5% Muhlenbergia, Volume 5 



above ground very early, the young leaves increasing in length 

 during March and April. In May a single flower stalk shoots up. 



"We have had several cases of poisoning by this plant, a 

 notable one being at the Indian School at Carson City a few 

 years ago. Seven people were poisoned, and the symptoms as 

 given by Dr. Lee, of Carson, were as follows: Nausea, headache, 

 followed by more or less stupor; the heart's action was lessened 

 in frequency, while the strength of the pulse remained normal. 

 The respirations were about normal. 



"Last year ('97) Professor Hillman had one of the students 

 in the University collect some of these plants. On his way back 

 after collecting them he stopped at a friend's house (Groton's), 

 where a young man (Bert Holland) ate some of them, mistaking 

 them for onions. He was immediately siezed with violent vom- 

 iting, and lost all power of feeling; pinching and sticking with 

 pins not seeming to have any effect. 



"A sample of these plants was used by me in my experi- 

 ments. Fifty grams of both the roots and stems were treated in 

 the same manner as the larkspur {Deipiiinium AndersoniiT) pre- 

 viously mentioned by the well-known process of Dragendorff. 

 The chloroform residue of the watery solution on the addition 

 of H2SO4 was dissolved yellow, becoming brown red; on the 

 addition of water the solution became violet. HC1 dissolves it, 

 and on warming, the solution becomes red, showing the pres- 

 ence of convallamarin, C23H44O12. The amyl alcohol residue 

 from the ammoniacal solution on the addition of H2SO4 dis- 

 solves yellow, then brown-red, and on dilution with water be- 

 comes violet. HC1 also dissolves it, and it becomes red on 

 warming, showing the presence of convallamarin. The reac- 

 tions were shown better and came quicker in the extract made 

 from the roots than in that made from the steins." 



According to the American Dispensatory, convallamarin is 

 very deadly, "causing death in a few minutes after the intro- 

 duction of the poison." The various species of Toxicoscordion 

 are supposed to be responsible for the death of large numbers of 

 grazing animals. Some species aie no doubt more deadly than 

 others. 



The photograph which furnished our cover illustration was 

 taken by Professor P. B. Kennedy by the roadside eight miles 

 west of Reno, May, 1902. Part of the plant had been eaten by 

 stock. 



