8 



less local, as "Jamestown weed," " jimson weed, " "stink wort" 

 and "stinkweed," but perhaps the most common, other than the 

 thornapple, is "stramonium" or "datura." 



There are some ornamental thornapples, notably Datura meteloides 

 DC, a species with very large flowers, and it should be considered 

 as having the same properties as the other daturas. 



Poisonous Solanoms. 



The black nightshade (Solarium nigrum L. ) is an annual herb 

 with clusters of white flowers, followed by black, round berries. The 

 general appearance of the plant may be gained from Figure 4 (Plate 

 II. ) It is frequently met with in shady, rich ground, and has the 

 narcotic poisonous principle solanine (a crystalline compound) in all 

 its parts, although usually in small quantities, and serious cases of 

 poisoning are rare. 



The berries are not very poisonous, but should be avoided, especi- 

 ally by children. As a general rule, wild berries and pulpy fruits 

 should not be eaten unless they are known to be harmless. 



The bitter-sweet (Solatium dulcamara L. ) is a perennial climbing 

 plant, quite closely related to the nightshade, and like it, abounds 

 in solanine, but differs in having the berries in larger clusters and of 

 an attractively-red color. It grows in moist, shady places, as along 

 water-courses and rich waste land generally throughout the State. 

 This species only occasionally produces ill effects, and is one of the 

 kinds of plants with bright berries which should not be eaten. 



The potato plant of the cultivated field contains the same poisonous 

 principle, solanine, which sometimes develops in considerable quantity 

 in the tubers when exposed to the sun and have become green. Such 

 tubers may cause sickness and death, and should be avoided as 

 poisonous. 



The Poke Root. 



The poke or scoke (Phytolacca decandra L. ), in a small family 

 (Phytolaccacese), possesses roots of marked toxic qualities and is 

 somewhat poisonous in all parts. The plant is a common one through- 

 out the State, and is attractive in all its stages of growth from the 

 first succulent shoot in spring until the bright berries, full of purple 

 ' ' ink, ' ' borne upon large, bushy plants several feet in height, fall 

 from their colored places of attachment in late autumn. The poison 

 is phytolaccine, that may be extracted in the form of silky needles 

 and causes vomiting, spasms of the muscles and possibly death. 



