36 POISONOUS PLANTS. 



CONVOLVULUS SCAMMONIA {Asia Minor and 

 Cultivated in Britain). 



SCAMMONY. 



Convolvulacecs. — Root very long; perpendicular; straight; 

 unbranched ; woody ; exuding milky juice vvhen wounded. - 

 Stems numerous ; twining ; hollow. — Branches widely spreading. 

 — Leaves alternate ; scattered ; triangular. — Flowers numerous ; 

 solitary ; bracts opposite ; small ; leaf-like. Corolla widely 

 funnel-shaped ; 2in. — Fruit a capsule ; iin. ; not exceeding 

 persistent sepals. — Seeds 4 ; angular ; chocolate. — Perenn. ; 

 cream, pink stripes beneath. 



Toxic principle. — JALAPIN ; also contained in C. oriza- 

 biensis. 



CROTON TIGLIUM {East Indies) 



CROTON OIL PLANT. 



Euphorbiacece. — A small tree. — Branches many ; spreading. 

 — Leaves alternate, on longish stalks ; ovato-lanceolate ; entire. 

 — Flowers arranged on short pedicels, on spiked raceme ; 

 stamens long ; pale-green.— Fruit a globular capsule ; 3 celled ; 

 smooth. — Seeds Jin. ; oval ; dull, brownish-gray ; without 

 odour ; hilum faintly marked. — Stem contains a milky sap. 



Toxic principles.— CVSiTQ-^M,, CROTOLINIC ACID ; also 

 contained in C. variegatum, C. verreauxii. 



RICINUS COMMUNIS {India and South Europe). 



CASTOR OIL PLANT — CASTOR BEAN — PALMA-CHRISTI. 



Euphorbiacece. — Stems, 5ft. (40ft. in Tropics), hollow, glau- 

 cous. — Leaves alternate, lanceolate, serrate. — Flowers, petals 

 none, stamens numerous, green. — Fruit a blunt, grooved, tricoc- 

 cous, spined capsule. — Seeds 3, oval,- flattened, smooth, shining, 

 mottled, raphe raised. —Yellowish ; fruit green to purple. 



Toxic principle. — RICININE ; also contained in R. san- 

 guineus. 



EUPHORBIA RESINIFERA {Morocco). 



EUPHORRIA GUM PLANT — DARKMOUS — DERGMUSE. 



Euphorbiacece. — A leafless plant, resembling a cactus. — 

 Trunk short ; stout. — Stem much branched ; 4ft. — Branches 

 curved ; upright ; fleshy ; quadrangular, with blunt angles on 

 which are plates (scutella), each bearing 2 spines (altered 



