94 Plants suspected of being Poisonous [ch. 



It has an acrid taste, causes smarting of the eyes, soreness of throat, 

 aching of extremities, and coHc ; and irritation to people handling it (203). 



Mayweeds {Anthemis sp.). It is not at all clear whether these 

 plants are more than irritant in character, and they are so very common 

 and widely distributed that there would probably be more evidence if 

 they were poisonous, A. Cotula is regarded as suspected by Smith and 

 Halsted, while Ewart says that it is obnoxious to stock on account of 

 its unpleasant flavour, and if eaten by them in time of scarcity is apt 

 to give their flesh, milk, or butter an unpleasant flavour. Giissow 

 states that this species blisters the mouth and nostrils of animals. In 

 his investigations at Kew, GreshofE found that the seeds of A. Cotula 

 and A. arvensis contain much hydrocyanic acid. (He further found that 

 the cyanogenetic glucoside from A. aetnensis Schouw. and A. chia L. 

 belongs to the amygdalin type, giving off hydrocyanic acid and benz- 

 aldehyde on hydrolysis. "The strong odour of benzaldehyde may 

 even be observed on grinding the seeds with water. Species of Anthemis 

 contained from 0-15 down to 0-03 per cent, of hydrocyanic acid.") 



Cat's-Ear {Hypochceris radicata L.). No record of poisoning of 

 Cat's Ear has been found, but it may be mentioned here, since Ewart 

 says of it : " It contains a bitter, milky sap, which makes it unpalatable 



though not entirely poisonous An exclusive diet of this 



weed could not help but injure stock eventually." 



Dodders {Cuscuta sp.), when parasitic on clovers and fed as fodder 

 or hay, have been suspected of causing digestive troubles in horses and 

 cattle in the United States. Miiller records a case of poisoning of young 

 pigs by C. europcea, with inflammation of the intestines and nervous 

 symptoms. Barbey determined the presence of the glucoside Cuscutin 

 in C. Epithymum. 



Viper's Bugloss {Echium vulgare L.) is suspected of being poisonous; 

 according to Friedberger and Frohner it causes slavering (see also 

 Cynoglossum). 



Hound's Tongue {Cynoglossum officinale L.). To what extent this 

 plant is actually poisonous is not clear, but with some other members 

 of the order {Echium vulgare, Anchusa officinalis), it contains the two 

 alkaloids Consolidine and Cynoglossine — the former of wliich paralyses 

 the central nervous system and the latter the peripheral nerves. 

 (Greimer, 1900: vide Henry). 



According to Hooker, Hound's Tongue is narcotic and astringent, 

 and Smith includes it as a simple vegetable irritant, causing nausea and 

 purging. No records of actual poisoning of animals have been found. 



