54 
Injurious Fodder and Poisonous Plants, 
both sides, egg shaped, oblong, continued down the stalk. 
Flowers : bright yellow. July and August. Place of 
growth : dry ditch banks, gravelly and chalky soil. 
Biennial. 
Qualities: The seeds and flowers of this plant are 
actively poisonous. The foliage is acrid. Sheep and other 
animals reject it ; it is rarely the cause of serious injury, but 
acts, though much milder, like the following plant. 
VIII. B.* — Digitalis jiarpurea L. (Foxglove). Stem: erect, 
flowering spikes. Leaves : large, egg shaped, wrinkled ; 
stalks embracing the stem. Flowers : thrown up in spikes, 
purple, thimble shaped, rather beautifully mottled in the centre. 
June and July. Place of growth: common in hilly 
districts, on gravelly soil. Rarely met with in the flat land. 
Biennial. 
Qualities: The action of the poisonous substance in this 
plant is well known. Animals, especially^ sheep and stock 
grazing in hilly pastures, seem strangely to have no objection 
to partaking of this plant. In cases known to be due to the 
poison of this plant, the nausea and weakness of the animals is 
pronounced. They are very restless when lying down and 
frequently vomit. Death is almost always due to strong con- 
traction of the heart. If it has been ascertained that animals 
have been poisoned by this plant, they should be laid on the 
ground and prevented from altering their position, as this gives 
rise to fainting fits and in some cases to instantaneous death. 
Polygonaceae. Prevailing qualities : acrid, irritant. 
VIII. C. — Polygonum Hxjdropiper L. (Water Pepper). Stem : 
erect, 1 ft. to 3 ft. high, knotty. Leaves : thin, smooth on 
both sides, spear shaped. Flowers: in loose drooping spikes, 
green, red towards the end. August and September. Place 
of growth: wet places, on the banks of rivers, lakes, and 
ditches. Annual. 
Qualities: The whole plant is acrid and has a burning 
taste. It produces in animals, though they generally avoid it, 
urinary troubles, in severe cases haematuria. 
Thymelacese. Prevailing qualities : irritant. 
VIII. D. — Daphne Mezereum L. (Mezereon), a small shrub, 
about 2 feet high. Leaves : spear shaped, narrow, not ever- 
green as in the next species ; preceded by red or purple flowers, 
often in winter but generally in April. Fruits: berries, 
globular, red. Place of growth: woods, local (Suffolk, 
Hampshire). Perennial. 
* The figures and letters in front of the names refer to the plate and 
illustration. 
