POISONOUS PLANTS OF BOMBAY. 623 



the plant by some Syrian physicians who instructed the Arabs in Greek 

 medicine. The modern Persians call C. procera Khark and Darakbt-i- 

 Zahrnak or " poison-tree." So far back as 1813, Ainslie in his " Materia 

 Medica " of Hindustan seems to have noted the purgative properties of 

 both Calotropis gigantea and Calotropis procera. It is stated in the 

 Pharmacographia Indica (Vol. II, p. 434) that the emetic properties of 

 Calotropis were brought to the notice of the medical profession by Dr. 

 Duncan who, as I have already noted before, was the first person to 

 isolate the bitter principle of the plant and examine clinically, in the 

 presence of O'Shaughnessy, the pharmacological properties thereof, so 

 far back as 1829. (See Edin. Med. and Surg. Journ., XXXII., p. 65.) 



u Modern physiological research has shown that the juice applied to 

 the skin acts as an irritant." 



" In large doses Calotropis causes vomiting and purging, actinc as 

 an irritant emeto-cathartic." (Ph. Ind., p. 434.) 



This is the best description of the poisonous properties of the plant 

 that could be given in the existing state of our knowledge regarding 

 Calotropis gigantea and Calotropis procera as well. With these remarks 

 I conclude this paper. 



Description of Plate T. 



No. 1. — The top of a flowering branch — half natural size. The white 

 paint at the cut end in the right lower corner of the plate shows 

 the milky juice. 



No. 2. — The staminal corona — full natural size. 



No. 3. — A pollen-mass — six times magnified. Note the brown clip at 

 the lowest part of the pollen-mass. 



No. 4. — A mature follicle — entire ; the corresponding fellow follicle 

 was here abortive — half natural size. 



No. 5. — The same follicle in dehiscence, showing the imbricate 

 close-packed arrangement of the mature seeds, with thecoma at the 

 top of the follicle — half natural size. 



No. 6. — A detached comose seed with the coma as pictured flying 

 about in the air after the fruit dehisces— half natural size. The cut end 

 of the peduncle is painted white to show the milky juice. 



