EUPHORBIACEAE 587 



ica are poisonous. The fresh juice of bitter cassava administered to dogs and 

 cats causes death in twenty minutes. The starch from this is used for sizing. 

 Cassava (Manihot utilissima) is extensively cultivated in tropical America 

 and to some extent also in Florida. The sweet cassava roots are used as 

 food for cattle and man. Tapioca is the starch which settling from the water 

 used to wash cassava meal, is afterward dried. An intoxicating drink is made 

 from cassava bread. Rubber plants of the order are the Hevea, Micrandus and 

 Manihot. The manchineal tree {Hippomane Mancineila) , the celebrated poison 

 tree of tropical America furnishes an arrow poison. The fruit, though temp- 

 ting, contains an acrid poison, which causes blisters to form. The poisonous 

 properties are said to rival those of the deadly Upas tree (Antiaris toxicaria). 

 The following is an extract from "West India Sketches" : 

 The branches contain a milky juice which -will certainly blister the skin ,and it has 

 been a common trick among the negroes to apply it to their backs in order to excite the 

 compassion of those who might mistake it for the effects of beating. 



Kingsley, in his charming "At Last," writes of it : 



We learnt to distinguish the poisonous manchineal, and were thankful in serious earnest 

 that we had happily plucked none the night before, when we were snatching at every new leaf; 

 for its milky juice by mere dropping on the skin burns like the poisoned tunic of Nessus, 

 and will even, when the head is injured by it, cause blindness and death. 



Dr. White in his Dermatitis Venenata, speaks of the use of the plant in 

 the West Indies as follows: 



This large family of Euphorbiaceae contains some of the most poisonous plants. One 

 of the most virulent is the manclineal, a small tree, bearing fruit resembling an apple, 

 which grows in Southern Florida. 



Loudon states that it abounds in a white milk which is highly poisonous, 

 and so very caustic that a single drop placed upon the skin instantly causes 

 the sensation of a hot iron, and in a short space of time raises a blister. It 

 is a common belief that to sleep under it causes death. Whole woods on the 

 seacoast of Martinique have been burned in order to clear the cotmtry of such 

 a dangerous pest. The fruit is highly poisonous. 



Mr. Combs in his paper on Cuban Medical plants, states that its poisonous 

 effects may be overcome by the use of Tecoma leucoxylon or Jatropha gossy- 

 pifolia. The uncooked rhizome of Maranta arundinaceae is sometimes used for 

 the same purpose. The latex of the sandbox tree Hura crepitans is also very 

 poisonous and when applied to the skin, causes eruptive pustules resembling 

 those of erysipelas. It also produces injuries to the eyes. It contains a 

 sharp acrid poison. When taken internally it produces vomiting and diarrhoea. 

 The seeds are used as emetic. 



The Nigeria species of Mahogany {Ricinodendron africanus) also produces 

 a valuable wood. 



The tallow tree (Sapium sehiferum) is cultivated in tropical countries for 

 wax found on the fruit, which is made into candles.. The candlenut tree {Aleu- 

 rites triloba) is cultivated on the islands of the Pacific Ocean for oil found in 

 the seeds, which is made into candles, soap, etc. The seeds of A. moluccana 

 are roasted and eaten. The Kalo Nut (A. Pordii) according to Holmes* is 

 poisonous having produced toxic symptoms in five children. It is the source 

 of tung or Chinese wood oil. The seeds of pinhoen oil {Jatropha Curcas) are 

 eaten. They are nutty and have a pleasant flavor, but when eaten in excess, 

 produce serious trouble and death often results. The drastic principle of Croton 



*Pharm. Jour. 4:25, 231, 241. Brit. Yearbook of Pharm. 1908:240. 



