716 MANUAL OF POISONOUS PLANTS 



Fig, 416. Sleeping or Deadly Night-shade 

 {Atropa Belladonna). Tip of flowering and 

 fruiting branch; entire fruit; cross section of 

 fruit; corolla cut open and spread out. Source 

 of the belladonna of commerce. (From Ves- 

 que's Traite de Botanique). 



elegans are frequently cultivated. The odor from the flowers of the latter is 

 very overpowering. The berries of C. pallidum, are said to be poisonous, but 

 birds have scattered the plant very widely in the tropics. Petunia violacea, 

 Lycium halimifolium and L. chinense are cultivated. The Duboisia myoporoides 

 of Australia is a tall shrub, its leaves having narcotic properties and containing 

 the substance duboisin, a mixture of hyoscyamin and atropin producing an ac- 

 tion like that of hyoscyamus but more hypnotic. According to Maiden this plant 

 is poisonous to stock. Other species like D. Leichardtii contain the same sub- 

 stance. The piturie (D. Hopwoodii) contains a liquid volatile alkaloid piturin 

 CgHjN resembling nicotin. The natives mix the piturie leaves with the ashes 

 of some other plant and chew them like tobacco. In its action it resembles 

 nicotin. 



The scopola {Scopolia carniolica) of Austria and Hungary, is a perennial 

 herb used Uke Belladonna in medicine. The leaves and rhizomes of this 

 species and S. japonica are poisonous. The S. carniolica plant contains atropin 

 CjjHjjNO^, hyoscyamin and scopalamin. The latter substance is broken up 

 into scopolin CgH^^NOj and tropic acid C^H^^Og. The hyoscin C^^H^gNOj is 

 impure scopolamin. Scopalin causes dilation of the pupils ; the heart action is at 

 first diminished, then increased, due to the stimulation of the imhibitory nervous 

 apparatus. The pichi used in kidney troubles is the dried leafy twigs of the 

 Chilian shrub (Pabiana imbricata). The tree tomato (Cyphomandra betacea) 

 produces a fruit similar, in taste, to that of the common tomato, if eaten when 

 raw; but after it is stewed, provided the skin and seeds have first been removed, 

 an apricot-like flavor is produced. It is much used in tarts and pastry in the 

 mountainous districts of the tropics. 



