14 
DAPHNE MEZEREUM. 
ornamental appearance. Miller says " there are two distinct varieties 
of the mezereon ; one with peach coloured blossoms, and red 
berries, the other with white flowers, succeeded by yellow berries ; 
these are supposed to be accidental varieties from the same seed." 
The mezereon grows to the height of four or five feet, with a strong 
w^oody stem, sending out numerous branches so as to form a large 
bushy head ; it blossoms early in January or February, before the 
leaves appear, and the berries ripen in July. The leaves are about 
two inches in length, lanced, smooth, and of a bright green, and 
placed without order upon the stems ; the flowers grow in clusters 
from the shoots of the former year, they generally grow three or 
four together from each knot or joint ; the corolla is monopetalous, 
open at the top, four-cleft and reflected back ; filaments eight, very 
short ; antherje simple, yellow ; germen oval, and becomes a scarlet 
berry, containing one seed ; stigma obtuse. 
The Genus Daphne ^comprises many species,* several of which 
possess poisonous properties. The Daphne Mezereum ranks with 
the acrid or irritating poisons. The barkf of the trunk, branches 
and roots, contain a very acrid principle, a small quantity, when 
chewed, exciting an almost insupportable sensation of burning in 
the mouth and throat. Applied to the skin in its recent state, or 
infused in vinegar, it will raise blisters. The berries appear to be 
more acrid than the bark or roots, and have proved fatal to many 
children who have incautiously eaten them. Linnaeus reports that 
a young lady, labouring under intermittent fever, died, spitting 
blood, from having taken twelve berries of the Daphne Mezereum, 
which had been given with the design of purging her. (Flora 
Suecica, No. 338.) 
The following is related in Vicat, Histoire des Plantes Ven^neuses 
de la Suisse, p. 140. Some person having given to an hydropic 
patient, some wood of the mezereon, the latter was all at once 
attacked with a diarrhoea, which was continual, and accompanied 
with insupportable pains ; he had also, for six weeks, vomiting, 
which returned every day with extreme violence, although, during 
the whole of that time, every proper medicine was had recourse to 
in order to quiet them. From the above account it appears that 
the Daphne Mezereum, when taken in improper doses, produces 
* Fourteen Species are enumerated in tbe Hort. Cant. 
t "We are told that the bark of the Daphne Laureola, Spurge Laurel, is generally 
sold in the market, as mezereon ; the qualities of both being the same, we consider 
the substitution to be of little consequeoce. 
