EUPHORBIACEAE CROTON 



593 



Croton oil contains several fatty acids, such as stearic, palmitic, myristic and 

 lauric acids. The volatile part of the acids contains an acid called tiglinic 

 C 5 H g O , which is the same as angelic acid. The drastic principle of Croton 

 oil has not been definitely determined, according to Fliickiger and Hanbury. 

 Crotonol C 18 H 0% O 4 , is a non-purgative body causing irritation of the skin. 

 According to Winslow, in his Veterinary Materia Medica and Therapeutics, 

 "10 drops of croton oil will kill a dog unless vomiting occurs. 30 drops prove 

 fatal to a horse, intravenously. The treatment of poisoning includes the use 

 of emetics or stomach tube, demulcents and opium." None of our native 

 species is mentioned as poisonous by Dr. Schaffner or Prof. Chesnut, but a few 

 years ago I had a query through the Wallace Farmer in Des Moines, from a 

 correspondent in Western Nebraska who suspected that the Texas croton was 

 poisonous. The writer has eaten a few seeds of our southern Croton capi- 

 tatus with slight uneasiness. On the other hand, a few seeds of the Texas 

 croton produced powerful irritation which lasted for an hour, and then disap- 

 peared. It is listed by Bessey and O'Gara as possibly poisonous in Western 

 Nebraska. Prof. Chesnut states in his paper on Plants used by the Indians 

 in Mendocino county, California, that the bruised leaves of Croton setigera 

 are used to stupefy fish. The common name, fish soap-root, indicates its use. 



The bark of the cascarilla (Croton Eluteria), native of the Bahama 

 Islands is used as a tonic. 



Tragia L. Tragia 



Monecious herbs or shrubs, usually armed with stinging hairs; leaves alter- 

 nate; flowers in racemes with bractlets, apetalous; sterile flowers with a 3-5 

 cleft calyx; fertile flowers with a 3-8-parted calyx, divisions entire or pinnati- 



Fig. 329. Spurge Nettle (Tragia 

 urens). This spurge is common in 

 some places in the South and has hairs 

 that are irritating like those of the com- 

 mon nettle. (Charlotte M. King.) 



