52 
Injurious Fodder and Poisonous Plants. 
Qualities : The poisonous properties of these three plants 
are well known. Deadly Nightshade is one of the most 
dangerous plants growing in this country ; it happily is I’are. 
Numerous instances are known where the berries of this plant 
have been eaten by children in mistake for cherries. The 
berries may easily be distinguished by the green leafy calyx 
adhering to the fruits. Of the other two plants the black 
nightshade is the less powerful. The poisonous principle in 
these plants is the alkaloid Atropine. The symptoms of cases 
poisoned by either of these plants manifest themselves in con- 
vulsive spasms, wide dilatations of the iris, so as to produce an 
enormous sized pupil (note the opposite result is produced in 
poisoning by poppies). Men and animals having eaten from 
these plants appear at first as if intoxicated, and rarely are 
known to recover. The diagnosis of these cases may be con- 
firmed by dropping a single drop of the urine of the animals 
into the eyes of a young kitten, when it causes dilatation of 
the pupil. 
VII. c.' — Hyoscyamnsniger L. (Henbane). Stem : 2 ft. to 
3 ft. high, herbaceous, erect, much branched. Leaves : large 
downy, glandular, with an unpleasant fetid odour. Flowers : 
funnel shaped, lurid border ; creamy brown, with dark purple 
veins ; centre deep purple. The fiowers are arranged in rows 
along one side of the stem. June and July. Place of 
growth: road sides, not uncommon. Annual or Biennial. 
Qualities: The plant contains a dangerously strong fetid 
poison, especially when the seeds are ripening. The leaves, 
however, are less poisonous, than the root or seeds. Stupor 
and apoplectic symptoms terminating in death are the usual 
consequences when portions of the plant are eaten. 
VII. D. — Datura Stramonium L. (Thornapple). Stem: 
erect, 1 ft. to 2 ft. high. Leaves : egg shaped, smooth. 
Flowers : white, large, sometimes with a tinge of purple. 
June and July. Fruits: thorny. Place of growth: 
waste places, rare. (The plant is a native of America, but now 
naturalised in this country.) Annual. 
Qualities: If eaten in small quantities this plant causes 
vomiting. In larger doses no vomiting takes place ; the limbs 
and muscles become paralysed, and violent convulsions precede 
death, which almost always occurred in cases, where animals 
did not soon vomit. The stock shows a great dislike for this 
plant ; it is generally eaten when in the young growth. 
Scrophulariaceae. Prevailing qualities : cardiac poison. 
VIII. A. — Verhascum Thapsus L. (Great Mullein). Stem: 
fiower-bearing spikes, 4 ft. to 5 ft. high. Leaves : woolly on 
* The figures and letters in front of the names refer to the plate and 
illustration. 
