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trumpet-shaped flowers, covering the 

 small bushes, often hanging in festoons, 

 and twining around the trees, filling the 

 air with strong yet pleasant perfume. 

 Its duration of flowering is about two 

 weeks, depending much upon the 

 weather. When there are heavy rains 

 and much wind, the blossoms fall. 



It belongs to the natural order Loganl- 

 acecc, and is described botanically: 

 "Stem twining, smooth and shining; 

 leaves perennial, opposite, lanceolate, 

 entire, dark green above and paler be- 

 neath ; petioles short ; the flowers are 



More largely taken it occasions dizziness, 

 dimness of vision, dilated pupil, general 

 muscular debility, and universal pros- 

 tration." 



Prof. T. G. Wormley obtained an 

 alkaloid extract from the plant, which 

 he termed "gelsemine" — a powerful 

 poison. One-eighth of a grain injected 

 into a strong cat killed it in one and a 

 half hours. 



Dr. VV. H. Burt, in his work on 

 "Materia Medica," remarks in regard 

 to the poisonous effects of gelsemium : 



"The retention of consciousness until 



The Poisonoxis Honey-Plant of the South. 



in axillary clusters of a deep yellow 

 color, and fragrant; calyx five-parted, 

 corolla funnel-shaped, with a spreading 

 border, five-lobed, nearly equal; anthers 

 oblong, style long and slender; stigmas 

 two, two-parted ; capsules elliptical, 

 flat, two-valved, two-celled ; seeds flat, 

 attached to the margin of the valves." 



All parts of the plant possess poison- 

 ous properties. Drs. Wood and Bache, 

 in their " United States Dispensatory," 

 describe the poisonous effects as com- 

 mencing " with sensations of languor 

 with muscular relaxation, so that the 

 subject finds some difficulty in moving 

 the eyelids and keeping the jaws closed. 



I very late in the poisoning, both in man 

 and in the lower animals, shows that the 

 drug has very little power over the 

 higher cerebrum, although the drowsi- 

 ness and the final loss of consciousness 

 prove that it is not entirely devoid of 

 such influence. The two most promi- 

 nent symptoms caused by the drug are 

 the convulsions and paralysis." 



The hive-bee will work on the bloom ; 

 but it seems more from necessity than 

 choice; for, when other forage is acces- 

 sible, you rarely see a bee on it. The 

 Italians frequent it much more than the 

 blacks; in fact, it is rare that you see 

 one of the latter on it. The flower yields 



