THE WEEDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



See also a general paper on the subject by Dr. Petrie, viz., " Hydro- 

 cyanic Acid in Plants, Part ii. Its occurrence in the grasses of New South 

 Wales," in Proc. Linn. Soc., N.S.W., xxxviii, 624 (1913). 



We know that certain grasses, such as Lolium temulentum, the Darnel, 

 Paspalum scrobiculatum and Festuca elatior, display a ready tendency to 

 become affected by minute poisonous fungi, and thus sheep and cattle are 

 often injured and sometimes destroyed by them. But it should be borne in 

 mind that these grasses are not always so affected, and in that condition the 

 grasses are more or less useful fodder plants. 



A species of Spear Grass, Stipa robusta Vasey, goes under the name of 

 " Sleepy Grass " in the United States (see Agricultural Gazette, Vol. xxiii, 

 p. 583). It is undoubtedly poisonous (see also Pammel, p. 357). On pages 

 580-583 are some notes on alleged poison grasses which will be useful for 

 reference. Our common Spear Grass, of course, belongs to this genus. 



(iii) Narcotics. 



Speaking generally, the Tobacco family (Svlanacece) contains more or less 

 of a poisonous principle or principles of a narcotic character. The worst 

 offender is Datura Stramonium, often erroneously called Castor Oil Plant. 

 It is a medium-sized heavy smelling herb with a large white bell-flower and 

 a large nutmeg-grater sort of fruit which contains large numbers of black 

 seeds. I have never personally known cattle to eat the plant ; the smell repels 

 them, but there are many instances of children chewing the deadly seeds, 

 often with fatal results. The weed should therefore be carefully destroyed, 

 not for the sake of the stock, but for the children's sake. 



Then some of our native Solanums are stated to be poisonous, while others 

 are harmless. The subject should be thoroughly threshed out by a com- 

 mittee, and until this is done we shall only be able to give stock-owners 

 vague replies. 



We have a true native tobacco (Nicotiana suaveolens}, and this is cer- 

 tainly poisonous. It is a pretty little slender plant, with sweet-scented white 

 tubular flowers. I believe it to be abundantly proved that it is. from time 

 to time, responsible for the deaths of large numbers of sheep. 



Nicandra physaloides, the so-called " Apple of Peru," is a weed which was 

 originally introduced to gardens, and now it is spreading here and there. 

 Pammel says, "said to be poisonous; used as a fly-poison in parts of the 

 United States," and this should put us on our guard concerning it. 



(iv) Hemlock. 



Undoubtedly the Hemlock (Conium maculatum), figured and described in 

 the Agricultural Gazette for February, 1896, p. 79, is a deadly plant, danger- 

 ous alike to stock and human beings. Late research indicates that all parts 

 of the plant are poisonous because of the presence of a resin known as 

 Cicutoxin. It is a pretty fern-like plant in its early stages, and hence it has 

 been cultivated under the name of Parsley Fern. It should be most carefully 

 dug out and burned. 



There is an excellent article on an allied plant, Water Hemlock (Cicuta 

 virosa), Technical Bulletin, No. 81, by C. Alfred Jacobson, Agric. Expt. 

 Station, Univ. of Nevada, Eeno, U.S.A. (1&15) 



