SPERMATOPHYTA— URTICACEAE 



415 



Distribution. In rich woods from Missouri to Kansas to Texas ; widely 

 cultivated in the north from southern Nebraska to southern Iowa, Illinois and 

 eastward. 



Poisonous properties. This species is listed as poisonous by Professor 

 Bessey in Nebraska. Dr. Halsted notes that a friend of his while working 

 in Osage Orange hedges suffered considerably because of inflamation following 

 the piercing of the thorn. The writer had a similar experience. 



Dr. Bessey says: "The Osage Orange (.Madura pomifera) which has been shown 

 by Dr. Halsted to be more or less harmful as an external poison, is very commonly 

 grown in the southern portion of the state, and it thus adds another to the plants 

 to be avoided by some people. Although I am quite sensitive to some of the external 

 poisons, I have myself never experienced any bad effects from handling the leaves or 

 fruit of the Osage Orange." 



PROTEALES 



The proteales include one family, the Proteaceae, with nearly 1000 species, 

 native to the tropics, mostly of the southern hemisphere. 



SANTALALES 



Herbs or shrubs generally parasitic; flowers solitary or clustered without 

 corolla; calyx present, imperfect or perfect; pistil 1. Of the two families in 

 the United States, the Loranthaceae contains tlie Southern mistletoe {Phoran- 

 dendron) parasitic upon various decidious trees like the oak and elm; the 

 Arceuthobium of Europe, and the Rocky Mountains ; species parasitic upon coni- 

 fers, one also occuring on spruce trees in eastern North America. Hyams is 

 authority for the statement that the berries of Phoradendron flavescens are 

 poisonous to children. Several deaths have been attributed to them. Santala- 

 ceae contains the fragrant sandalwood {Santalum album) of the Indian-Malayan 

 region which contains an oil used in medicine for venereal diseases and for 



Fig. 195. Wild Ginger (Asa- 

 rum cancdense). Wild ginger is 

 used in medicine. The roots are 

 spicy fragrant; some plants re- 

 lated to it are poisonous. (W. 

 S. Dudgeon.) 



