126 THE USES OF PLANTS. 



portation of this fungus from Archangel. Other 

 fungal poisons being apparently either Muscarine or 

 some closely allied substance, Atropine may prove 

 valuable as an antidote in the not infrequent cases of 

 fungal poisoning. 



Claviceps purpurea, Tulasne, the ERGOT OF RYE, 

 belonging to the order Pyrenomycetes, is a fungus 

 which occurs on many grasses, but is chiefly imported 

 on Rye {Secale cereale, L.) from Vigo, in Spain, Ham- 

 burg, and Odessa. It is a violet-coloured, spindle- 

 shaped ' sclerotium,' or compact mass of fungoid 

 ' mycelium/ or ' spawn,' from Jinch to ij inches long, 

 entirely replacing the grain. It is known officinally 

 as ' Secale cornutum,' and is employed to produce 

 muscular contraction of the uterus.* 



LICHENS. 



Of this group, now generally considered to consist 

 of fungi living upon lowly-organized algae in a state 

 of ' symbiosis,' if not of parasitism, only one species, 

 Cetraria Islandica, Acharius, ICELAND MOSS, has any 

 claim to be considered medicinal. Though a native 

 of our British hills, this lichen is mainly collected on 

 barren hills in Sweden, and the mucilaginous modifi- 

 cation of starch, known as lichenin, which it contains, 

 renders it demulcent as well as nutritious, f 



Among members of this class, reference has already 



* Pharmacographia,' p, 67-2 : Bentley and Trimen, iv, pi. 

 303, and supra, p. 33. 



f Prof. A. H. Church, ' rooa/ p. 103; * Pharmacographia/ 

 p. 670 ; Bentley and Trimen, iv, pi. 302. 



