POISONOUS PLANTS 229 



Since the azalea is a common ornamental plant, and 

 since it is very dangerous, caution must be exercised in 

 regard to cuttings of the plant. 



Kalmia angustifolia, or sheep laurel, is abundant in the 

 North-Eastern United States, and K. latifolia, found 

 throughout the greater part of the Eastern States, and 

 known as laurel or ivy, is regarded as the most poisonous 

 species of the Ericacece, killing scores of cattle and sheep 

 annually. 



Kalmia, or laurel ivy. — J. Young, of Braintree,* 

 signalised the death of 20 out of 150 ewes, which all 

 suffered from eating a species of kalmia. On the next 

 day they were all lying down, and showing symptoms like 

 those of gripes in horses. The bodies were full, but not 

 swollen. Castor oil was swallowed with difficulty. Before 

 death there was great stiffness, probably tetanic. 



Amongst others of the Ericacece, Ledmn palustre is noted 

 by Cornevin as causing similar poisoning to rhododendron 

 on the Continent, and L. glandulosum and groenlandicum 

 are suspected in America. Leucothoe cateshcei, the branch- 

 ivy, hemlock, or calf-kill of the Alleghany Mountains, is 

 known to be fatal to all kinds of stock in that district, and 

 L. racemosa has been reported from New Jersey as especially 

 fatal to calves. 



OLEACE.ffi. 



This family is represented in Britain only by Fraxinus, 

 the ash, and Ligustrimi vulgare, the privet, which has been 

 introduced into America. The common privet has been 

 observed to cause poisoning by Turner, t It contains a 

 glucoside, ligustrin, which has not received very close study. 



Turner's observations were made on horses put into a 

 field with an undipped privet hedge. 



The symptoms observed were loss of power in hind 

 quarters, pulse 50, temperature 102° F., mucous membranes 



* Veterinarian, 1877, p. 77. 

 t Vet. Becord, 1904, p. 319. 



