CERBERA ODALLAM 161 



heart. The former induces emetic and cathartic phenomena, 

 trembling and progressive weakness. The latter does not cause 

 vomiting or diarrhoea, but anaesthesia and rigidity of the limbs. 

 Both poisons arrest the heart in systole. Injected hypoderm- 

 ically they are irritant, are eliminated by the liver, but are not 

 found in the urine. 



Botanical Description. — A shrub, about 10° high, with 

 leaves nearly sessile, somewhat bunched at the ends of the 

 branches and overlapping, lanceolate, entire, glabrous. Flowers 

 about 2' long. Calyx 5-toothed. Corolla straw-colored, cylin- 

 drical, very narrow below, but the limb very large, spreading 

 into 5 lobes with greenish, superimposed borders. Stamens 5, 

 inserted in the throat, anthers lanceolate. Ovaries 2, united at 

 base, free above, unilocular. Style simple, enlarging at the 

 base in a bilobed stigma. Fruit a fleshy drupe resembling 

 somewhat a small apple, the pit very hard, semilunar, flattened, 

 with 4 compartments and as many solitary seeds. 



Habitat. — Common in all gardens and on the seashore. 



Cerbera Odallam, Gaertn. (<7. manghas, Bl. & Blanco.) 



Nom. Vulg. — Toktok-kalo, Tag. 



Uses. — The milky juice of the plant is emetic and purgative. 

 The chemist De Vry has isolated from it a poisonous alkaloid 

 analogous to " thevetin," which has just been considered. The 

 seeds are likewise emetic and toxic. The Javanese call the 

 fruit " bimaro " and affirm that it possesses the same properties 

 as " datura." The bruised leaves are used locally for hepatic 

 eruptions ; the bark is used for the same purpose and is pur- 

 gative. 



The use of the plant is dangerous and is condemned by the 

 Pharmacopoeia of India. 



Botanical Description. — A small shrub with forked 

 branches. Leaves (overlapping) at ends of branches, lanceo- 

 late, entire, glabrous. Flowers in umbellate spikes. Calyx, 5 

 14 



