SPERMATOPHYTA RANUNCULACEAE 449 



to eat the plant. Marsh marigold is known to contain an alkaloid which is said to 

 be identical with nicotin but it has not been isolated. 



Dr. Millspaugh in speaking of the uses of this plant, states that it is exten- 

 sively gathered in early spring and cooked for greens, making one of our most 

 excellent pot-herbs. Rafinesque asserts that cattle browsing upon it die in con- 

 sequence of an inflammation of the stomach produced by it. According to Freid- 

 berger and Frohner it causes haematuria. 



2. Helleborus L. Hellebore 



Erect perennial herbs, with large, palmately divided leaves; flowers large, 

 white, greenish or yellowish; sepals 5, petal-like; petals small, tubular; stamens 

 numerous; carpels generally few; fruit several-seeded follicles. A small genus 

 of about 10 species, natives of Europe and Western Asia. 



Helleborus viridis L. Green Hellebore 



Basal leaves smooth, consisting of 7-11 oblong, acute, sharply-serrate seg- 

 ments; flowers large. 



Distribution. In waste places from Long Island to Penn. and W. Va. 



Poisonous properties. Black Hellebore is said to be a drastic purgative 

 when used for domestic animals. The plant contains the glucosides, hellcborin 

 C 6 H 1Q O, which is a highly narcotic, powerful poison, helleborein C 37 H 56 O 18 

 which is slightly acid and heleboretin C 19 H 3Q O 5 . 



The symptoms from poisoning are: Stupor followed by death with spasms. 

 H. foetidus is also poisonous. 



3. Aconitum L. Aconite 



Perennial herbs with palmately lobed or divided leaves; flowers large, 

 irregular, showy, paniculate or racemose; sepals 5, irregular, petal-like, the 

 upper helmet-shaped or hooded, prolonged into a spur; petals 2, small, con- 

 cealed under helmet, spurred, 3 lower absent or very minute ; pistils 3-5 forming 

 follicles, several seeded. 



About 60 species. Native of the North Temperate regions. One species, 

 the A. Napellus, used in medicine, is the source of aconite. One western species 

 is poisonous to live stock. 



None of the species of this genus is weedy in Eastern North America. 

 The three species, A. noveboracense Gray, A. uncinatum L. and A. reclinatum 

 Gray, occur in Eastern North America but are very local. None of these seems 

 to be very poisonous, but the roots of A. uncinatum are bitter, even in a dry 

 state. The exotic A. Lycoctonum and A. Fischeri are employed to kill wild 

 animals. 



Aconite is derived from the European Aconitum Napellus which produces 

 not only poisonous stem and leaves, but also a very poisonous tuberous root 

 which is from 2-4 inches long and sometimes an inch thick. The Indian aconite 

 is obtained from Aconitum jerox, a plant growing from 3-6 feet high and bear- 

 ing large dull-blue flowers; it is found in the Alpine regions of the Himalayas, 

 and is used as an arrow poison. Among other equally poisonous species 

 mentioned by Fliickiger and Hanbury, is A. uncinatum growing in Eastern 

 North America. They also state that the root of another species of Aconitum, 

 A. heterophyllum, with large ffowers of dull yellow, and purple, or blue, is poison- 



