54 



ries a half inch or more in diameter. A native of the Great Plains, 

 formerly found especially in "prairie-dog villages,' 1 now a garden 

 weed, from Arizona and Texas to British America. 



Poisonous character. — Complaints of the poisoning of cattle have been 

 sent in to the Department from Nebraska, and experiments on guinea 

 pigs show that berries sent in from that State are poisonous. No 

 human cases have been reported. The berry is not attractive to the 

 eye, but has an agreeable odor and taste. It is therefore to be sus- 

 pected in cases of poisoning which occur in localities where the weed is 

 abundant. The active constituent is undoubtedly some compound of 

 solanine. 



The plants may be killed by cultivating the soil and cutting them 

 down before the seeds are fully grown. The common potato (Solanum 



tuberosum) is a member of this 

 group. There is little solanine 

 present in it ordinarily, but it does 

 exist in considerable quantity in 

 tubers that are green from expo- 

 sure to the sun and air, and in 

 old ones after sprouting. Several 

 cases of poisoning are recorded, 

 but even in old potatoes the poi- 

 son is ordinarily extracted by the 

 water which is thrown away from 

 them after boiling. The green 

 fruits have caused death. 



SUNFLOWER FAMILY (CAR- 

 DUACEAE). 



SNEEZE WEED. 



Helenium autumnal e L. 



Other names: Sneezewort; au- 

 tumn sneezewort; autumn 

 sneeze- weed ; staggerweed ( S. C. ) ; 

 swamp sunflower ; false sunflower ; 

 ox eye; yellow star. (Fig. 34.) 



Description and habitat. — A 

 smooth, angular, branching per- 

 ennial, 1 to 3 feet high, with 

 rather thick, lance shaped leaves, 

 and a large number of showy yellow flowers which do not appear 

 until autumn. It grows commonly in moist ground from Connecticut 

 to Michigan and Illinois, and southward to the Gulf; less commonly 

 northwestward from Louisiana to Oregon and Washington; also in 

 Arizona. It has been found at an altitude of 6,000 feet in Nevada. 



Fig. 33. —Spreading nightshade {Solatium triilo 

 rum), one-third natural size. 



