APOCYNACEAE ASCLEPIADACEAE 695 



The amount of oleander necessary to cause death in horses ranges from 15 to 20 gin. of 

 green leaves, and from 15 to 30 gm. of dry leaves. This depends on the condition of the animal 

 at the time the poison is obtained. A full stomach will necessitate more poison. In the case 

 of cows it is safe to say that from 10 to 20 gm. of green leaves and 15 to 25 gm. of dry leaves 

 are sufficient to cause death. For sheep the fatal dose of either green or dry leaves is from 1 

 to 5 gm. There is little danger in the bark, roots, or flowers since live stock would hardly 

 obtain sufficient poison in that way. . . 



The general symptoms are increased temperature and pulse, coldness of the extremities, 

 warm body temperature, dilation of the pupils of the eyes, and discoloration of the mouth and 

 nostrils followed by sore mouth. The body becomes wet with sweat, due to the exertion caused 

 by the powerful heart stimulation. The animal generally refuses to eat or drink during the 24 

 hours preceding death. This is usually due to soreness of the mouth and throat, making it 

 painful to masticate and swallow food. The bowels act often and feces are usually greenish 

 in color. The action of the kidneys is increased slightly and color of urine is normal. There 

 is little doubt that numerous cases of oleander poisoning have never been brought to light 

 because of death being attributed to other sources. It is safe to say, however, that many hun- 

 dreds of animals have been lost in southern Arizona from this shrub. 



ASCLEPIADACEAE. Milkweed Family. 



Perennial herbs, vines, or shrubs, with rrilky juice and opposite or whorled 

 leaves, entire; flowers in umbels, regular; calyx inferior; corolla bell or urn- 

 shaped, rotate or funnel-form, 5-lobed or 5-cleft, the segments generally re- 

 flexed; a crown between the corolla and stamens; stamens 5, inserted on the 

 corolla ; generally monadelphous ; anthers connivent around the stigma or more 

 or less united with each other; commonly bearing an erect or inflexed mem- 

 brane ; pollen collected in masses, generally 10, known as pollinia ; ovary con- 

 sisting of 2 carpels, in fruit of 2 follicles; seeds flattened, usually appendaged 

 by a long tuft of hairs called a coma. 



About 200 genera, and 1800 species, of wide distribution, many members of 

 the family being weedy; some are medicinal, but few are economic. Several 

 plants of the family are cultivated. The Periploca graeca of the Old World is 

 an ornamental climber and produces granular pollen in place of pollinia. The 

 Stapella, several species of which are cultivated, are natives of the Cape of 

 Good Hope. They produce flowers of dull purple color with transverse stripes, 

 exhaling a very disagreeable odor not unlike that of putrid meat. 



The wax plant (Hoya carnosa), is a well known house plant of India, with 

 rooting stems; thick, fleshy, oval leaves; and flesh colored flowers. The Vince- 

 ioxicum is a European climber sometimes cultivated in the Eastern States. 

 Several species native from South America are sometimes cultivated for orna- 

 mental purposes. Some species of the order are used in medicine. The Indian 

 sarsaparilla (Hemidesmus indicus) growing in the Indian peninsula and Ceylon, 

 has a medicinal root which is used as a tonic and diuretic. The root has the 

 odor of the tonka bean or of sweet clover. The mudar (Calotropis procera) 

 also a native of India, from Ceylon and the Moluccas, is common in waste 

 grounds. The bark contains one bitter principle, niudarin, used as a tonic and 

 diaphoretic and in large doses as an emetic. It produces a strong fiber, the 

 silk being exported as "kapok," or tree cotton. The Indian ipecacauanha (Ty- 

 hphora asthtnatica) is a climbing perennial of India and Mauritius; anciently 

 much used by the Hindoos in dysentery. The pleurisy-root or butterfly-weed 

 (Asclepias tuberosa} is used as a diuretic and an emetic. A. Curassavica of 

 the West Indes is a vermifuge. The flowers are said to produce excellent 

 honey. Generally, however, honey bees are killed by becoming entangled in 

 the pollen masses of some of the species of Asclepias. Many other plants of 

 the order have an acrid poisonous juice. Two of our common species of milk- 



