
often six feet high, common as a weed about Brisbane—may be worthy of 
record and consideration in connection with the properties of Nicotina 
suaveolens. While in search of mydriatic solanaceous plants, it was 
examined by my father, Dr. Joseph Bancroft, some years ago. He states 
that it does not dilate the pupil but is poisonous. I have lately made a few 
experiments -with an extract of the leaves. The taste of the leaf is 
extremely like that of tobacco. The extract when mixed with an alkali 
gave off a narcotic odour like nicotine. It caused frontal headache and 
gave clouds with hydrochloric acid. The physiological action on frogs 
agreed with that of tobacco. From these experiments I am inclined to 
believe that this plant contains nicotine. 
