202 MEDICINAL AND POISONOUS PLANTS 



Young shoots of the elder (Fig. 183) eaten as a pickle have 

 also proved poisonous. 



The propensity which children have for chewing vari- 

 ous leaves occasionallj' leads them into danger. A plant 

 which they need to be warned against is the Indian tobacco 

 (Fig. 188) that grows very commonly in pastures and might 



. 18il. — Mountain Laurel [Kalmia latifolia. Heath Family, Ericacni;). 

 a, flowering branch, ;. 6, flower, [, c, cluster of fruits, i. (Chesnut.) — 

 Shrub 1-12 m. tall; leaves evergreen; flowers pink; fruit dry, brownish. 

 Native home. Eastern United States. 

 Fig. 190. — Sheep Laurel (Kalmia anguslifolia, Heath Family-, Ericaccce). 

 Flowering branch. Flower. Fruiting branch. Fruit. (Britton and 

 Brown.) — Shrub 1.5 cm.-l ni. tall; leaves evergreen; flowers pur- 

 plish or crimson; fruit dry, brownish. Native home, Ea.stern North 

 America. 



prove alluring perhaps on account of its common name. 

 Every part of the ])lant is highly poisonous. It has been ex- 

 tensively used in quack medicines and has caused a large 

 number of deaths. Very young i)lants of the mountain laurel 

 (Fig. 189) and the slice]! laurel (Fig. 190) are especially dan- 



