24 POISONOUS PLANTS. 



PRUNUS LAUROCERASUS {Cultivated in 

 Britain). 



COMMON LAUREL. — CHERRY-BAY. 



RosacecB. — Evergreen shrub ; sometimes 20ft. ; branches 

 spreading ; gray-green ; shining. — Leaves thick ; alternate ; 

 ovato-lanceolate ; margin faintly serrate ; midrib prominent 

 below. — Flowers in upright racemes from leaf axils ; petals 5 ; 

 soon falling ; stamens 20 ; spreading. — Fruit a cherry-like 

 drupe ; shining ; blue-black. — Seed solitary. — May ; white. 



To^.ic principle.—V'RM^'SilC ACID. 



PRUNUS AMARA {Cultivated in Britain). 



BITTER ALMOND. 



RosacecB. — Tree; bark pale brown. — Leaves alternate; 

 lanceolate ; sharply serrate. — Flowers nearly sessile on last 

 year's branches ; appear before leaves ; calyx reddish ; petals 5 ; 

 pink ; stamens 30. — Fruit a drupe ; l-|-in. ; ovoid ; wtth furrow 

 on side; downy. — Seed solitary ; (seed of 'Amara" somewhat 

 smaller than the best varieties of " Dulcis.") — March. 



7ox-ic principle. — PRUSSIC ACID, also contained in P. 

 americana, P. avium, P. claudiana, P. insitia, P. lusitanica, 

 P. padus, P. serotina, P. spinosa, P. domestica, Persica vulgaris, 

 Armeniaca vulgaris. 



JATROPA CURCAS. 

 JATROPA URENS {Coromandel). 



PHYSIC NUT. 



EuphorbiacecE. — Small tree ; 2-4ft. — Bark light ash coloured. 

 — Flowers in terminal panicles, or from exterior axils ; many 

 small, yellow-green, anthers 10 ; June.-Sep. — Ovary oblong 

 smooth. — Leaves scattered, stalked, cordate, 5 angled, smooth, 

 divisions cut or even pennatifid, often discoloured. 



Toxic principle.— V&M^^XG ACID. 



JATROPA MANIHOT {Tropics). 



TAPIOCA. — CASSAVA.— MANDIOC PLANT. 



EuphorbiacecB. — Herbaceous ; Perenn. ; S-gft. — Root very 

 large, cylindrical, yellow, tapering, 3ft. ; filled with milky juice. 

 — Leaves triangular-linear, palmate. — Flowers on stalked pani- 

 cles, orange. — Fruit glabrous ; rough with raised ridges. 



Tox'c p>-znciple.~PB.VSSlC ACID, also contained in J. 

 GoBsypiifolia. 



