UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTU 



DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1201 



Washington, D. C. ▼ March 19, 1924 



PLANTS TESTED FOR OR REPORTED TO POSSESS INSECTICIDAL 



PROPERTIES. 1 



By N. E. McIndoo, Insect Physiologist, Fruit Insect Investigations, Bureau 

 of Entomology, and A. F. Sievebs, Chemical Biologist, Office of Drug, Poison- 

 ous, and Oil Plant Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry. 



CONTENTS. 



Economic aspects of plant insecticides 1 



Methods used by the writers in preparing plants for insecticides 2 



Insects employed and methods of testing preparations against them 3 



Results obtained by the writers 5 



Discussion of the more important results obtained 5 



Comparative results discussed 10 



Discussion of the less important results obtained 21 



Catalogue of plants tested for or reported to possess insecticidal properties 24 



General summary 53 



Conclusions 54 



Literature cited 54 



Index of botanical and common names of plants catalogued 59 



ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF PLANT INSECTICIDES. 



The search, for commercially valuable insecticides in the plant 

 kingdom has two phases. The testing of the material to determine 

 its effectiveness constitutes the first phase. After extensive labora- 

 tory and field tests have proved it to have sufficient merit, it then be- 

 comes necessary to determine the practicability of obtaining com- 

 mercial quantities of the material and to make it available in 

 proper form for insecticidal purposes. This constitutes the second 

 phase. 



Several factors must be considered in determining the practical 

 availability of a plant insecticide. Among these may be mentioned 

 (1) habitat, whether foreign or domestic, and whether wild or culti- 



1 The Bureaus of Entomology and Plant Industry in 1915 began a cooperative project 

 which included a careful study of the physiological effects of the plant insecticides and a 

 search for new insecticides in the plant kingdom. At the outset a search was begun for 

 plants which would furnish materials for efficient insecticides. This bulletin embodies 

 most of the unpublished results of this study and also includes as complete a catalogue 

 as possible of all plants that have been tested for or reported to possess insecticidal prop- 

 erties. Some of the plant material used in this work has come from foreign countries, but 

 the majority of the samples are from the United States and its possessions. Many per- 

 sons, chiefly employees of the United States Department of Agriculture, who are widely 

 scattered over the world, have sent much of this material. The scientific and common 

 names, families, and habitats of the plants discussed have been verified by Drs. S. P. 

 Blake, Frederick V. Coville, and W. E. Safford, all of the Bureau of Plant Industry. 



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